Bill Cody, the beloved presenter whose decades-long presence on WSM-AM Nashville, and as a regular host of the Grand Ole Opry, made him, for several generations, the voice of country music radio, died Tuesday (June 9) following a health battle. He was 67.
Cody joined the team at WSM on April 25, 1994, fronting the flagship morning show, Coffee, Country & Cody, the format for which he developed into a series on the Circle Network. Charlie Daniels was the first of Cody’s incalculable in-studio guests, many of whom became close friends. Later in the decade, Cody hosted mornings on WSM-FM before returning to the AM dial at the turn of the millennium.
Over time, Cody racked up an impressive stash of hosting credits, including the long-running Opry Country Classics, the Master Series for Great American Country, Tennessee’s Wild Side on public television, and the syndicated radio shows Classic Country Weekend With Bill Cody and Pure American Country.
His awards cabinet was formidable, too. He was inducted into the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame in 2008, received a star on the Music City Walk of Fame in 2024, and will be posthumously inducted into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame later this year.
The son of a Southern Baptist preacher in Lebanon, Kentucky, Cody cut his teeth in radio as a teenager, landing a gig at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, for a disc jockey spot at Lexington station WVLK. At the suggestion of his boss at the time, the 17-year-old dropped his given name, Trent Clutts, and adopted the name Bill Cody, a tip of the hat to one of his childhood heroes, “Buffalo Bill” Cody. Along the way, he’d work at WHAS and WCII in Louisville, Kentucky, WHOO in Orlando, Florida, and KKYX in San Antonio, Texas.
As news of Cody’s passing spread, the country music community paid tribute.
“Country music has lost one of its pillars,” remarks Dierks Bentley. “Bill was just as important to the fabric of our music and city as any artist, songwriter or musician. No one loved country music, its history and its characters more than Bill Cody. Prayers to his family and Charlie and Kelly and everyone that knew and loved him at WSM and the Opry.”
Adds Garth Brooks: “There might be someone somewhere in the world who loved country music as much, but nobody loved country music more than Bill Cody.”
Carly Pearce salutes Cody for devoting his life “to telling the story of country music. With a legacy spanning decades, he will be marked as one of the greatest of all time. For me, he was so much more than that. He was my friend. He will be so very missed on this side of heaven, but I rejoice knowing he is with our Heavenly Father.”
A statement from the Grand Ole Opry remembers Cody “for his kindness, humility, and genuine gift for connection. He was a trusted voice, a generous friend, and a constant companion to generations of listeners.”
The late announcer grew up listening to the Grand Ole Opry with his father. This Saturday night, the Grand Ole Opry will dedicate the show to Cody.
“Everyone at the Grand Ole Opry, in country music, in Nashville – and across the country – will remember Bill for his profound gravitas, his incredible voice, and his positive and infectious enthusiasm for country music,” writes Patrick Moore, CEO, Opry Entertainment Group. “For those of us who were lucky enough to work with Bill as a colleague, he brightened every single day and changed our lives for the better. Bill will be sorely missed. Rest in Peace, Trent from Gravel Switch.”
Cody had recently been hospitalized for heart and kidney failure. Earlier, his daughter, Hannah Davis, shared on Facebook: “We will never be able to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and the sincere prayers over the last few weeks. We know God heard them and we feel a deep peace that one day we will understand why God chose to still take him.”
