Bill Cody, the beloved Grand Ole Opry announcer and longtime WSM Radio host, died Tuesday at age 67 after battling kidney and heart failure.
WSM Radio confirmed the news Tuesday evening in a heartfelt tribute posted to Instagram.“A singular presence on WSM-AM Nashville for more than three decades, Bill welcomed listeners each morning on ‘Coffee, Country & Cody’ with a broad smile, a conversational ease, and an unerring ability to make both artists and audiences feel at home,” the station wrote.
Cody was a native of Lebanon, Kentucky, and the son of a preacher who first discovered radio as a boy. Cody often accompanied his father to the local station to drop off tapes of Sunday worship services.
Those visits sparked his fascination with broadcasting and gave him early hands-on experience at the station.
He launched his professional radio career in 1971 at WLBN in his hometown of Lebanon. In 1977, he moved to WVLK in Lexington as an on-air personality, followed by a stint at WHAS in Louisville.Cody returned to country radio in 1985 as morning host at WCII in Louisville. He later worked at WHOO-FM in Orlando, Florida, and KKYX-AM in San Antonio, Texas, before joining WSM Radio in Nashville in 1994.
Beyond daily radio, Cody’s voice reached wide audiences through television, syndication, and voice-over work. His credits include American Saturday Night: Live from the Grand Ole Opry, GAC-TV’s Master Series, specials such as Tennessee’s Wildside and Ray Stevens’ Nashville, and programs for The Nashville Network. He also hosted Bill Cody’s Classic Country Weekend, contributed to Nashville Record Review and Country’s Most Wanted, and provided programming for the Country Music Hall of Fame, Music City Walk of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Ryman Auditorium, Willie’s Roadhouse on SiriusXM, and United Airlines’ in-flight country music channel.
Those visits sparked his fascination with broadcasting and gave him early hands-on experience at the station.
He launched his professional radio career in 1971 at WLBN in his hometown of Lebanon. In 1977, he moved to WVLK in Lexington as an on-air personality, followed by a stint at WHAS in Louisville.Cody returned to country radio in 1985 as morning host at WCII in Louisville. He later worked at WHOO-FM in Orlando, Florida, and KKYX-AM in San Antonio, Texas, before joining WSM Radio in Nashville in 1994.
Beyond daily radio, Cody’s voice reached wide audiences through television, syndication, and voice-over work. His credits include American Saturday Night: Live from the Grand Ole Opry, GAC-TV’s Master Series, specials such as Tennessee’s Wildside and Ray Stevens’ Nashville, and programs for The Nashville Network. He also hosted Bill Cody’s Classic Country Weekend, contributed to Nashville Record Review and Country’s Most Wanted, and provided programming for the Country Music Hall of Fame, Music City Walk of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Ryman Auditorium, Willie’s Roadhouse on SiriusXM, and United Airlines’ in-flight country music channel.
Cody was inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame and received a star on the Music City Walk of Fame. He is set to receive a posthumous induction into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame.
More than his accolades, he will be remembered for his kindness, humility, and genuine ability to connect with people. WSM plans to honor him in the coming days with a special marathon of memorable moments from Coffee, Country & Cody.