Ask BILL – April 3

1) Hank Williams’ publisher kept little scraps of unfinished songs of his, and awhile back they had writers like Bob Dylan and Vince Gill try to finish the lyrics or provide a melody for these songs. Do you have notebooks of unfinished songs that may get left behind for future songwriters and artists to try and complete for you in a similar way?

I may have answered this question previously, but here goes again: I don’t have anything like that in any set of organized notebooks or file folders, but I guess if somebody wanted to go through my desk drawers, guitar cases, briefcases, and trashcans when I’m gone they might find a few scribblings. I don’t know that any of them would be worth anything because musical tastes and fashions and trends change rapidly. Plus, they’d probably have a hard time reading my handwriting!

2) What was Roger Miller like as a person? Some of his songs were almost foolish, but what was he like personally?

I wrote in one of my books that, despite his limited education, Roger was the closest thing to a genius that I’ve ever known. He could turn a phrase or come up with a song idea or say something profound quicker than anyone I ever met, but at the same time he might not remember what he said five seconds later. He could have been the original poster child for ADD. Along with his incredible sense of humor he also had a loving spirit and a kind heart. He treated my parents as if they were his own…and once even said he wished they were. Like most of us, he had many sides to his personality, and most of them were good. I loved him like a brother.



And here’s a few questions that only require short answers:

3) Are you guys going to be recording any more Family Reunion shows anytime soon? Yes, but I don’t have the actual taping days yet.



Whatever happened to Jimmy Gateley who was in your band? Jimmy passed away in 1985.

Will you be coming to Branson anytime soon? I hope so, but it’s not on our schedule at the moment. You can always check our dates atwww.billanderson.com under the Tour section.

Will you ever have Tony Jackson on a show with you? I am told Tony will be on the 2019 Family Reunion cruise with us.

Why did Carol Lee quit singing background on Country’s Family Reunion? 

Because she retired from the music business.

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. We’ll have more for you next month.

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