A Street Party That Feeds Thousands

What began as a backyard celebration now draws over a thousand people to support food insecurity in Middle Tennessee. Bill Ramsey takes us inside the evolution of “Ode to Otha” and why community leadership starts with showing up.

Tickets: Ode to Otha

About the event: Ode to Otha: Bill Ramsey Honors Friend & Legendary Musician Otha Turner with Annual Charity Event

Transcript

PODCAST INTRO (00:00)

Welcome to Womble Perspectives, where we explore a wide range of topics, from the latest legal updates to industry trends to the business of law. Our team of lawyers, professionals and occasional outside guests will take you through the most pressing issues facing businesses today and provide practical and actionable advice to help you navigate the ever changing legal landscape. With a focus on innovation, collaboration and client service, we are committed to delivering exceptional value to our clients and to the communities we serve. And now our latest episode.

HOST (00:39)

Welcome to another episode of Womble Perspectives. This year marks the firm's 150th anniversary, and in commemoration, we're periodically sitting down with some of our attorneys whose impact in law and in their communities helped make Womble what it is today, and who also are helping carry the firm's legacy into the future.

In this episode, we're speaking with Bill Ramsey, a partner who joined Womble in 2025 as part of our combination with well-known Nashville firm of Neal & Harwell. For over three decades, Bill has been heavily involved in community service by organizing an annual benefit named Ode to Otha in honor of his late friend, Otha Turner, that benefits the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee in Nashville.

And now, on to the episode with more of the story. Bill, it's a delight to join you on the podcast today.

BILL RAMSEY (01:30)

Thanks for putting up with me.

HOST (01:32)

You started Ode to Otha more than three decades ago. Tell us more about the event and what inspired you to create it.

BILL RAMSEY (01:39)

Well, the event honors a very old friend of mine named Otha Turner, who was from Northwest Mississippi. So, I was helping him with an event he had in his home down in Gravel Springs, Mississippi that he called his Picnic. 

And he had a stage, and had blues players, some really old world-renowned blues players, and I learned that we had the same birthday. So I said, "Well, I'll come down, I've been helping you down on your Picnic. Well, I'll keep doing that, but I want you to come up and help me with birthday." At the time I didn't even think about it benefiting Second Harvest Food Bank, I just wanted Otha to come up and play and just have a good time at a birthday party. 

The first time I did it, and I don't know how people learned about it, I looked up and I had 150 people that I had not invited to the party at my home, And so I said, "Well, wow, we're gonna have to make this an annual event." And so we did, and I started sending out formal invitations, I started getting sponsors to help out with it.

HOST (02:54)
There's a powerful story about the moment Otha learned why you were collecting donations for Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, beneficiary of this event, and how that changed the way he approached the event going forward. Would you share that story and how it impacted you?

BILL RAMSEY (03:10) 

Well, I've always been a big supporter of Second Harvest Food Bank. And so, I invited them to put out a bucket for people that were attending this party to make donations, and I always pay a little money to Otha to come up and play. He saw that bucket and goes, “what's that for?" And I said, "Well, Otha, that's for people that don't have enough money to buy good food, so we're raising money for them." 

And he said, "Don't give me no more money. You give all my money so those people have enough to eat." And so, because of that, I said, "Well, I'm gonna name this thing in your honor," and that's how it got started.

HOST (03:51) 

Sounds like a great day. Now let's pivot a moment, Bill. This is Womble Bond Dickinson's first year to sponsor the event since you joined our firm from Neal & Harwell, and it's an honor to learn about it and be a part of it.

You've touched on this a bit, but could you elaborate on what this kind of community involvement means to you individually, and what it means to have law firms like Womble and previously Neal & Harwell doing these types of things? Speak a little bit to the importance of community leadership like this.

BILL RAMSEY (04:17) 

Well, one reason I love Womble so much is they're very community oriented, and they're also service oriented. 'Cause I'm a big believer, and I know Wamble is, too, that we are blessed to have this profession. We are blessed to be making money doing this type of thing, and we owe it to ourselves and the community to help people and to give back. And Womble really believes in that. 

But when you are blessed the way we're blessed, it's your obligation to help others, and it always inures to your benefit. You feel better about yourself. People feel better about you. You help the community. 

So I'm just honored that Womble has just gotten wholeheartedly behind this. Let me tell you there are a lot of great causes out there, but it's so important to provide people with good, nutritious food in areas where it may be hard for them to get it, or they can't afford it. And that's why I really appreciate that Womble has jumped in here with both feet to help me out with this crazy idea I had 32 years ago.

HOST (05:38)
That's great to hear, Bill. Tell us more about event day, what it's like from the music, to the food, to the number of people who attend. Paint the picture for us.

BILL RAMSEY (05:47)

Well now it's a pretty big event. I block off the street in front of my house, so it's a street party. I have a lot of help from the staff here, all kinds of other people work here pitch in and help. I set up a very large stage, we have food vendors, And then a lot of people volunteer their time, the homeowners association, my neighborhood. 

We end up having anywhere from 800 to 12 or 1,300 people attending. And I send a bus, down to where Otha's from in North Mississippi, and we always bring a lot of his family and friends up so they can celebrate the party with us. I don't know why my wife is so supportive, but she is.

HOST (06:36)
Love that. So, Bill, you mentioned that not only did you share your birthday with your close personal friend, Otha, namesake of this event, but that he was also a very talented musician. Tell us a little bit more about the type of music Otha played and the legacy that he has with a very specific genre.

BILL RAMSEY (06:54)

Otha as best I can tell, and because of his genre of music, his family would have come from Senegal. Of course, it's a little different, but they have a, what he called a fice, but it'd be like a fife that's handmade out of bamboo, and drums. And that's the sole instrumentations is drums and the fife. And that is a type of music they play in Senegal. 

That was in the 1700s, 1800s, but that music sort of died off over time until a very famous guy named Alan Lomax rediscovered this area in Northwest Mississippi where a couple of guys named Ed and Lonnie Young were playing this music. And Otha knew them and picked up this style. So, he makes a flute out of a piece of river cane by burning holes in it with a hot poker, and he plays that and has drummers behind him. 

And now they, because of the proliferation of blues, most of time they're playing a blues song. But it's, as I like to say, it's kind of a sideways version of the blues because it's changed instrumentation. Some of the rhythm has changed. 

It's a heritage that our nation has because of the background from Africa. And until you hear it you really can't understand it. Everybody really enjoys it. Soon as this music starts playing, kids follow along behind it. And it's just a catchy, happy, kind of party type of music that we're lucky to still have around us.

HOST (08:40) 

Thank you for that look back. Now to carry it forward, share a bit more about why Second Harvest Food Bank was the right partner for this event and the impact that you're making together.

BILL RAMSEY (08:49)

Ever since I moved to Nashville in the early '80s, that shows you how old I am, I began working with this group, Second Harvest. I had some friends that were involved, and at that time, all we could really do was get dented cans and pack them, and deliver those packages out to needy people so they would have enough to eat. 

And I became very enamored the charity, and now they have really grown since those early days in the 1980s. Together with a client of mine, we started the backpack program so kids that are in school would get food put in their backpack, so they'd have food when they got home. 

So, it's clearly focused on people that don't have the food or their food is very insecure, and it gives them good, healthy food to eat. The thing that is incredible about Second Harvest, for every dollar we raise, they make four meals, which I don't know who else can do that, but it's a very impactful organization, That's Second Harvest of Middle Tennessee. That's who we support.

HOST (10:03)

Bill, this might be a good time to pause and get the details about the event out there to our listeners, so they'll know how they can get tickets to support the event and this great beneficiary.

BILL RAMSEY (10:13)

So it's a $40 admission, but once you get in, you have all the food you can eat. You have live music. Every year we have about five acts. 

In addition, because I really do believe this event is for children, we have a little train that the kids can ride on and they loop around the street where the event takes place. We have another guy that kids really love. Makes these balloons, and he, I don't know how he does it, he never makes the same one twice. So we try to make this an event for the children. 

But then for the adults, we have live music. And this year, we have Otha's grandson Andre Otha Evans, and he will play the fife with his little band called the OTB Boys or Otha Turner Boys. 

But mostly I'm proud, this year I'm gonna be joined by Luther Dickinson who has a band called North Mississippi Allstars. And as a little boy he grew up in northwest Mississippi, and he learned music by hanging out with Otha Turner. 

Luther Dickinson, I think everybody will tell you, is one of the finest guitar players, at least rock and roll or blues, in, in the United States, and he has agreed to come and play. 

So, we have a great music lineup, have a lot of great food, and we wanna make sure that everybody's happy and entertained. As Otha would say, we want everybody to enjoy themselves and have fun. No cussing, no fighting, as he would put it,

HOST (12:04)
That's wonderful. Thank you for that, Bill. Speaking of music, you are widely recognized for your work in the music and entertainment industry, representing artists, entertainers, and key players in the music business. You also have over four decades of experience in complex litigation. Talk a little bit more about how that combination developed and what you enjoy most about the work. I'm sure there's an interesting story there.

BILL RAMSEY (12:26) 

Some of my biggest cases, and certainly the first big one I handled was for Tim McGraw, and it came from a good friend of mine who is a transactional lawyer for a lot of big artists. 

I'm just very honored that the people in the music business, they know there's a niche that I have. I don't really wanna take clients away from other lawyers that represent artists, but a lot of times there are these unique one-of-a-kind problems that they have. 

I've handled, healthcare cases, complicated criminal defense cases, IP laws, just all kinds of stuff. And I've handled, you know, what they call general sessions small court criminal cases. Well, when you have that experience, a lot of times artists run into problems that their regular lawyers can't handle. And so you know, it could be a variety of things. They've been wrongly accused of a crime or, you know, they've got a stalker that they can't get rid of. And so those unique issues that don't really fit into maybe everybody's pigeonhole I get the referrals on those. And so it's, it's a weird mix that we have in the music business. 

But I've been blessed, you know, with handling a lot of big, big artists who, I gotta be honest with you, they're all very good, genuine, nice people that enjoy entertaining. And we really enjoy representing those folks. They're a good group of clients for me and this firm.

HOST (14:09)

And Bill, that leads to another question. There are some important qualities that come in building that level of trust with clients over decades, especially high-profile clients. Share what you see are those qualities that enable lawyers like yourself to build that long-term trust relationship with a client.

BILL RAMSEY (14:26) 

You know, I can remember when I got admitted to law school, I had to write an essay, "Why do you want to become a lawyer?" And then I said what I'm saying now, "I like helping people." And I believe that all of the people I've met at Womble, they feel the same way. 

Well, if you genuinely care about helping people, the, the work comes. Because if you care about them, you're gonna do them a good job. You're gonna answer their phone calls, you're gonna communicate with them. You're gonna do all the things you need to do to be a good lawyer. 

But I believe it's all rooted in genuinely helping and wanting to help other people. You know, I really, really strongly believe that is the best way to build a business. If you care about your clients you're, you're gonna do fine.

HOST (15:18) 

Agree wholeheartedly. Going back to when your team at Neal & Harwell joined Womble last year in 2025, it did mark a big transition from a storied local firm, Neal & Harwell, very, very well-known, very well-respected, to a bigger national platform. What has Womble enabled you to do for your clients in your practice that might not have been possible before?

BILL RAMSEY (15:39) 

I'm rife with examples. I have a, a client that had a big transaction - he's purchasing a company in England. Well, you know, we have a great office there. We have a great transactional practice over there. They're doing wonderful work for the client. 

I had another case, kind of a big-time music business manager in Delaware. I would've normally had to hunt around and find somebody in Delaware, but we have a great office up there. The case was handled perfectly. The client's very happy. 

At least in my work especially, it's been super helpful for me. Because when you do a lot of entertainment work, you have cases all over the country, and I can almost always find somebody in Womble that is in the right location to help. So, it's been a great resource for me. Now I have a broader network and I have more support from all of these Womble people all over everywhere, each of whom I've found to be very, very skillful and very, very good at what they do. 

So, it's been a blessing for me in what I try to do.

HOST (16:50)

That's terrific. That's wonderful to hear. Now I wanna wrap up with a quote from your longtime friend, Otha Turner, and the namesake of your event. Otha was famous for saying, "Ain't nothing a fail but a try." And I'm curious as to how that idea has influenced the way you've approached your career through the years.

BILL RAMSEY (17:06) 

Well, There's a very famous video of him. It's called Gravel Springs Fife and Drum. It was made by a friend of mine when he was a young student down Mississippi.

He documented all of this music that took place. Well, it, you'll have to see the video, and I recommend it to everybody. Otha came up with this concept of saying, "Nothing a fail but a try," or some people say, "Nothing make a failure but a try." And I've heard Otha say it both ways, and his kids say it both ways. But what it means is if you don't ever try, you're not gonna ever get anything done. Sometimes you're gonna fail, but you gotta try. 

And he would say, when he learned to play the fife, he said, "If you wanna do something, if you wish to do something, you just need to try. And you keep trying and trying and trying till you get it done." And that's what that saying is about. That's what that quote is about. 

Nothing make a failure but a try. Don't be afraid of failing. Just keep trying.

HOST (18:11) 

Well, I think that's a wonderful thought to leave our audience with as we wrap up our discussion. 

Again, the Ode to Otha event is on Saturday, May thirtieth from two to nine PM, and tickets are available through the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee website. 

Bill, we appreciate all you're doing in the community and at our firm.

BILL RAMSEY (18:27)

No, I'm just I'm really honored that somehow these people at Womble Bond want to put up me, but I'm glad they decided to do it.

HOST (18:37)

You're a fan favorite, Bill. Great discussion today, and thanks again for your time.

POSTCAST OUTRO (18:43) 

Thank you for listening to womble perspectives. If you want to learn more about the topics discussed in this episode, please visit the show notes where you can find links to related resources mentioned today. The show notes also have more information about our attorneys who provided today's insights, including ways to reach out to them. Don't forget to subscribe via your podcast player of choice so that you never miss an episode. Thank you again for listening.