Ask Bill – March 1, 2024
1) On Country’s Family Reunion were the guests told where to sit or did they just sit wherever they chose?
The producers told most of the guests where to sit. They wanted certain artists to be close to other artists because they knew they would interact well together…or perhaps they might want them to do a song together. From the very beginning, Larry Black envisioned me sitting next to Jeannie Seely because he felt our senses of humor would mesh, which they did, and that the two of us each had a deep knowledge of country music that we could share. And, of course, Gene Watson and Moe Bandy had to be close so they could hurl their insults back and forth at one another. Those were some fun times indeed.
2) I remember years ago going to the Opry and the performers were dressed in colorful western wear or country clothes. Today very few performers dress that way. In fact, we have gone to the Opry and been totally embarrassed. I called the Opry to voice my opinion, and their comment was, “We have no dress code and leave that up to the performers.” You always dress appropriately, and I wonder what your thoughts are about this.
When I first came into country music, I was taught by my heroes 1) to dress in a way that shows respect for the audience members who paid to come see you and 2) to wear something different from the guy sitting in the front row. I think we all have to dress in the manner that is comfortable for us. I’ve worn many types and styles of stage clothes over the years…some I am prouder of than others. I would never try to tell another performer what he or she should or shouldn’t wear on stage. I wear what I feel is appropriate for Bill Anderson and leave it at that.
3) Who decides who goes into the Country Music Hall of Fame?
It would take more time and space than I have here to go into all the details, but the basic answer is that a person’s peers and fellow artists generate the names that appear on the ballot. The winners are then chosen by the voting members of the Country Music Association.
4) Tell us again the story behind your getting back your lost Grammer guitar.
The short version is that the guitar had been missing for over 50-years when it turned up in a pawn shop in Phoenix, Arizona. The owner of the shop called my office and asked if I’d like to have it back. He and his wife flew to Nashville and presented it to me onstage at the Grand Ole Opry. It was one of the most special and touching moments of my life.
Our Question Of The Month comes from Arch in Ohio who asks: I heard Willie Nelson say that Patsy Cline’s recording of “Crazy” was his all-time favorite cover of any of his songs. Do you have a favorite cover of one of the songs you have written?
No, I don’t. How do you compare Ray Price’s version of “City Lights” with James Brown’s version of “Still?” Or Connie Smith’s “Once A Day” with Aretha Franklin’s, “I May Never Get To Heaven?” You can’t compare apples and oranges. Plus, I’ve said many times in these pages that I find it hard to have “favorite” anything’s. That holds true in the case of my having a favorite cover of a song I have written. I try to find something good in every recording that’s made of a song of mine…and be grateful to any artist who would stake part of his or her career on something that I helped to create.
Quickies: Are you planning on coming to Texas anytime soon? Nashville is so far away, and I would love to hear you sing. Thank you. If I were to be going anywhere to perform, I would love for it to be in Texas, but right now I’m staying close to home and only performing at the Opry. If that ever changes, our fan club members will be the first to know. I am from Canada, and one of my favorite Bill Anderson songs is, “Your Eyes Don’t Lie To Me.” Did you write it, and who is the girl singer who appeared in the video with you? No, I didn’t write the song. It was written by a great Canadian writer named Terry Carrise, and was originally recorded by a Canadian group called The Mercy Brothers. The girl in my video was Dona Cooper. Have you ever gone to a Super Bowl game? Yes, I’ve been to two, both in Miami. I saw the Cowboys lose to the Colts when they were the Baltimore Colts and I also saw the Cowboys lose to the Steelers. Dallas fans don’t want me going to any more Super Bowls! Would you please ask the engineers at the Opry to turn the sound down on the music. We can’t hear the singers the music is so loud. I told them, but they couldn’t hear me. The music was too loud!
Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Thanks for another good batch of questions this month. Just wish we had room for all of them. We’ll be open for business again next month, so stay curious and let me know what you’re curious about. Give us our Question Of The Month and you’ll win any item of your choosing from our online store absolutely free. You can always contact me at askbill@billanderson.com. I’ll look forward to hearing from you.
