Bill Anderson's Blog, page 36
February 6, 2018
Ask Bill – February 6
1) Does Jan Howard do any concerts still and will you two ever record together again?
There were several questions regarding Jan this month, so I’ll try to answer them all here. First, Jan’s health has not improved to the extent that she can sing, perform, or appear with us on Country’s Family Reunion at the present time. She never recovered 100% from the fall she suffered at her home a few years ago. She is surrounded by her many friends and still socializes with us whenever she can. The picture in our last newsletter was taken at a dinner where several of us gathered before Christmas to visit, laugh, and recall our fun times together. Which leads to our next question…
2) Are there any in the country music family who especially need our prayers and thoughts of encouragement at this time?
What a thoughtful question. Thanks for thinking to ask. We can all use positive thoughts and prayers at any time, but you might want to keep Jan in mind along with Donna Fargo, who is recovering from a stroke. Willie Nelson’s respiratory issues have been well documented while Mike Johnson, the great steel guitar player, has been undergoing treatment for a cancerous condition in his neck and throat area. He was unable to go with us on the recent CFR cruise and we missed him. Jeannie Seely’s husband, Gene Ward, has had some recent health concerns, and I’m sure there are others that I don’t know about. As the old gospel song says, we’re all “standing in the need of prayer.”
3) Up to now, what is the saddest moment and the happiest moment in your music career?
WHOA! I never really thought about that. My happiest TWO moments would have to be when I was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry all those years ago and my election to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001. I’ve certainly had some sad moments in my personal life, but at the moment I honestly can’t recall any directly related to my career other than perhaps the death of my manager, Hubert Long, back in 1972. I have been blessed beyond belief in my chosen profession, and continue to thank God every day for the light He has shined onto my path.
And a few quickies:
4) If I buy your book for my Kindle do you get the royalty?
Yes, thank you.
5) When someone records one of your songs do you have to approve that person or approve the recording before it’s released to the public?
No.
6) Where can I find your recording of “Rock And Roll To Rock Of Ages” on CD?
So far as I know, it’s not currently available.
Thanks for all your questions. You can always send yours to me at askbill@billanderson.com. or at P.O. Box 888, Hermitage, TN. 37076. See you back here next time.
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February 6, 2018
Hi Gang:
February may be the shortest month of the year, but I’ve got a really long list of things I want to share with you this go-around, so let’s get started:
First, we had a wonderful time on our 9th annual Country’s Family Reunion cruise to the Caribbean, and I want to thank all the great fans and friends who made the trip with us. We sang and laughed and went sightseeing and we ate. Then we ate some more. If you’ve ever been on a cruise you know what I’m talking about. Seems like there is a buffet open somewhere 24-7 for the entire week, and I seldom passed without stopping. From the food to the gym and back to the food again became my daily routine!
I arrived home to the wonderfully exciting news that I’ve been elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. This is the biggie…the one in New York where all the great writers from all genres of music are enshrined. From Irving Berlin to Bob Dylan and all the greats in between, I’ll be joining some very talented and exclusive company. The actual induction won’t be until June, so I’ve got several more months to let the news sink in and the excitement build, but I am certainly grateful and thankful for this honor. Who would have ever thought it on top of that little hotel in Commerce, Georgia, where I wrote my first hit song all those years ago?
It shouldn’t be too many more days until you can see and hear the new song I wrote for my friend, Vickie, when she was first diagnosed with cancer. It’s called, “Until The Light Comes On Again,” and we filmed a simple video to go along with the recording. We’ll get it finished as soon as our video editor wins his battle with the flu!
We’ve dedicated it to “All those whose lives have been interrupted by cancer,” and unfortunately that’s a lot of people. Maybe our song can help offer a glimmer of hope and a ray of sunshine to them as well as to the special lady I wrote it for. And, yes, that’s Vickie in the video with me.
Our tour schedule for the year is starting to take shape, and you’ll notice we’ll be teaming up with Bobby Bare on several of our concert dates. There wasn’t an empty seat at the one show Bobby and I worked together in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, a couple of years ago, and naturally we are hoping for similar results everywhere else we go. I imagine most places will advertise it as a Country Music Hall of Fame show, since Bobby and I are both HOF members, and those shows are few and far between these days. We’ve highlighted the dates where I’ll be appearing with Bobby on the Tour page at www.billanderson.com.
I was in the recording studio for several days just prior to the cruise, and laid down nine new tracks for my next album project. It’s hard to believe that in over a half-century of recording there’s something different that I haven’t tried, but the approach to this record is definitely different. I hope to finish it up this Spring and perhaps have it available by the middle of the year.
While we were our cruising, my grandson, Gabe, got quite a surprise from the Make A Wish Foundation. Gabe, as you know, has suffered from cancer for more than half his life, and he got invited to a special Disney-character show at the Country Music Hall Of Fame. He thought he was just going as a spectator, but mid-performance they called him up from the audience and announced that he and his entire family would be going for a week’s worth of fun to Disney World all expenses paid! The date hasn’t been set, but it will be sometime this year. To say that he’s excited would be the understatement of all time. Thanks to each of you who continue to ask about him and to pray for his recovery. And thanks, Make A Wish. You are wonderful!
We’re looking forward to seeing lots of you at shows coming up in Effingham, Illinois (16th), Wabash, Indiana (17th), The Villages, Florida (Mar. 1st), and Shelby, N.C. (Mar. 2nd). And we’ll see you back here next month.
Thanks so much for everything.
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BILL ANDERSON ANNOUNCED AS 2018 SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE
ROBERT “KOOL” BELL, RONALD BELL, GEORGE BROWN & JAMES “JT” TAYLOR P/K/A “KOOL & THE GANG,” STEVE DORFF, JERMAINE DUPRI, ALAN JACKSON, JOHN MELLENCAMP AND ALLEE WILLIS ALSO TO BE INDUCTED
Musical titans Bill Anderson, Robert “Kool” Bell, Ronald Bell, George Brown & James “JT” Taylor P/K/A “Kool & The Gang,” Steve Dorff, Jermaine Dupri, Alan Jackson, John Mellencamp and Allee Willis will become the latest inductees of the Songwriters Hall of Fame at the organization’s 49th Annual Induction and Awards Dinner.
These legendary songwriters wrote mega-hits such as, “Mama Sang a Song,” “Celebration,” “Through The Years,” “Always Be My Baby,” “Chattahoochee,” “Jack And Diane,” and “I’ll Be There For You.” The star-studded induction event is slated for Thursday, June 14th at the Marriott Marquis Hotel inNew York City. Additional special award honorees will be announced soon.
“The 2018 roster of Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees is a prodigious representation of creators of cross-genre hits, certain to resonate with everyone,” said SHOF co-chairs Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff and president/CEO Linda Moran. “Each year, the slate of songwriters we induct is more diverse and illustrative of the history and contributions that we strive to acknowledge and honor. We could not be more excited to preside over this year’s event and to give these songwriters their due respect.”
Established in 1969, the Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) serves as a vital bridge between music’s past and future. In the Hall, musical pioneers are enshrined and celebrated, while the organization’s outreach to the music community grooms the next generation of troubadours. To qualify for induction, a songwriter must be a published writer for a minimum of 20 years with a notable catalog of hit songs.
Bill Anderson
Bill Anderson is the rare songwriter whose first major label cut went to No. 1 on the charts, was named Song of The Year, and sparked a writing career that is currently in its seventh decade. The song, “City Lights,” was written when Anderson was a 19-year old Georgia disc jockey and became a career-defining hit for Ray Price in 1958. The song opened doors for him in Nashville, leading him to sign with BMI and Tree Publishing.
Anderson was far from a one-hit wonder. He followed “City Lights” with country standards like “Tips Of My Fingers,” the GRAMMY-nominated “Once A Day,” “Saginaw, Michigan,” “That’s What It’s Like To Be Lonesome,” “I Missed Me,” “Cold Hard Facts Of Life,” which earned him another GRAMMY nomination, “Mama Sang A Song,” the crossover smash, “Still,” and countless others. He was voted country Songwriter Of The Year six times during his first decade in Music City.
His success continued into the seventies with award-winning hits like “Slippin’ Away,” “The Lord Knows I’m Drinking,” “I May Never Get To Heaven,” and the disco-flavored, “I Can’t Wait Any Longer.” The eighties saw Anderson’s chart-topping career take a hiatus as he became a TV network game show host, spokesman for a national restaurant chain, and a nonstop touring Grand Ole Opry performer. In the nineties, he came roaring back with a vengeance, however, as he seriously turned to co-writing for the first time.
Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001, his collaborations with the newer generation of Nashville tunesmiths resulted in hits like “Wish You Were Here,” the GRAMMY-nominated “Two Teardrops,” “A Lot Of Things Different,” for Kenny Chesney, “Which Bridge To Cross (Which Bridge To Burn),” for Vince Gill and two Song Of The Year awards for “Whiskey Lullaby,” with Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss and George Straight’s “Give It Away,” in 2005 and 2007 respectfully. He continues to write today with songs like Brad Paisley’s “Dying To See Her.” For more information, visit billanderson.com.
January 11, 2018
January 4, 2018
January 3, 2018
Latest Photos
Since our New Year’s Eve show in Branson was at the Welk Theater, I thought a pre-show visit with the head man himself was in order. As you can tell, he was in good spirits! So were Jan Howard and I at a little pre-Christmas get together in a room dedicated to Sun Records. The bottom photo was taken the day we filmed our upcoming video. L. to R., my manager, Lee Willard, Vickie Salas, some guy named Bill, producer Jamie Jean, and his assistant, Brandon Dragan.
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January 3, 2018
Happy New Year!
And welcome to our first fan club letter of 2018. I hope everybody had a great holiday season and that you’re ready to roar full-speed ahead into this shiny new year.
I had a quiet but very nice Christmas. I spent Christmas Eve with Jamey and his family at the candlelight service at their church, then went to their house for dinner and the exchanging of gifts. Christmas Day I went to my daughter, Jenni’s, house and enjoyed time with her and the kids. Terri felt good enough to come over (first time she had driven since September!) so that made things extra nice.
New Year’s Eve was our big show in Branson, and I want to thank those of you who braved the cold to come be with us. I hadn’t sung in a couple of weeks and hadn’t done a concert since October, so my voice was a bit iffy. I appreciate y’all putting up with my cough and frequent water breaks. That’s what I get for taking too much time off!
I got home New Year’s Day only to discover I didn’t have any black-eyed peas in the house. Where I come from, you eat those on January 1st for good luck in the upcoming year. My mama was probably turning over in her grave as I substituted pork ‘n beans, but I had some good luck anyhow. Both my Georgia Bulldogs and Tennessee Titan football teams won big games. Maybe black-eyed peas are overrated!
I’m pretty excited about 2018. I told you in our last newsletter that I have written a song for my friend, Vickie, who is battling cancer, and we filmed a simple little video on it just before Christmas. It’s nothing big and fancy, but I didn’t want it to be. I just wanted to share the message in hopes that it might encourage other people as it has Vickie. She actually appears in the video with me looking pretty as an angel. We’ll be posting it for you to see sometime later this month.
We will soon be releasing the acoustical CD that was part of my audiobook…plus an accompanying instrumental CD with lyrics to all the songs…and we’re putting it out in an unusual way. We’re going to offer the package with your choice of three different covers. I’ll just tease you with that tiny bit of information for now, then hopefully next month I can show you exactly what I’m talking about. My manager, Lee Willard, came up with the concept, and he’s been putting a lot of work into it. I think you’ll like it.
On another note: Many of you may not know that we offer our complete newsletter each month in a hard-copy printed version for fans who might not have computer access. If you know of someone who might like to receive our letters by mail each month, it’s only $15 per calendar year to cover postage. You can send a check (or have them send one) payable to the Bill Anderson Fan Club, P.O. Box 888, Hermitage, TN. 37076 and we’ll add them to our mailing list.
Thanks for continuing to be so supportive of me, my music, and my family. Here’s hoping 2018 will be the best year ever for you and for us. Even without the black-eyed peas!
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Ask Bill – January 3
1) How are the Country’s Family Reunion participants chosen, and do they get paid/stipend/travel?
Our producer, Larry Black, works with our talent coordinator, Terry Choate, in selecting the people you see on the screen. Many more are invited than are able to appear due to scheduling conflicts, etc. And, yes, the artists do get paid.
2) Will the old Fandango shows ever be released online anywhere? There are a few on YouTube, but I’d love to see them all.
Allen Reid, who produced the game show, Fandango, tells me that the master tapes have all been destroyed which is a shame. The ones you’ve seen on YouTube were most likely posted by the contestants themselves. Each contestant received a VHS copy of the show after their taping, and many have shared them. Unfortunately, that’s about all that is left.
3) What can you tell us about your first guitar and about your current performance guitar?
Like almost everybody, I started out on a very cheap flat-top guitar with a neck about the size of a telephone pole and strings a good half-inch off the fret board. I thought my fingers would never stop hurting when I was first learning to play. The guitar I currently play on stage was a gift to me years ago from a Japanese artist/manufacturer named Max Yasuda. It bears his name.
4) I saw Vickie mentioned in your last fan club newsletter. I’d like to know how the two of you met.
When Vickie and I first met almost 45-years ago, she was married to Gregg Galbraith who, at the time, played guitar for George Hamilton IV and later for me. She and Gregg divorced, she remarried, and spent 17-years in Washington, D.C. We lost touch, but when that marriage dissolved in 2007, she came back to Nashville to be close to her two sons. The day she got to town, my picture was on the front page of The Tennessean newspaper. She saw it and reached out to congratulate me on an award I had recently won. We met at a Mexican restaurant not long after, and we’ve been a couple ever since. She was diagnosed with cancer in 2016 and is currently undergoing treatment.
And a few quickies:
5) Why is Jan Howard not in the Hall Of Fame?
Because, like many others, she has not yet been voted membership by the panel of electors.
6) Do you have any stories not known about Jim Ed Brown?
Yes, but they are better left unknown!
And a question left over from Thanksgiving:
Do you put oysters in your dressing?
No.
Thanks for your questions. Keep ’em coming. Write askbill@billanderson.com and I’ll try to answer soon as I can.
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December 5, 2017
December 5, 2017
Hi Gang:
I hope everybody had a Happy Thanksgiving, a Blockbuster Black Friday, and a Cool Cyber Monday. And now I’m wishing you a Dandy December and Smooth Sailing from here until Christmas.
I had all my family at my house for Turkey Day (except for my two granddaughters who don’t currently live here), and we ate and talked and laughed and ate some more. It was a super day, but by nightfall things had turned a bit topsy-turvy.
By 3 A.M. (there’s a good title for a song!) my daughter Terri was in the ER at a local hospital, and on Saturday morning my friend, Vickie, was admitted to another. The rest of the weekend is a big blur, but I’m happy to say that as I am writing this, everyone is safely back home and things are looking up.
I had been scheduled to go into the recording studio the day after Thanksgiving, but after all that happened my mind wasn’t on it and my heart wasn’t in it. So I canceled my sessions. I used the time to rest up and regroup, and hopefully I’ll feel like rescheduling sometime soon.
I did do a bit of recording prior to the holiday, and when you read our Ask Bill column you’ll see what I was up to. Also, I did some songwriting last month and particularly enjoyed a couple of writing days with John Schneider, the fine singer and former star of “Dukes Of Hazard.” He, Bobby Tomberlin, and I wrote a song we’re all excited about, plus John recorded two other songs Bobby and I had a hand in writing. He has a very unique vision for his musical career moving forward, and I think you’ll be hearing and seeing some great work from John in the days ahead.
All of us at the Grand Ole Opry are excited about the new Opry venue in New York City and the fact that our Opry shows are being televised live on giant screens right in the middle of Times Square. I’ll be interested in hearing from any of you who might have been there. And speaking of New York, my fingers are crossed that the Songwriters Hall of Fame up there decides to vote me membership into their esteemed circle this year. Voting closes December 17th, but it may be early in 2018 before we’ll know the results.
Closer to home, I want to give a special shout-out to my former Avondale High School classmates who receive our newsletter every month courtesy of a sweet lady named Shirley Bettis. Shirley, a former classmate herself, is on our mailing list, and forwards our publications each month to the folks we went to school with. Avondale High, which was in suburban Atlanta, doesn’t exist anymore except in our hearts and our memories, so I’m doubly thankful for this continuing connection.
Well, with Christmas on the horizon you’ve probably got lots of things on your plate, and I shouldn’t keep you any longer. I hope it’s a wonderful holiday season for each of you and that Santa fills your stockings with all kinds of goodies… and maybe even a few Bill Anderson records, books, t-shirts, and the like. By the way, we’ve still got some of our Christmas cards available..check them out at www.billanderson.com. And thanks to all who took advantage of our Black Friday specials. Be watching for some new products from us early next year.
Merry Christmas! And may God bless us everyone. See you in Branson for New Years Eve!!
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