BREAKING: WSM’s Bill Cody Passes
Bill Cody. Photo: Grand Ole Opry, by Chris Hollo
WSM announcer Bill Cody passed away on June 9. He was 67.
Cody’s distinctive voice has resonated across international airwaves for more than five decades. For over 30 years, he served as host of WSM Radio’s flagship morning program, Coffee, Country & Cody, and became especially renowned for his longtime role as announcer and host of the Grand Ole Opry.
Inducted into the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame in 2008, Cody has earned multiple nominations from the CMA, ACM and Billboard. In 2024, he was honored with a star on the Music City Walk of Fame Park. He will also be posthumously inducted into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame later this year.
A native of Lebanon, Kentucky, Cody grew up as a preacher’s son and was introduced to radio at an early age. He often accompanied his father to the local radio station to exchange tapes of Sunday worship services for broadcast. Those visits provided an early look inside the world of radio and led to opportunities to spend time at the station, where he learned more about the day-to-day work of broadcasting.
In 1971, he began his professional radio career at WLBN in his hometown of Lebanon. Six years later, he joined WVLK in Lexington, Kentucky, as an on-air personality at 17 years old. At WVLK is where his boss requested he drop his birth name, Trent Clutts, and adopted the name Bill Cody, inspired by his one of his childhood heroes, “Buffalo Bill” Cody. After two years there, he moved to WHAS in Louisville, continuing to build his career in broadcasting.
In 1985, he returned to country radio as a morning personality at WCII in Louisville before relocating to Orlando, Florida, to work with WHOO-FM. Two years later, he joined KKYX-AM in San Antonio, Texas.
In 1994, Cody moved to Nashville to join WSM Radio, beginning a chapter that would define much of his distinguished career. Joining WSM on April 25, 1994, with inaugural guest Charlie Daniels. He also eventually developed the series on the Circle Network.
Beyond radio, Cody’s work has spanned television, syndication, voice-over and film. His credits include American Saturday Night: Live from the Grand Ole Opry, GAC-TV’s Master Series, the television specials Tennessee’s Wildside and Ray Stevens’ Nashville, and appearances on The Nashville Network. He has also been heard on Bill Cody’s Classic Country Weekend, Pure American Country, Nashville Record Review, Country’s Most Wanted, programming for the Country Music Hall of Fame, Music City Walk of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Ryman Auditorium, as well as Willie’s Roadhouse on SiriusXM and United Airlines’ in-flight country music programming.
Cody married his high school sweetheart, Rebecca. The couple has three children and resided in Cross Plains, TN.
In the days ahead, WSM will honor Cody with a special marathon of moments from Coffee, Country & Cody. Saturday’s (June 13) Grand Ole Opry will be dedicated to Cody.
The Grand Ole Opry House will host visitation and funeral services honoring the life of Cody on Monday (June 15). Visitation will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. followed by a funeral service at 2:00 p.m. in the Opry House auditorium. Doors open at 1:00 p.m. Family, friends, colleagues and fans are welcome.
