Bill Anderson's Blog, page 25
July 1, 2021
July 1, 2021
My friends at the University of Georgia library are pitching in to help, too, as they are bringing up some of the materials I gave them and lending them to the Hall for my display. That’s called “super cooperation.” Why can’t more people in this world get along like that??
June was both a happy and a sad month for me in that I lost a dear friend with the passing of Jim Bessman, a music journalist based in New York who wrote many nice articles about me over the years, and then the tragic house fire at the home of my buddy, Keith Bilbrey, and his wife Emy Joe. A bunch of us are getting together for a televised tribute and a fund-raising show for the Bilbrey’s on Thursday night July 15th. Larry Black and Mike Huckabee, who both host TV shows where Keith is the announcer, are putting it together. You can watch via CountryRoadsTV and hopefully other outlets as well.
The good news in June was that my grandson, Gabe, got to go home from the hospital after being confined for over a month following his bone marrow transplant. He still has a long recovery road ahead of him (he’s already been back in the hospital with pneumonia), but the doctors are pleased with his progress overall. I continue to be so grateful for your many prayers and messages of concern. I truly believe his support system is a big reason he is doing as well as he is. But please don’t stop now. The first 100 days following a procedure like this are critical, and we’re not even halfway there. Thank you.
Guess that wraps it up for this time. You folks here in the U.S. enjoy your Fourth of July and celebrate it in a safe and sane fashion. I’ll see you from the Opry stage on July 9th, the 17th, and the 31st, and back here again next month. Thanks for everything.
June 1, 2021
June 1, 2021
And speaking of the Opry, our fan section for my 60th Anniversary on July 17th has almost sold out, so they are adding more seats for those of you who have yet to sign up. Remember, to be part of our group…and a meet ‘n greet following the show if we’re allowed to have one…order your tickets from www.opry.com and put in the code BILL60. Did I mention you get a 20% discount? Well, you do. I’ll have to admit that there was a bit of a bitter-sweet feeling to being back at the Opry because my longtime guitar player, Les Singer, wasn’t with us there for the first time in 40-years. Les is having some health issues that prohibit him from playing right now, and I hope you’ll keep him in your thoughts and prayers. Kerry Marks and Danny Parks from the Opry staff band filled in. Lester, it took two of them to take your place, Pal! I’m getting ready to go into the recording studio here in a few days to begin working on what I hope will be a new album to be released later this year. At the moment I’m not sure if we’re talking a complete album or maybe a shortened EP with six or seven cuts, but regardless I’m anxious to put down some of the new music I’ve been working on. Stay tuned. My buddy, Dallas Wayne, from Willie’s Roadhouse on Sirius-XM satellite radio, came to town recently and recorded a new song that he, Buddy Cannon, and I wrote called, “He Even Brought Her Flowers.” I’m not sure just when it will be released, but I’ll keep you posted. Steve Wariner has recorded a great new version of our song, “Christmas In Your Arms,” that will be featured in his new Christmas album later this year, and Joe Mullins’ bluegrass version of, “Go Spread The Gospel,” is now available in his new collection titled, “Somewhere Beyond The Blue.” Jimmy Fortune is hosting a new television show called, “My Life My Songs,” and I recorded an episode with him, laughing and discussing my crazy career. Hopefully, that will be airing soon. I may not be on tour this year, but I’m managing to stay busy. And I like it that way.
I was saddened, as I’m sure you were, over the Memorial Day weekend to learn of the passing of B. J. Thomas. He was a terrific singer, a wonderful man who overcame a lot of adversity in his life, and, I’m proud to say, a good friend. He left us a lot of great music. May he rest in peace.
On the personal side of things, I can’t begin to tell you how much my family and I have appreciated your thoughts, prayers, and concerns expressed for my grandson, Gabe, and his sister, Hallie, as they went through a bone marrow transplant this past month in an effort to rid Gabe’s young body of the rare form of cancer that he’s been fighting for the past ten years. It’s been a very intense period of time for all of us, but knowing you were lifting us up in prayer has meant more than you’ll ever know. The transplant itself went well, but this was only the beginning of the journey. Gabe will be in the hospital for several more weeks followed by a long recovery time at home. I hope you will continue to keep him, his parents, and his siblings in your prayers. Hallie is sore and moving slowly, but overall she is doing fine.
I goofed in last month’s newsletter by failing to wish all the moms a Happy Mother’s Day, and, believe me, I heard about it. My apologies. So, lest I forget again, to all you dads out there, let me wish you a Happy Father’s Day on the 20th. Enjoy the hazy, crazy, lazy days of summer, and we’ll see you back here in July. Thanks for everything.
Ask Bill – June 1, 2021
3) I am interested in the process of recording a new album. Who picks the songs? Who picks the musicians and backup singers? What does studio time cost? I notice older albums often contained songs by other artists. Who chose those? You may have to talk to us as if we were first-graders because most of us are not familiar with musician lingo. No problem. I’ll try and explain as best as I can. The artist usually chooses a producer to work with in the recording process (or sometimes a record label might assign a certain producer to a certain artist), and the producer and the artist work as a team. They may listen to hundreds of songs trying to find ones that they both agree would work best. They also work in tandem most times in the selection of the musicians and background singers. Studio costs vary in that some are booked at an hourly rate and others negotiate a flat rate for an entire project. No two studios have the exact same rates. In the olden days, artists and their producers would often scan the popularity charts prior to recording an album and choose songs they liked that were hits by other artists, then try to give those songs their own interpretation.The thinking back then was that “titles sell albums,” and fans like to hear their favorite singers sing their favorite songs. Or as the great Owen Bradley put it, “A Webb Pierce fan doesn’t think a song has been sung until Webb sings it.” Quickies: Have you ever sung or recorded with Vince Gill? Yes, I’ve done both. I sang our co-written song, “Which Bridge To Cross (Which Bridge To Burn)” with him on one of his Opry anniversaries, and he sang with me and Jan Howard on my recording of “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands,” from my “Whisperin’ Bluegrass” CD. Who would be your favorite country singer of all time? I don’t normally like to list my favorite anythings, but in this case I’ll make an exception. Hank Williams is my all-time favorite country singer, with Merle Haggard running a close second. As a child, I remember hearing Lulu Belle and Scottie on the Grand Ole Opry. Do you remember them? Of course I remember them, but you probably heard them on the WLS Barn Dance out of Chicago rather than on the Opry. That’s where they headquartered. They were man and wife, and extremely popular in their time. Scotty Wiseman wrote the classic song, “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You,” and after their performing days were over, Lulu Belle was elected to the North Carolina legislature where she served two terms. I’ve often thought they should be members of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Thanks for your questions as always. I’m running a bit low on them right now, so send me yours for next month’s newsletter. You can e-mail them to askbill@billanderson.com or send them to me at P. O. Box 888, Hermitage, TN. 37076. I’ll look forward to hearing what you’re curious about, and I’ll see you back in this space in July.
Latest Photos
Happy Anderson smiles were evident everywhere on Saturday May 15th when my grandson, Blake, received his high school diploma. My son, Jamey, and I were grinning and celebrating with him. Grandson Gabe’s bone marrow transplant was ten days later, and the hospital team treated it as a celebration too, with signs like the one pictured here. And I love the third picture where B. J. Thomas is singing “When Two Worlds Collide” on the Country’s Family Reunion show that honored my 50-years in the music business. A 19-year old Bill Anderson is appearing to look over his shoulder and smile his approval. B. J. was a tremendous talent, and he will be missed by those of us who knew, respected, and loved him.
May 25, 2021
Update for Team Gabe – Thank yo for all the Prayers
This was the happy scene in Gabe’s hospital room around noon today. Hallie had donated her bone marrow earlier in the day, and was waiting for the actual transplant itself to begin. She said her back felt as though she had a pulled muscle, but other than that, you can see she was smiling. And wearing her Team Gabe t-shirt!
I slept in mine last night, and have worn it all day today as have so many of our family members and friends. Thank you for your marvelous show of support. It’s truly been a “team” effort.
So many of you have reached out with your prayers, positive thoughts, and messages of encouragement over the past 24-hours, and our entire family appreciates them all. There is still a long road ahead, but every road has to begin somewhere, and we are so hopeful that today’s road will lead Gabe to a lifetime of restored health and happiness that he otherwise might never have known.
Thanks again, and God bless each of you.
May 1, 2021
May 1 2021
And here’s wishing you a merry, merry month of May! It’s starting off merry for me because I just found out we’ll be returning to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry this month….Tuesday night May 18th to be exact…for the first time in six months. I just hope I remember the words to my songs and which end of the microphone to sing into!! The COVID restrictions have been lifted to the point that I can return with my full band, and it’s hard to know if I’m more excited or if my band members are. We’ll only be on once in May as they try to ease other Opry members back into the rotation as well, but they have promised us more appearances leading up to my 60th Opry Anniversary on July 17th. And speaking of that very special occasion, the Opry is offering our fans not only group seating that night but a discounted ticket price as well. To sign up and be part of this exciting evening, go to www.opry.com and click on the July 17th show. Enter promo code BILL60 and follow the instructions. You will receive a 20% discount on your tickets and be seated (socially distanced, of course) with others in our group. It still depends on the COVID restrictions as to whether we will be able to have a fan club meet ‘n greet after the show, but I’m hoping we can. Stay tuned, and I’ll pass that information along as soon as I receive it. In other news, I just got word that the studio where I like to record these days is opening back up this month, and I’m hoping to book some recording sessions within the next few weeks. I can’t wait to make some new music for you. And the opening of the Bill Anderson Exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame has been moved from November 19th and will officially open on December 3rd. I’m told that date is set in stone, and I hope that it is. We’ll have more information on the Exhibit as the time approaches.
I’m sorry our Facebook Chat scheduled for April 24th didn’t get to happen as planned, but it was totally out of our hands. About ten o’clock that morning, I was checking Facebook messages and everything was fine. A little before noon, Stephanie Orr-Buttrey, our website manager, called and said we were in trouble. Our Facebook page had suddenly disappeared and she was unable to get it back up and working. She quickly posted the cancellation notice that most of you received, and we had to start looking for a Plan B. Assuming that Facebook will cooperate, we’re shooting for an evening Chat on Thursday May 20th at 6 p.m. Nashville (Central) time. Hopefully, lots of you will be able to join us then. Taking our most recent incident and coupling it with our first Chat when my computer blew up, let’s hope the third time will be the charm. As most of you know, May 25th is the scheduled date for my grandson, Gabe’s, bone marrow transplant, and our family continues to appreciate your positive thoughts and prayers. Gabe will actually go into the hospital on May 19th to begin preparations for the transplant. His donor, his sister Hallie, will have some pre-testing done on May 7th. This procedure is the light at the end of a long, dark tunnel for the Anderson’s, as Gabe has been fighting a rare form of cancer for over ten years. Please keep your prayers going up on everyone’s behalf, and I’ll keep you posted as best as I can.
In other family news, Gabe’s older brother, Blake, graduates from high school on May 15th. No word yet on exactly where he’ll land for college. Sisters Hallie and Sophie have both been named to next year’s cheerleading squad at their middle school, and Hallie has been elected Student Council President. I am one proud PawPaw! Guess I should stop popping the buttons off my shirt and let you get on with reading the rest of our newsletter. Thanks for your continued support and friendship, and we’ll see you back here again next month. Still,
Ask Bill – May 1, 2012
1) One of my all-time favorite albums is your duet album with Jan Howard called “Bill And Jan Or Jan And Bill.” The album is filled with such a terrific mix of country songs. Do you have any special memories of recording this particular album?
Oh boy, I sure do! Jan and I had done so many serious songs on our first two records together, that we decided from the get-go that this record was going to be FUN. It started with the title. I wanted to call it “Bill & Jan,” naturally, and she wanted to call it “Jan & Bill.” So we settled on using both names, and the liner notes were a series of letters we wrote to one another about the concept. We laughed our heads off coming up with those. Then so many of the songs were light-hearted and fun….including “Dis-Satisfied,” “Beautiful People,” “We,” and “Someday We’ll Be Together.” We cut the original version of “Satin Sheets” here, too, before Jeanne Pruitt had her big hit with it. Jan and I took our music seriously, but we didn’t take ourselves seriously, and this album was certainly proof of that. I’m glad you like it. We both liked it too.
2) A little while back my brother heard you sing a song, “Someday It Will All Make Sense.” Did you write this song and record it? He loved it and wanted to know if it was available.
I co-wrote that song with Bobby Tomberlin and Ryan Larkins, and I’ve sung it a couple of times on the Grand Ole Opry. I have not recorded it yet, but I hope to and plan to as soon as I can get back into the recording studio. I would like very much for it to be part of my next album. Tell your brother I’m glad he likes it.
3) I have a question for you. You have done so much – written and sung thousands of hit songs, acted on a soap opera, appeared many times on TV and, of course, the Grand Ole Opry. You have traveled around the world and much more. Everyone seems to have their own Bucket List. What are a couple of items still on your B.L.??
Professionally, I can’t think of a thing. I have been blessed far beyond my wildest imagination. Personally, at the top of my list is living to see my grandson, Gabe, become cancer-free and able to pursue his life and his dreams. That, along with health and happiness for all my children and grandchildren. My list is actually a pretty short one.
Quickies: Wasn’t there some talk awhile back about Bear Family issuing a boxed set to follow up on “The First Ten Years?” Has there been any movement on that? There was some talk, but it seems to have died out. I don’t think those folks are putting out as much music today as they once were. What is your road schedule for this year? I would love to see you again and hear you sing. You don’t know how much I’d like to be out there pickin’ and singin’ for you, but due to COVID and my current family situation, I am taking the entire year of 2021 off the road. Will I go back on tour in 2022? Stay tuned. When someone does a parody of a song, does the original writer get credit? Is the writer asked if the song can be used? I’m thinking of Sheb Wooley and the parody he did as Ben Colder on “Still.” Yes, the writer gets co-writing credit on the parody. The writer doesn’t have to give permission for the parody to be released, but the publisher, who owns the copyright, has to grant a license. I always took parodies of my songs as great compliments. They meant my original song had been successful enough to warrant someone’s making fun of it. You’ve always had a love for baseball. What is your favorite position? Being left-handed, my options were limited because lefties don’t play second base, shortstop, third base, or catcher. I loved pitching, and then playing first base on the days I wasn’t on the mound. Will there be any more Country’s Family Reunion shows in the near future? This continues to be my most asked question which tells me that many of you really enjoyed those shows. I enjoyed them,too, but the decision as to whether any more shows will be recorded is out of my hands. Larry Black owns the copyright to that name and that series. The decision rests with him and his sons who now run his company.
Thanks as always for your questions. I’ll do it again in June if you’ll send me the material I need. Address your questions to me at AskBill@billanderson.com or at P.O. Box 888, Hermitage, TN. 37076. See you back here next month.
Latest Photos
“The Chick-fil-A restaurant in Hermitage, Tennessee, devoted an entire day to my grandson, Gabe, back on April 10th, outfitting their employees in specially made Team Gabe t-shirts and donating a percentage of their profits that day to the family’s medical expenses. They urged the community to come together in supporting Gabe’s upcoming transplant procedure, a kind and generous gesture by a wonderful company. Many of our longtime fan club members will remember Cathy Cox who worked in my office back in the late sixties and early seventies. Cathy’s mom, Frances Cox, was my fan club president for several years and contributed so much to my early career. I hadn’t seen Cathy (now Cathy Allen) in over 40-years, but she recently flew to Nashville from her home in Colorado to spend a long weekend, and I had the pleasure of meeting her for lunch. Needless to say, we relived a lot of old memories. And speaking of memories, how about this old picture of me and Roy Acuff from back in the sixties? He was one of my musical heroes, but neither of us dreamed when this picture was taken that we would end up recording together a timeless song called, “I Wonder If God Likes Country Music.” Mr. Roy’s legacy will live forever at the Grand Ole Opry.”
April 24, 2021
Bill Anderson Facebook Live Chat Canceled Due to Technicalities
Sorry, everyone, it appears that Facebook is having difficulties and the official Bill Anderson Facebook page has been disabled! As soon as we get Bill’s Facebook page up and running again we will let you know when the next chat will be.
Of course, we are disappointed but we hope to get the issue resolved soon!
April 1, 2021
April 1, 2021
And thanks to all who checked in following our severe Music City weather last week just to make sure my family and I were all right. The bottom floor of my office was flooded, but other than that we’re all fine. Lots of damage in our town, though. Between tornadoes, bombings, and floods, it seems that for the past year Nashville has been in the cross-hairs of bad luck. Hopefully, things will change soon.
I told you in our last newsletter that I had a big announcement that I couldn’t make until March 24th, and many of you wrote in trying to guess what it might be. Nobody guessed correctly. By now, though, many of you have heard that my song and Connie Smith’s 1964 recording of “Once A Day” has been selected by the Library of Congress in Washington for induction into the National Recording Registry as an “audio treasure worthy of preservation as part of America’s creative legacy.” The Library wanted to make the announcement themselves on March 24th, and I was sworn to secrecy until that time.
This is an incredible honor for a little three-chord country song that I wrote in the front seat of my car at a four-way stop in the Nashville suburbs almost 60-years ago. And it came from the very first recording session Connie Smith ever had on her way to a Hall of Fame career. And now to think that it will be resting alongside compositions from George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, and others. It was the only country song selected for 2020, and I am highly honored and thrilled.
As you know, I still love writing songs even after all these years, and I still get excited when one of my compositions gets recorded. The reigning Bluegrass Entertainer of the Year, Joe Mullins, has just recorded a new song with his Radio Ramblers that Jerry Salley and I co-wrote called, “Go Spread The Gospel,” and it will be in Joe’s new gospel album coming in early May. For some reason, I’ve never written very many religious songs although I have recorded bunches of them. But I really like this one, and I hope you will enjoy its up-tempo feel and up-beat message. Joe and the guys did a great job on it. In other news, I want to thank those of you who joined us for our first Facebook Live Chat back on March 20th. We had over 3,000 messages from people all around the world, so many, in fact, that they overloaded my computer and shut us down for awhile. We had to regroup at my webmaster, Stephanie Orr-Buttrey’s, house where we stayed on for almost an hour. I really enjoyed it, and can’t believe how many of you have asked us to do it again. So…to prove that we really do listen when you speak, we will be chatting with you again on Saturday April 24th at 2 p.m. Nashville (Central) time. Spread the word and let’s beat our terrific March turnout. I might just bring my guitar along this time…so there’s no telling what we’ll end up doing! Several of you have written lately wanting to know if we are planning anything special for our fans and fan club members in connection with my 60th Anniversary at the Grand Ole Opry coming up July 17th. Yes, we are working closely with the Opry management, but due to the pandemic and all the restrictions, everyone is having to move slowly. Nobody knows today just what the situation will be in July, but we are working on group seating and a meet ‘n greet after the show. Stay tuned, and when we know more I’ll let you know. I was almost through writing this letter when I got an invitation from the folks at the Mike Huckabee Show to come be their guest announcer the weekend of April 10th. I’ll be substituting for Keith Bilbrey, and it should be fun. With all the great announcing voices in Nashville, I’m not sure exactly why they reached out to me, but I’m glad they did. You can catch the show on TBN Saturday night April 10th and again Sunday night April 11th. Check for local times in your area.
Folks have also been asking me if I went to Spring Training with the Braves down in Florida this year, which is my usual springtime ritual, but no, I didn’t get to go this time. I’m getting my baseball fix, though, by watching some college and high school games in and around Nashville. Our local Vanderbilt team is the defending College World Series Champion from 2019, and they are fun to watch. The regular major league season opens today. Shouldn’t it be declared a national holiday?? The latest from my grandson, Gabe, is that he has finished his series of radiation treatments and he now has a little over six weeks to rest up before his bone marrow transplant in May. Thanks one more time for all your prayers, your wearing the Team Gabe t-shirts, and all the positive vibes you continue to send our way. My family and I appreciate you more than you’ll ever know. Enjoy the April showers (as long as they come in moderation)…hope they bring lots of pretty May flowers…and we’ll see you back here again next month. I wish for each of you a Happy and Blessed Easter, and I thank you for everything.
