Brendon and Julie met Willmon for dinner at a local steakhouse on Saturday evening. He posed for photos, signed the CD they had brought with them — his sophomore album, A Little More Livin' — and spoke with the couple about the music business, his upcoming album and cookbook and the differences between Kansas City barbeque and Texas barbeque.
Willmon then presented the Cox's with two VIP tickets to the historic Grand Ole Opry complete with a backstage tour. Upon arrival, Brendon and Julie were seated in the first row for a show that included Vince Gill, The Wreckers, Marty Stuart and Oak Ridge Boys, among many others. An Opry representative approached the couple asking if they'd like to be included in a televised question & answer series with Gill. Brendon asked the Grammy Award winning artist who of all the guitar players he'd performed with was his favorite. Gill replied Chet Atkins and then proceeded to play an Atkin's hit song for them. This segment aired with the rest of the Opry show on the GAC (Great American Country) Network's program "Grand Ole Opry Live."
On Sunday, the 2005 Angler of the Year, Billy Flatt of Nashville Fishing Charters, guided the Cox's and Willmon on a private fishing tour of Percy Priest Lake, one of the best fishing lakes in the country. The group caught several Stripers despite the cold, windy and rainy weather in Nashville. Flatt owns one of the only covered guide boats in the area so everyone stayed protected from the elements. Also on board was country music television host Storme Warren who filmed the six hour fishing trip for his show "Country Music Across America." The piece will air Thursday, April 19 on the GAC network. Visit www.gactv.com for air times and dates.
Trent Willmon's music career has taken him from the dancehalls of Texas to the hallowed Opry stage and countless other venues across the country. The artist/songwriter/musician first captured country music audiences with songs like "Beer Man," "Dixie Rose Deluxe's" and "Home Sweet Holiday Inn" (which was used in a national commercial for the hotel chain last summer) and his sophomore album, A Little More Livin', produced his first Top 25 single, "On Again Tonight." Trent's talents include songwriting, cooking, rattlesnake wrangling, team roping and leather/metal work and he's the host of a new CMT reality show, "America's Top Cowboy," debuting May 19. Trent's websites are www.trentwillmon.com and www.myspace.com/TrentWillmon.