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.