Bill Anderson's Blog, page 30
August 3, 2020
Ask Bill – August 3, 2020
1) Do you know whether or not Circle TV will broadcast the TV portion of the Opry when it resumes the regular shows? Or will Gaylord Entertainment allow it to be done?
The Circle Network is owned by the same people who own the Opry, so, yes, you can expect to see Opry shows on Circle once the pandemic passes and crowds are allowed back into the Opry House. We’re all looking forward to that.
2) I assume you do not read your mail! I wrote you a note a couple of months ago and never got a response. How do you handle all your mail?
I personally read every piece of mail that reaches my desk…whether it’s e-mail or snail mail. Keep in mind, though, that just because you sent it doesn’t mean I received it. The postal service and cyberspace are not perfect. Not every letter I get requires an answer, and I don’t have time to be pen pals with people who write me every day or so. I also cannot reply to everyone who wants to send me a song or asks me to listen to their granddaughter sing. I do the best I can to respond to as much of my mail as I can. If I failed to get back to you, I apologize.
3) I know you have signed many thousands of autographs over the years, but I wonder if you ever get autographs from fellow artists. If so, is there one you really cherish?
I collected autographs when I was a kid, mostly baseball players. I fought a monster crowd outside the ball park in Atlanta one Sunday afternoon to get Jackie Robinson’s autograph the year after he broke baseball’s color barrier. And when my wife, Becky, and I met Elvis in Las Vegas, he signed a picture to us: “To Bill & Becky – My best allways – Elvis Presley.” I valued that one for two reasons. One, of course, because it was Elvis. And the other because he mis-spelled “always.” Not knowing how much the Jackie Robinson autograph meant to me, my mom threw it away…along with my childhood comic books and other junk…years after I left home. So far as I know, Becky has the Elvis picture.
Quickies: I know you are from Columbia, S.C., but whereabouts? We lived in the Five Points/Shandon area and I went to Schneider Elementary School. What was your major at Georgia and did you write a lot of songs while attending UGA? I majored in Broadcast Journalism. I wrote City Lights and several of my early songs while I was still in school. I collect plates of country music stars and was wondering if your picture was ever on a plate sold as a souvenir? Yes, I think so. Unfortunately, I don’t have one. Any chance you and Mike Reid could get together and write a song? We’ve talked about it many times, but never have pulled the trigger. I’d love to. I’m a big fan of his. Did you write “When A Man Can’t Get A Woman Off His Mind”? I co-wrote it with Sharon Vaughn. Do you have any records available on vinyl? Yes, the “Anderson” album is available on vinyl and can be purchased from our website.
Thanks for your questions. Send me yours at askbill@billanderson.com and we’ll see you back here for more next month. Stay curious.
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1) One of country music’s greatest radio voices and most noted historians, Eddie Stubbs, has announced his retirement from WSM and the Grand Ole Opry. I first met Eddie when he was on the air at WAMU in Washington, D.C., and encouraged him to come to Nashville. He is a dear friend and my personal go-to guy when I have a question relating to anything country. All of us at the Opry wish him and his wife, Debbie, nothing but happiness as they open a new chapter in their lives. 2) John Berry and I performed “Don’t Think I Ain’t Country” together one time on the Opry, and we were both thrilled when it rose to #1 recently on the Christian Country Music charts. 3) I first met Robbie Wittkowski when he was around 12-years old and I brought him on stage to sing with me in Des Moines, Iowa. He came to work as my tour manager and director of merchandise years later. Nobody loved the music or the fans any more than Robbie did, and those of you who knew him loved him back. Rest in peace, my friend. We will miss you.
July 31, 2020
Bill Anderson Drops 73rd Album, Zoom-Writes With Brad Paisley | American Songwriter
Bill Anderson Drops 73rd Album, Zoom-Writes With Brad Paisley
Bill Anderson is one of the few people who can claim that rare trifecta of a membership in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Country Music Hall of Fame.
July 30, 2020
Bill Anderson Revisits 60+ Years of Country Music on ‘The Hits Reimagined’| Wide Open Country
Bill Anderson’s “Whiskey Lullaby” is listed as Wide Open Country’s 5 new songs you need to hear! Read it below. Get the new album Here.
Bill Anderson Revisits 60+ Years of Country Music on ‘The Hits Reimagined’
To commemorate a legendary career with no signs of stopping, South Carolina-born, Georgia bred singer-songwriter Bill Anderson recut some of the songs that made him a Grand Ole Opry elder statesman for new album . As the recording artist with the soft, conversational delivery that earned the nickname “Whisperin’ Bill,” Anderson’s responsible for 37 high-charting singles since 1958, including seven No.
July 29, 2020
Whisperin’ Bill Anderson Releases 73rd Album, ‘The Hits Re-Imagined,’ Available Today | The Country Note
Whisperin’ Bill Anderson Releases 73rd Album, ‘The Hits Re-Imagined,’ Available Today – The Country Note
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Whisperin’ Bill Anderson boasts a renowned career that has seen extraordinary milestones, including his Country Music Hall of Fame induction; 59 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry and 80 top-charting songs- 37 of which were Top Ten hits in addition to seven No. 1 singles.
July 28, 2020
Bill Anderson Releases 73rd Album, ‘The Hits Re-Imagined’ | Everything Nash
Bill Anderson Releases 73rd Album, ‘The Hits Re-Imagined’ –
Bill Anderson Releases 73rd Album, ‘The Hits Re-Imagined’ Bill Anderson has just released his 73rd album, The Hits Re-Imagined. The record includes 10 of his most beloved songs from the last 60 years, with both newly-recorded and instrumental versions, including one of “Whiskey Lullaby,” which Brad Paisley released with Alison Krauss in 2004.
Whisperin’ Bill Anderson Releases 73rd Album THE HITS RE-IMAGINED | Broadway World
Whisperin’ Bill Anderson Releases 73rd Album THE HITS RE-IMAGINED
Whisperin’ Bill Anderson boasts a renowned career that has seen extraordinary milestones, including his Country Music Hall of Fame induction; 59 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry and 80 top-charting songs-37 of which were Top Ten hits in addition to seven No. 1 singles.
July 27, 2020
Bill Anderson releases 73rd studio album ‘The Hits Re-Imagined’ | Digital Journal
Country Music Hall of Famer Bill Anderson has released his 73rd career studio album, “The Hits Re-Imagined.” Digital Journal has the scoop.
He has been a member of the hallowed Grand Ole Opry for 59 years, and he has been inducted into the coveted Country Music Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame (2018). He has secured 80 top-charting songs, 37 of which were Top 10 hits, as well as seven No. 1 singles. He is the sole songwriter to chart country songs in seven consecutive decades.
Billboard Reviews Bill Anderson The Hits Re-Imagined | Billboard
Legendary Songwriter Hall of Fame and Country Music Hall of Famer ‘Whisperin’ Bill Anderson revisits some of his biggest hits made famous by him and other artists, on this, his 73rd album. Spanning nearly 60 years, the collection includes new versions of 10 of his best tunes, including “Whiskey Lullaby,” “Po’ Folks,” “City Lights” and “Give It Away.”
At 82, Anderson brings a gravitas to the heavier songs (“Whiskey Lullaby” belongs in the canon of saddest songs ever) and a lightheartedness to tunes like “Po Folks” with a low-key production that keeps the focus squarely on Anderson and his delivery. Just as it should be.
See the whole artlcle at Billboard.com
July 21, 2020
Whisperin’ Bill Anderson reimagines the hits on new album: ‘It was like visiting an old friend’ | The Tennessean
Whisperin’ Bill Anderson reimagines the hits on new album: ‘It was like visiting an old friend’
Whisperin’ Bill Anderson needed a new doormat. Instead of hunting down a shoe scraper with the word “Welcome” or “Anderson” on it, he found one that – after about six decades of penning country music hits and entertaining audiences on the famed Grand Ole Opry stage – says exactly how he feels: Blessed.
