Bill Anderson's Blog, page 19

Ask Bill – May 3, 2022

1) Numerous original music artists like George Jones, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and others have been impersonated by various individuals. To my knowledge, I have never heard anyone impersonating the one and only Whisperin’ Bill Anderson. Is is because there is no one except you who has that unique singing voice? Back in the day, you used to have to stand in line if you wanted to impersonate Bill Anderson. Loretta Lynn did it. Ferlin Husky did it, as did others like Billy “Crash” Craddock and Del Reeves. People used to think it bothered me, but I considered it a compliment. As Ferlin told me one time, “If you weren’t different, there wouldn’t be anything to imitate.” I haven’t heard of any of today’s young artists impersonating me, but maybe one will come along someday. I hope so. That way I can be in two places at once! 2) With the sad news that the E.T. Record Shop is closing do you plan on updating “Gone Away?” Also the passing of Bobbie Nelson and Naomi Judd.  Sadly, I could update the song, “Gone Away,” almost every day. So many things are changing and so many of our music business friends are passing away….including Steve Ripley who wrote the melody and the original lyrics to “Gone Away.” We all know nothing stays the same forever, but it would be nice if some of the changes would at least slow down for awhile. Meantime, I don’t have any plans to try and update the song.
 3) Did you ever write a song for the late and great Webb Pierce? He was the first country singer I heard when I was 12-years old, and I’ve been hooked on traditional country music ever since. Webb was an over-the-top performer and a great song stylist, and I would love to tell you that I wrote one or more of his big hits, but unfortunately, I didn’t. I think he may have covered a couple of my songs….maybe “Once A Day” or “I Don’t Love You Anymore”….in one or more of his albums, but we never had a single together. I wish we had, but Mel Tillis was always in line ahead of me! 4) Our Question Of The Month comes from John in California: When you sang the song, “Bright Lights and Country Music” later in life, I noticed you changed up the part about a bottle filled with wine. Was this because of your faith? And what caused you to later sing it as it was originally written? We singers often wonder if listeners pay attention to the lyrics of our songs when we are singing them, but this question proves that at least some of you do. And I’m glad. I have a good answer as to why I changed the lyrics to begin with, but probably a not-so-good answer as to why I went back to the original version. My wife was nearly killed and was permanently impaired by a drunk driver who crashed head-on into her car late one night back in 1984. I swore at that time that I would never sing another song that glorified drinking, and for years I didn’t. Some time ago, after more than thirty years had passed, a fan wrote me and said they really missed their favorite line in that song – “Honkytonks were made for men with women on their mind” – and asked me if I would go back to singing it that way. I did it on the Opry not long afterward and, truthfully, you are the first person to mention it. I figured if nobody cared enough to bring it up, I’d just leave well enough alone. Do any of our readers have thoughts on the subject?? Quickies: Were you ever in the movies? Yes. And the popcorn was delicious. Oh, you mean was I ever IN a movie? Back in the 60’s I was in four or five Grade B country music films that were shown in the better drive-in theaters from coast-to-coast, but I was never featured as an actor or anything like that. Mostly I think the producers just wanted to show my fancy rhinestone Nudie suits in color on a big screen. Do you know if any artist ever buys their albums back from fans? I’ve never heard of anyone doing that, but I’m not like Hank Snow. I haven’t been everywhere. Do you have a boot endorsement and would you wear square toe boots? How many pair do you keep at home? Yes, I endorse boots made by the Easterling Boot Company in Fredericksburg, Texas. We experimented with a couple of square-toe models a few years ago, and they are pretty comfortable. I just looked in my closet and there were 16 pairs (or is it “pair?”) staring back at me. Keep in mind, though, that several of my favorite ones are on display right now at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Who arranges the order of songs in your concert shows? I do. Will you be having any concert dates during 2022? Right now there are none on my schedule.
 Thanks for your questions…I love trying to answer them. If you’re curious about something connected to me or to country music, send your question to askbill@billanderson.com and I’ll do my best to reply. And remember, the person who submits the Question of the Month wins any item of their choice from our online store absolutely free. See you back here in June.

Latest Photos

“UMG Records wanted my upcoming album to have a “retro” look, so they found this old picture from somewhere back in the sixties to use on the cover. They also wanted the record to tie-in with my current display at the Country Music Hall of Fame, so they titled it after the exhibit, “As Far As I Can See.” Thanks to all of you who pre-ordered copies and made it the #1 most pre-ordered record on Amazon the week it was announced. The official release date is June 10th.The second picture here shows how happy I was to be standing next to the Atlanta Braves 2021 World Series trophy when it was unveiled in Nashville April 26th. I even got a text message from the Braves’ manager, Brian Snitker, saying that he thought I looked good with the trophy. I told him he looked a lot better with it when they won it! I didn’t get to wish Loretta Lynn a Happy 90th Birthday back on April 14th, but better late than never. This picture was taken the last time we were on the Opry together several years ago. What a great lady…and here’s wishing her many more happy birthdays.”

May 3, 2022

Hi Gang: Well, it’s a good thing I took a few days off at the end of April to relax and stare at the ocean for awhile. From the looks of things, I might not get a whole lot more rest for the next six weeks or so. Things are poppin’ all around me! UMG Records sent out a press release last week detailing the exciting news about my rejoining the label that I called home for 23-years and the initial projects that are on the horizon. First, is a new album called, “As Far As I Can See,” which will be released on  June 10th. It will contain 14 of my biggest hits from across the years  plus two duets with Dolly Parton. Two days after the announcement, the record was already the #1 most pre-ordered record from Amazon!!  You’d be hard pressed to get the smile off my face right now!! One of the two Dolly duets is the original demo recording of “If It’s All The Same To You,” which Dolly recorded with me not long after she moved to town in 1964. The other, and the one I am so incredibly excited about, is the song you might have heard me sing on the Grand Ole Opry and/or Larry’s Country Diner called, “Someday It’ll All Make Sense.” You may have heard me sing it, but you’ve really not heard the song until you hear it with Dolly’s voice added to the mix. The few people who have heard it say that it reminds them of the old Porter & Dolly duets, and that’s just about the best compliment our record could be paid. It’s stone country, and I think you’ll be surprised at how well our voices blend. Plus, the positive message of the song makes it one of the favorite records of my entire career. I can’t wait for you to hear it. Oh, and did I mention that Dolly and I are set to film a video together in a couple of weeks? It’ll be a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it! In the meantime there’s a lot of other things going on. On May 3rd I am recording a TV visit with my friend, Clint Black, for his new show on the Circle Network. When they give us an air date I’ll let you know. Jeannie Seely and I are also taking part in the filming of a documentary tribute to the late Minnie Pearl that same day. Somewhere between May 23rd and May 29th the interview I did with Jimmy Fortune for his new show will air on seven different networks across the country. You can check it out at www.mylifemysongs.com by clicking on “Shows.” 
 My Sirius/XM radio buddy, Dallas Wayne, has invited me to join him on May 7th to perform his new song, “He Even Brought Her Flowers,” for the first time on the Opry. And on May 14th I’ll be joining the Opry cast and management in officially inducting my longtime friend, Jamey Johnson, into the Opry family. I’ll be on the Opry two more times in May as well, the 28th and the 31st. I had a great honor bestowed on me a few days ago when the Atlanta Braves’ 2021 World Series championship trophy made an appearance in Nashville, and they asked me to be the one to present it to the fans down at the Hall of Fame. Me and a whole bunch of my fellow Braves fans did the “Chop” and laughed and relived a lot of great memories from last season. I even got to try on a World Series ring…and it made my treasured Grand Ole Opry ring look mighty small in comparison.
 People are starting to ask if I’m going to take part in any CMA Music Fest activities this year, and the answer is yes. I’ll have the details in our June newsletter. On the personal side, my grandson Gabe had pain management surgery (injections) in late April to try and ease the pain from the arthritis with which he has been diagnosed. It seems like it’s one thing after another for him, and we continue to thank you for your thoughts and prayers on his behalf. Just don’t stop now.  
 Here’s wishing each of you a merry, merry month of May, and we’ll see you back here in early June. Thanks for everything….

April 30, 2022

I am shocked and saddened along with the rest of our country music community over the passing of Naomi Judd. I’ll never forget meeting her for the first time when she was a contestant on a TV game show I was hosting. I asked her to identify herself for the audience and she said, “My name is Naomi Judd and I am a nurse from Franklin, Tennessee. My daughter and I sing together, and someday we hope to make it in country music.” I was looking so forward to recalling that moment with her on Sunday when she and Wynonna were to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. She was one of a kind and will certainly be missed.
Bill Anderson

BILL ANDERSON TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM As Far As I Can See: The Best Of on June 10

Featuring Classic Hits and New Track with Friend Dolly Parton

PREORDER NOW

For the First Time Seven of Anderson’s Albums Are Available Digitally Now

Country Music Hall of Famer Bill Anderson will release a new album of some of the famed singer/songwriter’s hits, As Far As I Can See: The Best Of, on June 10.  Preorder HERE.  The collection of sixteen songs shares its name with the current exhibition at the Country Music Hall of Fame, Bill Anderson: As Far As I Can See, and comes from the opening line of one of the first songs he ever wrote, “City Lights,” the country classic that was a hit for Ray Price in 1958 In addition to such beloved songs as “City Lights,” “Still,” Po’ Folks,” The Tip Of My Fingers,” and “Sometimes,” the album features a new song with country icon Dolly Parton, “Someday It’ll All Make Sense.” The newly recorded duet is joined by Anderson and Parton’s first-ever collaboration, an incredibly rare demo of “If It Is All The Same To You,” recorded in 1964 and eventually released as a duet with Jan Howard on Anderson’s chart-topping 1969 album of the same name. As Far As I Can See: The Best Of, is being released by MCA Nashville/UMe, which has been Anderson’s label home for most of his seven-decade long career.  The new project is being released in conjunction with the first-time digital release of seven of Anderson’s albums from the 1960s, available HERE.

(L-R) Lindsey Terry (UMGN), Tara Master (UMe), Troy Scott (UMGN), Cindy Mabe (UMGN), Bill Anderson, Lee Willard (Anderson’s Manager) Scott Adkins (Adkins Publicity), Kelli Wasilauski (Adkins Publicity)

“Needless to say I am thrilled over my new association with UMG.  Not only do they have 23 years’ worth of my back catalog ready to introduce to the digital world, but I am reuniting with Dolly Parton on this project,” says Anderson.  “Dolly sang some demos for me (and with me) back in the early sixties when she was new in town. One was a duet called, “If It’s All The Same To You,” which had gone missing for years. UMG has recovered it and included it along with my and Dolly’s new duet in this package. That’s called connecting the dots across more than fifty years. How cool is that?”

TRACK LISTING As Far As I Can See: The Best Of

“City Lights” 1961“Walk Out Backwards” 1961“Three AM” 1964“Still” 1963“The Tip of My Fingers” 1961“I Love You Drops” 1964“I Get The Fever” 1966“Po’ Folks” 1961“Wild Week-End” 1967“Happy State Of Mind” 1968“My Life (Throw It Away If I Want To)” 1969“Sometimes” featuring Mary Lou Turner 1975“If You Can Live With It (I Can Live Without It)” 1972“The Corner Of My Life” 1973“If It Is All The Same To You” circa 1964

 Demo featuring Dolly Parton

“Someday It’ll All Make Sense”             2022

 featuring Dolly Parton

BILL ANDERSON’S ALBUMS AVAILABLE DIGITALLY NOW   HERE

Sings Country Heart Songs                                      1962

Still                                                                               1963

Bill Anderson Sings                                                    1964

Bill Anderson Showcase                                            1964

Bright Lights And County Music                               1965

I Love You Drops                                                         1966

Get While The Getting’s Good                                   1967

 

Latest Photos

One of our “Ask Bill” letters this month dealt with the late Dave “Stringbean” Akeman, and shortly after that letter arrived this grainy old picture from back in the sixties popped up as well. This was String appearing on my portion of the Grand Ole Opry reading one of his trademark “letters from home.” The audiences loved those, and so did I. In the second picture, you can see how happy Jamey Johnson was after I told him he’d never be a guest on the Opry again…that the next time he walked on that stage it would be the night of his induction as a regular member of the Opry cast. He had been hoping to join for a long time, and lots of us had been wanting him as a member of the Opry “family.” His induction is set for May 14th. It’s always fun to be invited to Larry’s Country Diner, and I figured if I got close to Renee The Waitress that she might save me an extra large slice of her delicious pecan pie. She did, and a good time was had by all. My appearances on the Diner TV show on RFD-TV will be on the 14th and the 16th of this month.

Ask Bill – April 4, 2022

1) Of all the songs you have recorded, are they all songs you have written or do you occasionally record a song written by someone else? I have recorded quite a few songs that I didn’t write. Ones you might have heard include Golden Guitar, World Of Make Believe, Peanuts & Diamonds, I Wonder If God Likes Country Music, Don’t She Look Good, But You Know I Love You, and several others. When it comes time for me to record, I don’t care whether I wrote the song or not. I just want to cut the best songs I can find. 2) Did you ever meet Stringbean (Dave Akeman) and his wife, Estelle? What are your favorite memories of the couple? Of course I knew “String,” as we all called him. He and I were both Opry members and shared many stages together. He and Estelle were two of the kindest, most unassuming people I have ever known. My favorite memories of them as a couple would be the nights she would drive him to the Opry (String never got his driver’s license), stay around backstage while he performed, and, when the show was over, pick him up in the alley out back of the Ryman to drive him home. String was a big baseball fan (the Braves, of course), and we talked baseball every chance we got. He told me once as we rode with several other entertainers to a concert date together, “Billy Boy, everybody in this car is crazy except me and you.” He took a big puff of his pipe and added, “And I’m not too sure about you!” How could you not love a man like that?
 3) I’m wondering if Opry members and/or guest performers are paid for their appearances and, if so, how much? Yes, everyone who appears on the Opry gets paid. The musicians are paid union scale as  determined by the American Federation of Musicians. The featured performers are paid union scale through AFTRA, the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists. When someone performs on a televised portion of the show, or on a portion broadcast via satellite radio, that scale increases. It also increases when an artist is inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. All scales are adjusted periodically for cost of living increases. Nobody ever got rich enough to retire by strictly working the Opry, but the pay has definitely improved over the years. My first Opry check in 1959 was for $12.22. Our “Question of the Month” comes from Milton in Kentucky: What went into the decision process of how many singles to release from an album in past decades? In the 60’s, you released one or two singles per album, but by the 80’s some artists had albums from which they released as many as five singles. As a fan, fewer singles meant another album soon, and more singles meant having to wait longer for a new album. What made the difference with the artist and the record company? That’s a great question, and I’m not sure there’s a “one size fits all” answer. Back in the day, we used to fill about half of the slots on an album with songs that had been hits for other artists, the belief being that “titles sold albums.” Therefore, when a 12-song album was released, half of the songs were already eliminated as possible singles because they had recently been out and been hits by other people. So, if an artist got as many as three singles from one LP, he or she was doing well. As that trend began to fade, and albums began to contain more and more previously unreleased material, there was a larger number of songs from which the artist and the label might choose singles. And, as you said, sometimes an album could spawn up to five or more singles. In the final analysis, releasing music has always been and still remains a guessing game. We all have to wait for the public to ultimately tell us how wise our choices are. Or maybe how dumb. Quickies: Have you ever turned down a song that later became a hit record? Or have you ever had an album cut that later became a hit for someone else? Yes to both questions. I turned down “Funny How Time Slips Away” back in the sixties, and I had the original recording of “When You Leave That Way (You Can Never Go Back)” in an album in 1984. It became a Top 20 hit for Confederate Railroad in 1993. What gift have you received from another performer or acquaintance that means the most to you? My old Grammer guitar that had been missing for fifty years and was returned to me by a pawn shop operator from Phoenix a few years ago. He could have probably sold it and made some good money, but he saw that it had originally been made for me, and he tracked me down to see if I would like to have it back. Unselfish gifts are the best gifts, and that one was about as unselfish as they come. Thanks for another month of great questions. If you’re curious about something related to country music, ask me about it and I’ll do my best to get you an answer. Send your question to askbill@billanderson.com, and remember if yours is chosen as our Question Of The Month, you will receive any item of your choice from our online store free of charge. See you back here next month.

April 4, 2022

Hi Gang: There’s an old saying that says, “You can’t go home again,” but I’m about to try. I started my major label recording career in 1958 with Decca Records, which became MCA Records in the early seventies, then somewhere along the way took on the name of its parent company, Universal. The label is now known as UMG Records (for Universal Music Group), and they are about to release some new Bill Anderson music for the first time since 1981. After 60-plus years, I am about to “go home” to where it all began. And I’m thrilled about it. It’s the same company with new folks in charge, of course, and instead of label mates named Ernest and Kitty and Conway and Loretta I’ll be alongside Alan and Carrie and Dierks and Keith. Instead of singing duets with ladies named Jan and Mary Lou, this time I’ll be harmonizing with an icon named Dolly. I can’t tell you all the things UMG has in store for me and my music, both new and old, but they will be coming out with a press release later this month containing all the details. I feel so blessed to be able to continue writing and recording and performing new music…while re-releasing older music from across the years….with the help of one of the biggest and best record labels in the world. Thank you, Lord, for helping me find my way “home.” And speaking of writing, I’ve been back in the writing rooms with some of my favorite co-writers lately and, hopefully, we’ve been creating some new music that you’ll soon be hearing. In fact, one of the new songs has just been released, “He Even Brought Her Flowers,” by our Sirius/XM radio buddy, Dallas Wayne. Dallas asked Buddy Cannon and me to help him finish writing the song, and then he asked me to recite one of the verses on his record. I was honored, and I’m proud of the result. It’s an honest-to-goodness country song, the kind Dallas plays every day on Willie’s Roadhouse. I hope you like it.
 Out of necessity, I wrote by myself a lot during Covid, and for the most part I enjoyed it. But returning to in person co-writing is a totally different type of enjoyment. Seems I laugh a lot more when I’m in a room full of creative types who are just as crazy as I am!! 
 And speaking of creative types, I hope lots of you were listening to the Opry on March 19th when I hosted a laid-back songwriter segment with two of my most creative friends, Buddy Cannon and Jamey Johnson. I gave my band the night off, and Jamey, Buddy, and I played as though we were doing a songwriting round at the Bluebird. When our spot ended, I got to extend an invitation to Jamey to become an Opry member, and he was thrilled. The crowd gave him a couple of standing ovations, and he said to me, “If I had known all this was going to happen, I’d have ironed my shirt.” Somehow, we managed to keep it a secret from him. Jamey loves the Opry. He loves country music, and he will make a great Opry member. He won’t be one of those who signs on  then disappears for a year. He will show up, perform to the best of his ability, and the audiences will love him. His actual induction date is tentatively set for Saturday night May 14th. If anything changes, I’ll let you know. And speaking of the Bluebird (notice how I’m tying everything together so neatly here today!), we had a great Tin Pan South night there last Friday in spite of the fact that Jeannie Seely had to cancel her appearance due to illness. Teea Goans came along to sing some of the great new songs she and Jim “Moose” Brown have written for her new album, and while we missed Jeannie, Teea did a great job and the show went on. It had been several years since I had taken part in TPS, and it brought back some really good memories. I’m hoping to sneak a little vacation time into the last part of April, so if you don’t see or hear from me for awhile you’ll know why. I’ve got a feeling things are going to get extremely busy over the next few months and I need to get rested up. I hope you enjoy these early days of Spring as I plan to, and that your garden sprouts nothing but beautiful flowers.
 Thanks for everything you continue to do for me and my music, and hang on. We’re about to have a lot more fun!

Bill Anderson Welcomes Jamey Johnson to the Grand Ole Opry Family

Opry member Bill Anderson surprised Johnson with the invitation at the close of a writer’s round featuring Anderson, Johnson, and songwriter/producer Buddy Cannon.

Anderson opened the round by reflecting on the many times the trio spent writing together. During the show, they performed songs such as the smash “Give It Away,” which became a No. 1 for George Strait, “Everybody Wants To Be Twenty-One,” and “Cheaper Than A Shrink.”Buddy Cannon, Bill Anderson, and Jamey Johnson. Photo: Chris Hollo

After their final song Anderson said: “Jamey, you made your Opry debut 17 years ago and you’ve been a frequent guest many times. But Opry management told me to tell you that this is going to be your last guest appearance.”

Johnson quipped, “Well, I’ve been kicked out of a whole lot of places.”

Anderson continued, “The next time you appear on this stage you will be the newest member of our Opry cast and family!”

“I accepted it 20 years ago! I really don’t know what to say except the obvious,” responded Johnson. “I love country music. I would have never moved here if it wasn’t for that; for the Opry keeping it alive and for the fans. I love you. Thank you.”

Johnson wrapped up the set and special moment with a solo performance of his song “In Color.”

An induction date for Johnson will be announced soon.

 

Latest Photos

It was a happy day for all with the announcement that my second oldest granddaughter, Caroline, said “yes” to a marriage proposal from her longtime boyfriend, Jacob Hall. The two of them met a little over four years ago in Knoxville when they were both in school and working part-time jobs together. They are in Nashville now and still working together at the Opryland Hotel & Resort. No date has been set for the wedding, but I’ll keep you posted. James Freeze, seen here singing the part Roy Acuff created on “I Wonder If God Likes Country Music,” celebrated 31-years as part of my Po’ Folks Band last month. He has been a big part of my overall musical journey, and we’ve both decided to try for 31 more! My most recent appearance on Larry’s Country Diner was recorded last month, and will be aired on RFD-TV April 14th and April 16th.