May 1 2021

Hi Gang:
 And here’s wishing you a merry, merry month of May! It’s starting off merry for me because I just found out we’ll be returning to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry this month….Tuesday night May 18th to be exact…for the first time in six months. I just hope I remember the words to my songs and which end of the microphone to sing into!! The COVID restrictions have been lifted to the point that I can return with my full band, and it’s hard to know if I’m more excited or if my band members are. We’ll only be on once in May as they try to ease other Opry members back into the rotation as well, but they have promised us more appearances leading up to my 60th Opry Anniversary on July 17th. And speaking of that very special occasion, the Opry is offering our fans not only group seating that night but a discounted ticket price as well. To sign up and be part of this exciting evening, go to www.opry.com and click on the July 17th show. Enter promo code BILL60 and follow the instructions. You will receive a 20% discount on your tickets and be seated (socially distanced, of course) with others in our group. It still depends on the COVID restrictions as to whether we will be able to have a fan club meet ‘n greet after the show, but I’m hoping we can. Stay tuned, and I’ll pass that information along as soon as I receive it. In other news, I just got word that the studio where I like to record these days is opening back up this month, and I’m hoping to book some recording sessions within the next few weeks. I can’t wait to make some new music for you. And the opening of the Bill Anderson Exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame has been moved from November 19th and will officially open on December 3rd. I’m told that date is set in stone, and I hope that it is. We’ll have more information on the Exhibit as the time approaches.
I’m sorry our Facebook Chat scheduled for April 24th didn’t get to happen as planned, but it was totally out of our hands. About ten o’clock that morning, I was checking Facebook messages and everything was fine. A little before noon, Stephanie Orr-Buttrey, our website manager, called and said we were in trouble. Our Facebook page had suddenly disappeared and she was unable to get it back up and working. She quickly posted the cancellation notice that most of you received, and we had to start looking for a Plan B. Assuming that Facebook will cooperate, we’re shooting for an evening Chat on Thursday May 20th at 6 p.m. Nashville (Central) time. Hopefully, lots of you will be able to join us then. Taking our most recent incident and coupling it with our first Chat when my computer blew up, let’s hope the third time will be the charm. As most of you know, May 25th is the scheduled date for my grandson, Gabe’s, bone marrow transplant, and our family continues to appreciate your positive thoughts and prayers. Gabe will actually go into the hospital on May 19th to begin preparations for the transplant. His donor, his sister Hallie, will have some pre-testing done on May 7th. This procedure is the light at the end of a long, dark tunnel for the Anderson’s, as Gabe has been fighting a rare form of cancer for over ten years. Please keep your prayers going up on everyone’s behalf, and I’ll keep you posted as best as I can.
 In other family news, Gabe’s older brother, Blake, graduates from high school on May 15th. No word yet on exactly where he’ll land for college. Sisters Hallie and Sophie have both been named to next year’s cheerleading squad at their middle school, and Hallie has been elected Student Council President. I am one proud PawPaw! Guess I should stop popping the buttons off my shirt and let you get on with reading the rest of our newsletter. Thanks for your continued support and friendship, and we’ll see you back here again next month. Still,