Bill Cody

Bill Cody (born Trent Barry Clutts; His parents Helen Ruth and William Allen Clutts were natives of Harvest, Alabama, William Clutts worked as a plumber in Alabama, but the family moved to Lebanon, Kentucky, when Cody was around two years old so that William could study at Campbellsville College to become a Southern Baptist minister. William was pastor for five churches during his career, served on the Marion County Board of Education and was a member of the city council for Lebanon. He competed at regional speech tournaments, winning in the "Broadcasting" category, and played the titular king in the school's production of The King and I. In 1976, Cody was a student of Campbellsville College.

Career At twelve years old, Cody began working for WLBN doing odd jobs around the station. He soon began reading the news for radio host Frank Kemp, becoming known for his surprisingly deep voice. After six years at WLBN, he joined Lexington's WVLK radio station as host of its 7p.m. to midnight show.

After two years in Florida, Cody became the morning show host for KKYX in San Antonio, Texas. He retired from the position in 1995 on his twentieth consecutive year as host, receiving a silver tray and custom-made quilt from the pageant organisers as thanks. Cody later returned to Marion County to host the pageant's fiftieth event in 2013.

During the 1990s, he served as arena announcer for the Nashville Knights.

Cody appeared on various television shows throughout his career, including A Day in the Life of Country Music in October 1993. It included performances by Vince Gill, Carly Pearce, T. Graham Brown, The Isaacs, Suzy Bogguss, Jamie Johnson and Ana Cristina Cash. The latter two performed a song titled "On My Radio", which was written about Bill Cody.

Legacy Following Cody's death, country musician Dierks Bentley said he was "just as important as any artist, songwriter or musician" in the country music industry.

Honors In 1989, Cody was awarded the Mark of Excellence award by the Society of Professional Journalists for best radio sports story and feature.

In 2008, Cody was inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame. He was given a star on Nashville's Music City Walk of Fame in 2024.

In May 2026, Cody was announced as a 2026 inductee to the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame.