Ask Bill – June 1, 2024
1) When you wrote the song, “Cold Hard Facts Of Life,” was it intended for Porter Wagoner specifically or were there other possibilities?
As I have said many times in this column, I seldom set out to write songs “for” somebody. I just try to write the best song I can…tell the story I’m trying to tell the best I can…and then let the chips fall where they may. With this particular song, though, there weren’t a bunch of folks lining up to record a song about drinking, infidelity, and mass murder. Porter was never afraid to go “dark” with his music, so he was the first person I thought to pitch it to. Fortunately, he liked it, and the rest is history.
2) I have an 8-year old grandson who is very talented at singing. He can hear a song and then sing it later word for word. He loves to sing. I was wondering if we should try to do singing lessons.
If he loves to sing and he has some natural talent, sure, what would it hurt? Although his voice will change in a few years, you’ll find out pretty quick just how much he really loves to sing and what his talent level might actually be. Just don’t push him so hard that he doesn’t get to be a “kid” and do the normal things that kids all do. He can develop his musical talent while he plays ball, makes good grades in school, and discovers girls. Good luck to him…and to you!
3) Did you ever write a song with, or for, Hank Snow?
I never wrote a song “with” Hank, but that might have been fun. He wrote some great ones in his time. The only song of mine that I know he recorded was one called, “I Wish It Was Mine.” Hank was a perfectionist in many ways, and my title was grammatically incorrect. So when his version came out it was called, “I Wish It WERE Mine.” I thought that sounded a bit “stiff” and “stilted,” but I wasn’t about to tell Mr. Snow how I felt. I simply thanked him for recording it and let it go.
4) Question Of The Month: This month’s question comes from Ron in Illinois. He asks, “After so many years in the music business, how do you deal with the ups and downs in your career?”
Life in the entertainment business is chocked full of insecurities. People in my profession are constantly wondering: “Am I only as good as my last performance? My last movie? My last recording?” And, as a result, every entertainer I have ever known, including myself, fights those crazy ups and downs that you are referring to here. I have tried to handle it by trying to never get too high when good things happen and not letting myself get too low when things don’t go the way I’d like. I’m better at it now than I was in the beginning of my career, but I still have to stay on guard. My faith also plays a large role in how I react to things. I firmly believe that God holds my hand, and that He will lead me to the places He wants me to go in His timing. Being assured of that helps keep the playing field level for me as much as anything.
Quickies: Are turquoise wrist watch bands and rings still fashionable with the Opry artists? It seems back in the 70’s and 80’s every artist was dripping in silver and turquoise. I still see a few of those items around the Opry, but they are no more popular with Opry artists these days than they are with the public in general. They seemed to lose mass favor…other than perhaps in the southwestern part of the country…in the late 80’s, and they haven’t shown signs of coming back since. Was there ever an answer song to George Jones’ “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes?” If not, you should write it! Thank you. I don’t know of an answer song that’s been written, and I’m not sure just how one might be put together. The original song posed an interesting question that might just be better left for time to answer. Have you ever had someone get a tattoo that refers to you? I have one that is one of my favorite songs of yours, “I Love You Drops.” Only my family and closest friends know what it means and why it’s there. Thank you. I won’t ask where it’s located. I’ll just say I am honored. Was the Bill Anderson who sang the theme song in a movie called “Stranger On The Run” with Henry Fonda, Anne Baxter, and Dan Duryea “our” Bill Anderson? If so, how did that all come about? If you mean was it me, I confess that it was. The folks in Hollywood wanted a Nashville artist to sing the song, and I happened to be in the studio working on some new music with Owen Bradley when he got word that they wanted him to produce it. He asked if I’d like to be the one to sing it, and I told him I would…soon as I did a bit of a re-write on the song. I did, and we cut it. The film was released in the late sixties as one of the very first…if not THE first…movie ever made strictly for television.
You sent me some fun questions this month….now let’s see if we can’t top it for July! If you’re curious about anything related to me, my career, or country music in general, let me know what it is. I’ll try to feed your curiosity as best as I can. Send your question or questions to askbill@billanderson.com. If yours is chosen our Question of The Month, you will receive any item of your choice from our online store free of charge. I’ll look forward to hearing from you, and I’ll see you back here again next month.
