Ask Bill – March 2, 2022

1) During all your road trips and going all over the USA who was the one artist you liked touring with the best? Maybe the best travelling partner you had back in the day? I’ve been so lucky throughout my career to have toured with so many great people, great artists, and great performers that I honestly cannot narrow it down to any one particular person. I enjoyed being with different ones for different reasons. Faron Young always had a ton of stories and was usually a barrel of laughs. So was Del Reeves. And Johnny Russell. Watching Ferlin Husky entertain an audience was like going to school every night. Johnny Cash, George Morgan, Little Jimmy Dickens…they all taught me so much both onstage and off. There’s too many to count, and I wouldn’t want to leave anyone out. 2) What are some of your favorite versions of songs you’ve written being performed by other artists? I’m sure it’s always gratifying to hear another performer cover one of your songs, but I wonder if there are some singers you think have done a particularly great job of interpreting one or more of your compositions. Here again there have been so many artists who have done an amazing job on my songs that it would be impossible to list them all. Other than the obvious (Ray Price “City Lights”…Connie Smith “Once A Day,” etc.), several of my favorites are from artists outside the country music realm who have taken my songs and made them their own. I’m thinking of James Brown, Bing Crosby, and Con Hundley, each of whom put his own stamp on “Still,” Aretha Franklin who sang, “I May Never Get To Heaven,” as only she could, Dean Martin who breathed new life into “Nobody But A Fool” and “Tips Of My Fingers,” and Elvis Costello who put a totally different spin on “Must You Throw Dirt In My Face.” I’ve often said anybody can trace a picture, but it takes a true artist to paint one. To me, these artists (along with others too numerous to mention) each painted masterpieces on their own unique and special canvasses. And I’m grateful to each and every one. 
 3) I realize your memory is better than most, but I wonder in your heyday how everything didn’t become blurred. Did you keep a diary of what happened on such and such a tour or recording session? Do you have a story of someone correcting your version of an event that you wrote about? No, I never kept a diary. I was always too busy doing things to stop and write them down. I guess I have just been blessed with a good memory, and while some of my memories may have been blurred, as you suggested, I don’t recall anyone ever coming out and “correcting” me. Jeannie Seely may have said it best when she said, “They’re my memories, and I’ll remember them the way I want to!” Our Question Of The Month comes from Glenn in New Jersey: In your long and illustrious career, have you ever tried to yodel? I read this question and laughed out loud. Whoever heard of a “whispering yodel?” What do you reckon that would sound like?? No, I’ve never tried yodeling, at least not when I was sober…and definitely not in public. There have been some great yodelers in country music….Elton Britt, Jean Shepard, Kenny Roberts, and Slim Whitman among them, but not ol’ Whisperin’ Bill. I think I’m better off just doing whatever it is that I do and leave the yodeling to the professionals. But thanks for the thought and for brightening my day! Quickies: What do you do in your spare time? I don’t know. I’ve never had any. I’m only joking, of course. I am a big sports fan and follow my favorite ball teams, I read quite a bit, and I try to spend as much time as possible with my family. I’ve often said my work is my hobby, and I spend a lot of time tinkering with my songs. I have never seen you live in concert, but wonder if you include gospel songs in your show? Yes. I include “Mama Sang A Song” in virtually all of my performances and close nearly every show with “I Saw The Light.” In between I’ll often sing something from one of my gospel albums or share a gospel-oriented narration like “Deck Of Cards” or “The Touch Of The Master’s Hand.” Gospel music has always been a big part of my life and my career. Back in the day country performers were all spit and polish. Why do you think so many of today’s singers have to look grungy with beards, long hair, and ragged clothes? I don’t know….I guess it’s just a sign of the times. What is your favorite cookie? Oatmeal/Raisin…the soft, chewy kind. Followed closely by Oreo’s. Thanks for your questions. We had a wide variety this month for sure…from yodeling to cookies. If you’re curious about something related to country music, send your question to me at askbill@billanderson.com and I’ll do my best to answer it. If your question is chosen as our Question of the Month, you’ll win any item from our online store free of charge and personally autographed. See you back here in April.