Bill Anderson's Blog, page 8

June 1, 2024

Hi Gang:

Well, it’s not “officially” Summer just yet, but I’ve always felt that Summer starts after Memorial Day and runs through Labor Day. Maybe it’s because Summer was defined that way when I was in school. Regardless, Memorial Day is in our rear view mirrors now (I hope you enjoyed yours!) and we’re calling it summertime in Whisperville. Welcome to our first newsletter of the season!

Another sure-fire way to know it’s summer is that CMA Fest will be upon us here in a few days. Country music fans from all around the world have already begun pouring into Nashville to celebrate with concerts, food, and fun. I plan to appear on the Grand Ole Opry Tuesday night June 4th for two shows, but other than that I’m laying low this year. I’ve taken part in the event that used to be known as Fan Fair for over fifty years. I’m glad to let the young folks have their moment in the sun (and the rain) this go ’round. (Our other Opry dates this month are June 18th and June 22nd.)

I do have a little bit of news on the musical front, though, in that we’ve settled on a title for my upcoming new record release. It will be a six-song EP of love songs titled “Forevermore.” Our graphics crew is busy designing the artwork to accompany the music, and hopefully we’ll have something to show you soon. The release date will be August 16th. I’m really proud of this project, and I can’t wait to share it with you.

I’ve also got another bit of exciting news. I haven’t worked a concert date on the road since February, 2020, just before COVID hit. I’ve never said I was “retired,” but going back on tour has not been at or near the top of my bucket list. However, an interesting opportunity has presented itself, and I may just take advantage of it.

The folks in my adopted hometown of Commerce, Georgia, have informed me that in September the Commerce High School football team will play the 1,000th game in school history. They feel this calls for a celebration, and they want me to come celebrate with them. You know the auditorium at Commerce High is called the Bill Anderson Performing Arts Center, and if I were to do a concert again there couldn’t be a more perfect place.

Nothing is definite but it might just happen. While the details are being ironed out, you might want to circle Saturday September 14th on your calendar…and start checking the mileage from where you live to Commerce. It sure would be fun to see a whole bunch of you again. Stay tuned…I’ll be telling you more as the time approaches.

On the personal side of things our longtime fiddle player and background singer, Kenzie Wetz, has announced her engagement to Joshua Donnici of Kansas City, and they have set their wedding date for December 1st. Wedding bells are going to sound like an alarm clock going off around here in the upcoming months. My granddaughter, Caroline, is getting married October 13th, Kenzie on December 1st, and my grandson, Blake, next April 27th.

On a not so happy note, my grandson, Gabe, has had a return of the cancer that all of us had hoped was gone for good. So many of you have prayed for him as he has battled this disease over the years, and your prayers are needed and welcomed again. He will be beginning treatment soon. Please pray that it will be successful. I’ll keep you posted.

Thanks for everything, and my best to you all.

Ask Bill – June 1, 2024

1) When you wrote the song, “Cold Hard Facts Of Life,” was it intended for Porter Wagoner specifically or were there other possibilities?

As I have said many times in this column, I seldom set out to write songs “for” somebody. I just try to write the best song I can…tell the story I’m trying to tell the best I can…and then let the chips fall where they may. With this particular song, though, there weren’t a bunch of folks lining up to record a song about drinking, infidelity, and mass murder. Porter was never afraid to go “dark” with his music, so he was the first person I thought to pitch it to. Fortunately, he liked it, and the rest is history.

2) I have an 8-year old grandson who is very talented at singing. He can hear a song and then sing it later word for word. He loves to sing. I was wondering if we should try to do singing lessons.

If he loves to sing and he has some natural talent, sure, what would it hurt? Although his voice will change in a few years, you’ll find out pretty quick just how much he really loves to sing and what his talent level might actually be. Just don’t push him so hard that he doesn’t get to be a “kid” and do the normal things that kids all do. He can develop his musical talent while he plays ball, makes good grades in school, and discovers girls. Good luck to him…and to you!

3) Did you ever write a song with, or for, Hank Snow?

I never wrote a song “with” Hank, but that might have been fun. He wrote some great ones in his time. The only song of mine that I know he recorded was one called, “I Wish It Was Mine.” Hank was a perfectionist in many ways, and my title was grammatically incorrect. So when his version came out it was called, “I Wish It WERE Mine.” I thought that sounded a bit “stiff” and “stilted,” but I wasn’t about to tell Mr. Snow how I felt. I simply thanked him for recording it and let it go.

4) Question Of The Month: This month’s question comes from Ron in Illinois. He asks, “After so many years in the music business, how do you deal with the ups and downs in your career?”

Life in the entertainment business is chocked full of insecurities. People in my profession are constantly wondering: “Am I only as good as my last performance? My last movie? My last recording?” And, as a result, every entertainer I have ever known, including myself, fights those crazy ups and downs that you are referring to here. I have tried to handle it by trying to never get too high when good things happen and not letting myself get too low when things don’t go the way I’d like. I’m better at it now than I was in the beginning of my career, but I still have to stay on guard. My faith also plays a large role in how I react to things. I firmly believe that God holds my hand, and that He will lead me to the places He wants me to go in His timing. Being assured of that helps keep the playing field level for me as much as anything.

Quickies: Are turquoise wrist watch bands and rings still fashionable with the Opry artists? It seems back in the 70’s and 80’s every artist was dripping in silver and turquoise. I still see a few of those items around the Opry, but they are no more popular with Opry artists these days than they are with the public in general. They seemed to lose mass favor…other than perhaps in the southwestern part of the country…in the late 80’s, and they haven’t shown signs of coming back since. Was there ever an answer song to George Jones’ “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes?” If not, you should write it! Thank you. I don’t know of an answer song that’s been written, and I’m not sure just how one might be put together. The original song posed an interesting question that might just be better left for time to answer. Have you ever had someone get a tattoo that refers to you? I have one that is one of my favorite songs of yours, “I Love You Drops.” Only my family and closest friends know what it means and why it’s there. Thank you. I won’t ask where it’s located. I’ll just say I am honored. Was the Bill Anderson who sang the theme song in a movie called “Stranger On The Run” with Henry Fonda, Anne Baxter, and Dan Duryea “our” Bill Anderson? If so, how did that all come about? If you mean was it me, I confess that it was. The folks in Hollywood wanted a Nashville artist to sing the song, and I happened to be in the studio working on some new music with Owen Bradley when he got word that they wanted him to produce it. He asked if I’d like to be the one to sing it, and I told him I would…soon as I did a bit of a re-write on the song. I did, and we cut it. The film was released in the late sixties as one of the very first…if not THE first…movie ever made strictly for television.

You sent me some fun questions this month….now let’s see if we can’t top it for July! If you’re curious about anything related to me, my career, or country music in general, let me know what it is. I’ll try to feed your curiosity as best as I can. Send your question or questions to askbill@billanderson.com. If yours is chosen our Question of The Month, you will receive any item of your choice from our online store free of charge. I’ll look forward to hearing from you, and I’ll see you back here again next month.

Latest Photos

Dr. David Godbold, founder and CEO of the South Carolina Entertainment and Music Hall of Fame, presented me with the organization’s first ever Lifetime Achievement Award at the organization’s annual awards ceremony in Greenville, S.C., on April 25th. If you’ll look closely in the lower right-hand corner of the award just above the nameplate you’ll see a small crack. I have been told for over 60-years that when someone is taking a picture of me holding anything made of glass, I should always tilt that item slightly forward so as to reduce any possible reflective glare from the glass. That’s what I was trying to do when the beautifully engraved award slipped out of its case and onto the concrete floor backstage. I offered to pay for a replacement, but no one would listen. Dr. Godbold assured me that he would have a new award crafted and bring it to me in Nashville. Hopefully, he can present it to me a second time on stage at the Opry. I promise to handle it with kid gloves next time!!

I am pictured here with two great keyboard players, both of whom have been a part of my band over the years. Dirk Johnson, center, was a Po’ Folk for several years back in the 80s, and his brother, Anthony, whom we call Ziggy, is currently part of my group. Ziggy just recovered from surgery, and Dirk is facing a serious operation in the not-too-distant future. This picture was taken backstage at a fundraiser for Dirk in late March.

Some of my favorite moments at the Grand Ole Opry occur when the older artists get to perform with the younger ones…as was obviously happening here. The young and multi-talented, Sierra Hull, come onstage to sing Dolly Parton’s part on “Someday It’ll All Make Sense” with me. She not only sang like an angel, but played the mandolin parts she created on the original recording perfectly. In addition, she brought her equally talented husband, Justin Moses, to play dobro as he did on the Bill & Dolly record. It was a special moment, and one I hope we can re-create again at some point in the future.

Ask Bill – May 1, 2024

1) With the evolution of music distribution from vinyl albums to eight-track tapes to CDs to streaming, have these changes impacted the way you write or record songs? No, not really. A good song is still a good song and a bad song is still a bad song no matter what format it is released in. And does the length of a song impact sales? Not directly, no. But it can impact the amount of radio air play a song might receive. Back in my early days we tried to keep our records under three minutes so the radio stations would play them more often. The shorter the records the more commercials a station might squeeze in. And the more commercials, the more $$ the station could make. That must not be as important today because when I am writing with the new, young writers, they don’t think they’ve done their job if the song is not at least three to three-and-a-half minutes long. Radio stations still sell commercials, though, so go figure.

2) When you are performing, do you ever forget the lyrics of songs you wrote? Also, how many songs do you estimate that you know? The late, great Hank Thompson and I once had this conversation, and we both had to laugh. People don’t understand how a guy who wrote the song can forget the lyrics, but I’ve done it. Hank said he had done it, and I imagine every singer/songwriter in history has done it. As to your other question, I have no idea how many songs I know. There is a difference between “knowing” a song and knowing it well enough to go onstage and sing it for the fans. I probably “know” a couple of thousand songs, but only a fraction of those would I try to perform in public.

3) Did you know Gene Autry personally? Any special recollections? I am a big fan of you both. Thank you. I can’t say I “knew” Mr. Autry, but I was around him on several occasions. When he was president of the Country Music Association, I was on the Board of Directors and was in the room with him at several Board meetings. I was also in his presence once at a party at promoter Ed Gregory’s home. But my favorite encounter with Mr. Autry came when he was the owner of the California Angels baseball team and I was traveling to some games with my friend, Dave Bristol, at that time manager of the Milwaukee Brewers. Dave often let me put on a uniform and take the field before games, and that’s what I had done one night in Anaheim, California, when I spotted Mr. Autry over by the dugout. I ran over and extended my hand and reminded him that I was on the CMA Board with him. He wasn’t used to seeing me peering out from beneath a ball cap and in a baseball uniform, and I’m sure the last place he expected to see anyone from the CMA was at a Brewers-Angels’ game. He smiled weakly and pretended he knew who I was, but the look in his eye told a different story. He walked away shaking his head and probably wondering what the world was coming to.

4) Question Of The Month: This month it comes from Britt in Texas: What is your favorite part about being a country music icon super star? Gosh, I never really thought about it. I guess the best part is just knowing down inside that I have accomplished most of what I set out to accomplish when I got into this business over a half-century ago. At the same time, I don’t go around thinking of myself as a “country music icon super star.” I’m just a guy who has been blessed to make a living doing something he loves. All the rest has just been the icing on the cake.

Quickies: Were your parents talented? Did they sing, play, or anything? Maybe someone in your family famous that we might know? My parents were talented in many ways, but not musically. You have to go back to my grandparents to find any of my musically inclined kinfolks. And none of them ever became famous. I was watching a TV show from the 50’s and thought I recognized a young Sheb Wooley. As the credits rolled, up popped that name. Did he go by that name back then? He was born Shelby Wooley in 1921 in Erick, Oklahoma, and so far as I know he always performed as Sheb. You’ll find his name on some great move credits including “High Noon,” “Giant,” and “Hoosiers.” Not many people know it, but he was related to Roger Miller by marriage. As an aspiring songwriter, what would be a good piece of advice you might give me on getting started? Be original. Don’t try to write songs that sound like something you’ve heard on the radio. Write what you feel and what you mean and be true to yourself. And be prepared to face a lot of rejection. I’ve had at least a hundred songs turned down for every one I’ve had recorded. Now that your Hall of Fame exhibit has ended, did they keep any of your items for their permanent display? They plan to, yes, but we haven’t taken the time just yet to sort though everything and decide what stays and what goes. Hopefully, we’ll get to that soon. Don’t you ever get the urge to write a song about how you feel? Only every time I sit down to write.

Thanks for heeding my call for questions this month and don’t stop now. We’ll be doing this again in June and I’ll need a fresh supply. Send yours to me at askbill@billanderson.com and join us next month to see if yours was chosen our Question Of The Month. If it was, you’ll be entitled to any item of your choice from our online store free of charge. Thanks, and stay curious.

May 1, 2024

Hi Gang:

And welcome to our newsletter for the merry, merry month of May!

I never get to May 1st without remembering a couple of my country music co-horts who were born on this day: Jimmy Gateley (1931), who was a major part of my Po’ Boys band for thirteen years, and Sonny James (1929), the Southern Gentleman, and one of the greatest country artists of all time. They are both missed, along with so many others that we’ve lost along the way. Oh, and May 1st is my half-birthday, which means I am halfway to my next one. Ouch!

My letter this month may be a bit shorter than usual because I am writing from a hotel room overlooking the ocean and a beautiful beach off the coast of South Carolina.  I’m not sure how long I can force myself to stay inside pecking on this ol’ computer while the sunshine, surf, and sand are outside the window calling my name! Not long I’m afraid.

I came here following the South Carolina Entertainment and Music Hall of Fame Awards April 25th in Greenville. I was given their first ever Lifetime Achievement Award which is an incredible honor. It was presented to me by the great country singer and fellow South Carolinian, John Berry, who traveled a long way to say some very nice things about me. And then, in typical Anderson fashion, I was posing for pictures with the award backstage and dropped it on the floor! Needless to say, the glass shattered. I’ll tell you more and show you a picture in our photo section.  

In more cheerful news, I heard from an old friend shortly before I left home and came to find he has released a recording of my song, “Get A Little Dirt On Your Hands,” from the early sixties. I’m sure many of you remember Johnny Tillotson from his days as a teen-aged idol and songs like “Poetry In Motion” and “It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin'” back in the day. Johnny ran across some old unreleased master recordings recently and decided to put them out. My song was among them. You can listen and watch the lyric video by clicking Johnny Tillotson -Get A Little Dirt On Your Hands (Official Music Video) #johnnytillotson #newmusic. Johnny has always had a love for country music, and it’s great to hear his take on something I created.

I told you in our last newsletter that our keyboard player, Ziggy Johnson and his brother, Dirk, our former keyboard player, were both dealing with some health concerns. I’m happy to tell you now that Ziggy’s surgery is behind him and he’s doing well. In fact, he worked the Opry with us back on April 20th. Dirk, who is facing  surgery himself, felt good enough to fill in for Ziggy while he was recuperating which I appreciated very much. Les Singer, our longtime guitar player, was hospitalized following a fall, but is now recovering at home.

Back on a happier note, our Opry dates in May will be May 11th, 18th, and 31st. I’ll also be doing some songwriting with Jamey Johnson & Buddy Cannon this month. Sure wish we could manage to create another “Give It Away!”

Well, I guess my short letter turned out to not be so short after all, and I need to start wrapping it up. Thanks for continuing your membership in our fan club, and if you know any folks who are into our kind of country music, I hope you’ll invite them to join with us as well. It’s still free, so tell ’em they can’t beat the price!

I’ll see you back here in June….thanks for everything.

BILL ANDERSON RECEIVES DR. DAVID GODBOLD LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Anderson was Honored April 25 by the South Carolina Entertainment and Music Hall of Fame

 

Country Music Hall of Fame member, Songwriters Hall of Fame member and ACM and CMA-award-winning entertainment titan, Bill Anderson, was honored with the 2024 Dr. David Godbold Lifetime Achievement Award by the South Carolina Entertainment and Music Hall of Fame on Thursday, April 25. Anderson was inducted by the organization in 1994, and is the first Lifetime Achievement Award honoree. Anderson was born in Columbia, South Carolina and lived there for the first 8 years of his life until moving to Georgia.

“What a thrill it was to go back to the state where I was born and receive the first Lifetime Achievement Award ever given to a member of the South Carolina Entertainment and Music Hall of Fame,” Bill Anderson shared. He continued, “I appreciate so much the efforts of Dr. David Godbold, founder and CEO of the Hall of Fame, and his staff for keeping alive the music and accomplishments of entertainers and musicians with roots in South Carolina. I told the audience in my acceptance speech that Bill Anderson has never ceased to be proud that he’s from South Carolina and that it’s nice to know South Carolina hasn’t forgotten Bill Anderson as well.”

The Dr. David Godbold Lifetime Achievement award carries the name of the founder of the South Carolina Entertainment and Music Hall of Fame and was created to recognize an artist who has previously been inducted and has achieved significant national success in the field of music and/or entertainment. The award is nominated and voted on by the board of directors to celebrate an individual or group who has achieved national prominence through their creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance that shines a positive light on the State of South Carolina.

In 2023, Anderson enlisted four fellow Hall of Famers – Bobby Bare, Jimmy Fortune, Vince Gill and Willie Nelson – for their collaboration, “The Country I Grew Up With,” released on Nov. 17, 2023 via MCA Nashville/UMe. Anderson also presented the award for Song of the Year with ACM award-winning hitmaker, Sara Evans, during the 57th Annual CMA Awards and was celebrated last year for his indelible 62 years as the longest-serving member in Grand Ole Opry history.

 

Bill Anderson Honored April 25 by the South Carolina Entertainment and Music Hall of Fame

April 1, 2024

Hi Gang:

I can’t imagine April being any more exciting or fun-packed than March turned out to be, but I’m willing to give it a try. How about you? I hope each of you enjoyed a Happy and Blessed Easter, and I welcome you to our April newsletter.

The 50th Anniversary celebration of our Grand Ole Opry House March 16th was an incredibly special occasion, and I’m glad so many of you could take part, either by being here in person or tuning us in on your various listening devices. We have several pictures you haven’t seen waiting for you in our photo section along with some personal comments. The evening was a combination walk down memory lane and a glimpse of the future. Enjoy.

Speaking of the future, it appears as though my next music to be released will be a six-song EP of love songs, all of which I wrote or co-wrote. I have finished recording my parts on all six sides, but there’s always some last minute details to tend to before a project can be released to the public. I don’t have a timetable at the moment, but it’s exciting to know some new music is at least on the way. As I learn more, I’ll let you know.

I’ll tease you by saying that one of the new songs is perhaps my favorite song I’ve ever written. I know…I know….I say that I don’t have favorite things, but this song really comes close. I can’t wait for you to hear it and to sing it on the Opry for the first time.

I’ve been telling you for awhile about the big doin’s in my birth state of South Carolina on the 25th this month, and it’s finally almost here. In case you’ve missed it, I am being honored with the first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award given by the South Carolina Entertainment & Music Hall of Fame at a big dinner and show on the campus of Furman University in Greenville. Josh Turner, whom I introduced the first time he was ever on the Grand Ole Opry, is being inducted as the Hall’s newest member. Several other friends and fellow performers will be there as well. It should be a fun evening. I’ll try to grab a picture or two for our next newsletter.

On a bit more serious note, my longtime keyboard player and vocal arranger, Anthony “Ziggy” Johnson, will be going in for surgery tomorrow (April 2nd), and I hope you’ll keep him in your thoughts and prayers. His brother, Dirk, who was a Po’ Folks Band member in the 80’s, as well as the keyboard player on Country’s Family Reunion for 23-years, is facing some health obstacles as well. You may have seen where there was a big benefit show for Dirk in late March, and several accounts set up in his name to help defray his large medical expenses. If you’d like to help, you can do so at Dirk Johnson Fund, 214 Rollingwood Court, LaVergne, TN. 37086.

From the personal corner of my world: While I was in Chicago watching my granddaughter, Rae, act, dance, and play the fiddle in a marvelous play last weekend, my grandson, Blake, was proposing to his longtime girlfriend, Lauren Knight, back home in Tennessee. He gave her a gorgeous ring, she said yes, and they are making plans. I’ll keep you posted.

And on a somber note, our oldest fan club member, Bertha Thomas, passed away last week at the age of 105. She attended her first concert at age 99 when her daughter brought her to see me in Mt. Airy, N.C. We stayed in touch for the following almost seven years. Our condolences to Bertha’s family and friends.

See you back here in May….my continued thanks for everything.

Ask Bill – April 1, 2024

1) One of the greatest concerts I ever saw was your concert at the NYC Grand Ole Opry the night after you were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, the place closed down shortly thereafter and was not open for that long. Why do you think the Opry couldn’t make it in New York City?

Like most businesses that don’t make it, it’s usually more than one thing that brings about their downfall. We all had high hopes for Opry City Stage, located right off Times Square in New York, and I really enjoyed the night I got to perform there. (Not to mention the delicious food and friendly folks!) I don’t know the in’s and out’s of their business model, but I do know that rent has to be incredibly high in that area of Manhattan and their expenses obviously exceeded their income. I know this too…there are lots of country music fans in the Big Apple, and somebody will figure out how to make a country venue work there one of these days. I just hope I’m around to see it.

2) Why is the format of country music changing directions? These new young artists today are o.k., I guess, but they have taken the steel guitar and fiddles out of their music. Why?

Oh boy – I could write about this all day and still not tell the whole story. Basically, though, I think most of today’s young artists, songwriters, and producers weren’t raised on what we might call “traditional” country music. Their influences were not so much George Jones, Merle Haggard, and Loretta Lynn as they were the pop and rock artists of their day. They probably heard just enough country music to find it intriguing when mixed with songs and sounds from outside the genre. By blending these influences…and then adding in touches of rhythm and blues, hip hop, and rap…they have created something new that they can call their own. Me and my contemporaries were doing something different when we came along in the sixties. Every generation has their own unique means of expression. This is today’s version.

3) I loved Claude Gray…the man and his music. But I have always wondered by he never seemed to reach much notoriety. I think he stayed in Texas and never moved to Nashville and didn’t do much at the Opry. Do you think this may have had something to do with it?

Claude Gray was a wonderful singer (Family Bible, I’ll Just Have A Cup Of Coffee, etc.), and one of the nicest guys in our business. It’s funny, though, how a lot of artists like George Strait, Roy Clark, Kenny Rogers, Toby Keith, Gene Watson, the Statler Brothers, and many more managed to achieve all kinds of success without ever living in Nashville. Others like Claude might have had more public visibility and top-of-the-mind awareness had they been in Music City on a regular basis. We’ll never know. But Claude was a great artist and a super human being. That would not have changed no matter where he lived.

Our Question Of The Month comes from Sandi in Missouri: You have witnessed a lot of things in country music. What would you like to have witnessed the most…Uncle Jimmy Thompson playing the first ever Grand Ole Opry? Ralph Peer recording Jimmy Rodgers and the Carter Family? Or Hank Williams Opry debut?

WHOA….I’d love to have been a fly on the wall for all three of those defining moments in country music history…plus a few more that I can think of! Uncle Jimmy Thompson had no idea he was making history the night he first played his fiddle on WSM. Ralph Peer suspected, I suppose, that he was perhaps doing something significant up in Bristol, but I’m sure he never dreamed the simple recordings he was making would lay the foundation for a country music recording industry that would still be going strong almost a hundred years later. And Hank Williams could have never dreamed that his simple rendition of The Lovesick Blues would receive more than a half-dozen encores that night inside the Ryman Auditorium and be the jumping-off place for a singing career that would far outlast his meager 29-years on this earth. I can’t single out one of these moments as the one I would most like to have witnessed. I would love to have been there for them all.

Quickies: Is there a song written by someone else that you like so much you wish you had written it yourself? There’s hundreds of them. Were you ever a guest on the Tommy Hunter TV Show in Canada? Yes, several times. Tommy had one of the best country television shows ever produced, and he became a dear friend. Did you know or ever meet Elvis? I did, in the early seventies when he was performing in Las Vegas. He introduced me from the stage, sang a bit of “Still,” and invited me backstage for a visit between shows. I can’t say I “knew” him, but I sure enjoyed that one night being around him. We talked football, gospel music, and Bill Monroe! Do you know how many times you have been on the Grand Ole Opry? I haven’t counted my performances like Jeannie Seely has counted hers, but over a span of 62-years I’m sure I’ve been on several thousand shows. Not as many as Jeannie, perhaps, but a whole bunch of them. I have a cookbook called The Ryman Remembers. It says that Bill Anderson shares a recipe for one of his favorite desserts..Shoofly Pie. Do you still love Shoofly Pie and do you make it yourself? The Ryman may remember but I forget!

Thanks for all the questions you send to me each month. I could use a batch of new ones for our May newsletter, so let me know what you are curious about. Send yours to me at askbill@billanderson.com and let me see if I can come up with an answer for you. If yours is chosen our Question Of The Month, we’ll send you any item of your choice from our online store free of charge. I’ll look forward to hearing from you and meeting you back here again next month.

Latest Photos

Before the curtain went up on our Opry House 50th Anniversary show, Jeannie Seely, Connie Smith, and I were guests of honor at a dinner given backstage for all the Opry members in attendance. Three three of us were recognized as being the only three members who performed at the opening of the Opry House back in 1974 and would be performing on the 50th Anniversary show as well. Guests at my table clockwise from where I was sitting were Sharyl Melvin, Hallie Anderson, Jamey Anderson, Beth Anderson, Phil Ramsey, Jennifer Robeson, Grant Whitman, and Terri Whitman. A scene from March 16th 1974 played on a screen above our table. (Scott Adkins had been seated between Jennifer and Grant, but he got up to take the picture!)

Nothing beats the excitement of walking out and into the famed Circle on the Opry House stage…even after having done it hundreds of times over a 50-year span. I opened my set with the first song I ever sang on that stage, “Po’ Folks,” while over my shoulder a young Bill Anderson is seen…long hair and all…in a dressing room photograph from back in the seventies. (By the way, I’l be on the Opry April 6th, 12th, and 20th this month.) 

The highlight of the evening for me came when, through the magic of modern technology, I was able to sing “I Wonder If God Likes Country Music” one more time with The King himself, Mr. Roy Acuff. The Opry’s technical crew, assisted by our own Ziggy Johnson, put together a vocal track of Mr. Roy singing his part on our duet along with a montage of video clips and photographs from his legendary career. Hearing his voice bounce off those Opry House walls one more time brought chill bumps to my arms and, admittedly, a few tears to my eyes. For me it was the cherry on top of a delicious sundae, and the pinnacle of a night that couldn’t have been more perfect.

Latest Photos

There’s nothing better than good times, good music, and laughter with good friends. I don’t know what Jeannie Seely and I were so tickled about in this first picture, but it must have been something pretty good. I hope we shared whatever it was with the Opry audience.

And speaking of the Opry, our special family is proud to welcome T. Graham Brown as the newest member of our clan. As I am writing this, they have not announced his induction date, but it will be something to look forward to for sure.

In our third picture this month James Freeze, who just celebrated his 33rd anniversary as a member of our Po’ Folks Band, and I are singing, “I Wonder If God Likes Country Music,” onstage at the Opry. James reprises Roy Acuff’s part on this song and never fails to get a massive reception from the crowd. As I wrote in my letter, I’ll look forward to performing this and all our other songs with James for another 33-years. It’s been a blast so far!