January 14, 2026 – It’s the voice.
If you tuned in religiously to “This Week In Baseball,” from 1999-2012, it was his voice, the one that succeeded the legendary Mel Allen, that brought you news and insights from the world of Major League Baseball (MLB).
If you watched Sonic the Hedgehog, you laughed every time Rotor the Walrus said, “I’m not that messy.”
And if you got excited hearing the promo message — “Phineas and Ferb are coming up next” — then you are like Kelsea Ballerini, Parker McCollum and countless other young boys and girls who smile and say they were “raised” on the Disney Channel and the amusing, familiar and comforting voice of Nashville Stars Baseball Club Music & Entertainment Advisor Cam Buzz Brainard.
Today, Brainard is the voice and radio host of the popular “The Music Row Happy Hour” show on SiriusXM’s The Highway channel 56, broadcast every Friday afternoon in downtown Nashville — currently from Chief’s on Broadway — where he features country music stars and interacts with fans who line up for the free, first-come, first-served party. He’s a major personality in country radio, known for discovering new artists and creating a huge, energetic event that draws people from all over North America to Nashville. And for Nashville Stars fans, he was the host last month of the Stars event at The Listening Room, featuring the Warren Brothers, Brett Mondie, JT Harding and Marv Green, all country stars whom he talks to and celebrates every week.
“I’m proud that we have the top country music show in the country, and I love that I get to connect directly with the fans,” Brainard said. “Being at Chief’s on Broadway most Fridays means I get to hear what the fans are excited about. And I also know where they are from. They are here for the music and for the sports, so I know what team the Nashville Predators or the Tennessee Titans or the Nashville Soccer Club or the Vanderbilt University Commodores are playing because the opponents’ fans are in town, wearing their teams’ jerseys, ready to cheer them on AND enjoy the music. It’s special.”
Brainard was brought onto TWIB in 1999 when it moved to Fox Corporation TV and just after he’d moved to Franklin. The show’s producer and writer — Jeff Scott — had heard Brainard’s work on Disney as well as his announcing on “Breed All About It” on Animal Planet and loved his energy.
“Jeff wanted the show to be a fan’s show, and he thought I sounded like the neighbor any baseball fan would love to talk baseball with,” he said. “That started a 13-year gig that was really special.”
That energy and the sound of fans talking baseball was a home run, and Brainard made TWIB the place to be every single week. It was fun, every week…except for one.
“The day Ted Williams passed away in July 2002, Jeff told me that we would do a special feature on the broadcast,” Brainard remembers. “Williams was my favorite player, even though I never saw him play. But reading about his career, learning about his remarkable service in World War II and Korea and hearing him support the Negro League players and their deserved place in the Baseball Hall of Fame made me even more of a fan. It was the only somber TWIB broadcast I ever did, and I was really, really proud of it.”
Combining baseball and music is appropriate and familiar ground for this avowed fan of both. A Michigan native, Brainard grew up a Detroit Tigers fan and a country music fan. That’s why his kid (pictured above enjoying their first Dodger Dog) is named Henry Cash Brainard – the middle name honors Tigers first baseman Norm Cash and music legend Johnny Cash. Brainard grew up listening to country music and playing Little League, later taking the softball field as an adult, a left-handed first baseman who hit right-handed – a trait he shares with Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson and just a few other Major Leaguers in history. He’s thrown out the first pitch at Dodger Stadium and paid his respects at the Pesky Pole at Fenway. He sees the work to bring the Stars to Nashville as important and exciting.
“I was introduced to the Stars by a friend who told me that I needed to meet [Stars Managing Director] John Loar,” Brainard says. “John talked about the baseball history and the music history, and invited me to become part of the team as an Advisor. The excitement here among the music Advisors, all of whom I know well, makes this feel like a slam dunk.”
He went on to say, “I wasn’t as aware of the significance of the Negro Leagues as I should have been, but the Ken Burns documentary on baseball educated me. It’s an amazing thing to see develop here. I couldn’t be prouder to be part of an organization that wants to honor the Negro Leagues…what an amazing moment.”
Some Stars fans ask Brainard whether he’ll be the voice of the team. He dismisses that suggestion, noting that there are many more talented and experienced voices for that task. For him, he enjoys being the team’s ambassador.
“Every time I travel, I wear my Stars merchandise,” he says, “and every time I do, people stop me to talk about the Stars. They know about the effort to bring MLB to Nashville, and they know the story and history of the Stars. They’re excited.”