A pre-birthday Music Monday

👋 Adam here. My birthday is coming up Saturday, so I convinced Nate to let me take over our Music Monday playlist and turn it into a 35-track journey through my mind.

• Buckle up!

The intrigue: Growing up here shaped my tastes over the years. Several of this week's selections have ties to my Nashville story.

Flashback: My paternal grandfather Francis, who used the stage name Sonny Day, played accordion and earned a spot as an original member of country icon Roy Acuff's backing band, the Smoky Mountain Boys.

• He played with Acuff in Nashville in the 1940s, appearing on the Grand Ole Opry back when acts rehearsed before shows in the alley outside the Ryman Auditorium stage door. He returned to Music City in 1965 with my dad and the rest of the family and started his own band.
• I've selected one of his favorites from his time with the Smoky Mountain Boys: "Wabash Cannonball."

🎤 Of course, I had to invite my other favorite Nashvillians — Trisha Yearwood and Taylor Swift — to the party.

• My pick from the Carpenters also has a local connection: It was co-written by John Bettis, who lives here.