ASK BILL – October 4

1) I know you must have numerous guitars, and I was wondering how many you might own. I remember back in the 70’s you played a Fender Palomino. Do you keep them all, sell them, or what?

I don’t have a large vault full of guitars like some of my friends…Steve Wariner, for example…but I guess I have somewhere between 15 and 20, mostly acoustical. I don’t recall ever having sold one, but I’ve donated several to museums and exhibits. The Fender guitar that you mentioned is part of my new display at the University of Georgia Special Collections Library.

2. I am a big fan of Country’s Family Reunion, and I wonder if it’s possible to show the date of the performances in the byline along with the artist’s name. Any chance of having Tom T. Hall on the show?

Tom T. retired from the music business a few years ago, and so far as I know he is not performing at all anymore. He would be a wonderful addition to one of our Reunions, but I’m afraid right now that it’s not going to happen. Adding the performance date is a good idea, and I will pass your suggestion along to our producers and video editors.

3. What is the coolest, neatest, most treasured gift you have ever received from a fan?

WOW!! What a question!! I’ve spent a lot of time thinking this one over, and my fans have given me many wonderful gifts over the years. Some, I’m sure, were very expensive. Others were hand-made and obviously took many hours to create. Some were trinkets…some were tokens…but I think when I look back over all the years and all the gifts, the most precious gift I have ever been given by a fan is their friendship. I could never count…nor adequately thank…the thousands of fans who have given of their time, their creativity, their loyalty, their laughter, their tears, and their spirits just to communicate their friendship to me. At the risk of sounding corny or trite, what could be cooler, neater, or more treasured than that? Absolutely nothing that I can think of.

I haven’t been receiving as many questions as usual lately, so if you’ve got one, send it to me at askbill@billanderson.com. Thanks, and I’ll see you back here next month.