Photos courtesy of Arista Nashville

In a moment both emotional and surreal, three of Paisley’s heroes invited him to become the Opry’s newest member. The surreal part of the equation came courtesy of Jimmy Dickens and Jeannie Seely, who strode to center stage dressed as a rather unlikely Santa and Mrs. Claus.

After the costumed pair approached, Opry legend Bill Anderson took the microphone and said, "Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus and me want to know if you would like to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry."

Anderson never received a spoken answer, as Paisley immediately bowed his head and wept. Paisley nodded, and Anderson took that as a "yes." The singer-songwriter will be inducted into the fold Feb. 17 at the Ryman Auditorium.

By PETER COOPER - Staff Writer, The Tennessean

The Grand Ole Opry stars were all smiles aboard ship on their cruise to the western Caribbean. Front row, left to right, are Mona and Little Jimmy Dickens and Jim Ed Brown. Back row, Jan Howard, Bill, and Jean Shepard

Bill poses alongside the Carnival Triumph docked in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Dig that hat!!

How did Bill get caught up in a Jim Ed Brown fan club meeting on the ship?

 Photo by Katie Butcher

Bill, along with John Conlee, Johnny Russell, and Porter Wagoner, joined Garth Brooks on the Opry 75th Birthday Celebration singing and whispering "Friends In Low Places." You can tell from the smiles that they had a good time!

Bill received two Citations of Achievement from Broadcast Music, Incorporated (BMI) at their annual country music awards banquet held in Nashville October 3, 2000. The awards were for his compositions "Two Teardrops", co-written with Steve Wariner, and "Wish You Were Here", co-written with Debbie Moore and Skip Ewing.

Bill is shown here following the awards presentation sharing a laugh with country star Dwight Yoakam.

Bill welcomed longtime NBC weatherman Willard Scott and popular radio & TV host Ralph Emery to the set of Opry Backstage. Scott and Emery each served as guest announcers on the Grand Ole Opry in conjunction with the Opry's 75th Anniversary celebration.

Bill pauses and smiles inside the Opryland Hotel at the statue of his longtime friend and record producer, Owen Bradley. Owen, who died in 1998, produced all of Bill's early recordings including "Still," "Mama Sang A Song," "Po' Folks" and "The Tips Of My Fingers."

Nashville, TN - Country music icon Bill Anderson has renewed his songwriting pact with Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville and the firm's CEO and President Donna Hilley states, "Having Bill Anderson in our family of songwriter-artists is like having the elder statesman and the new aspiring talent all in one." ...click HERE for more!

Scenes from City Lights Festival #4 in Commerce, Georgia:

Bill is presented a framed photograph of the Hotel Andrew Jackson where he wrote the hit song, "City Lights," on the roof in 1957.

Clockwise from lower left: Festival coordinator and performer, Gerald Jordan, Connie Smith, singer Laverne Jordan, Helen Cornelius, Jim Ed Brown, Brad Paisley, radio station manager and performer Rob Jordan, and Bill.

Bill, Brad, Helen, and Jim Ed visit while Connie belts out a song on stage.

Fan Fair 2000 with Bill Anderson was something to shout about! Whisperin' Bill gave his fans a party to remember.

Check out a video clip from the party.

Craig Morgan with the legendary Jim Ed Brown

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (June 10, 2000) - As the big red curtain went up this evening at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn., a new look for the world's longest-running live radio show was revealed. The Opry's first new set in more than 20 years was presented in conjunction with the show's 75th anniversary celebration kickoff. ...more

Bill got in some snowmobiling in Colorado recently prior to a concert at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs

Bill and Lorrie Morgan helped the U.S. Postal Service dedicate the new Ryman Auditorium commemorative postcard March 18, 2000. Prior to the unveiling, Bill shared, with the Ryman audience, a few stories from his days there as a Grand Ole Opry performer.

Major Chevallard, Commander, The USAF Band Of The Rockies, pins an Air Force medallion on Bill as guitarist Les Singer smiles. Bill and Les later joined the Air Force group, Wild Blue Country, in concert.

NASHVILLE (03/13/00) - It was a weekend of firsts and memories for the Grand Ole Opry this past Friday and Saturday night. Opry member Vince Gill married Amy Grant in a private ceremony just outside Nashville on Friday and many of the Opry members could be over heard backstage at the Opry House on Saturday night saying their well wishes for the happy couple. Also on Saturday evening, Opry members Bill Anderson and Porter Wagoner presented Mark Wills with a gold plaque for his new Mercury Records album Permanently, which sold 500,000 copies in just three weeks. And Clay Davidson (Virgin Records) made his Opry debut performing his hit single "Unconditional."

Another memorable event took place on Saturday when a special wish was granted to a grandmother from California by her granddaughter (of Washington D.C.) and Lifetime Television. 

The network flew both to Nashville to attend their first Opry show, a lifelong dream of the grandmother's. While at the Opry they were able to visit backstage and mingle with several of the entertainers. They were treated to a tour by Bill Anderson, received kisses from Porter Wagoner, paid a visit to Roy Acuff's famous dressing room, which was occupied by Mark Wills, and the grandmother received a flower corsage from Trace Adkins. The pair was also thrilled to see John Berry and Opry members Little Jimmy Dickens, Stonewall Jackson, Jimmy C. Newman, and the Whites, among others. Lifetime sent along a crew to capture these personal moments on film. Their story can be seen on a new Lifetime program, which will begin airing in June. The working title of the show is "Love & Life."

In other Opry news be sure to read the feature on Bill Anderson in the March/April issue of "CMA Close-Up."

On February 17, 2000 Bill participated in two sold-out shows at the Florida State Fair in Tampa during "Grand Ole Opry Day."

In the March/April 2000 issue of CMA's Close Up magazine, Bill talks about his long-running career, songwriting, and the Grand Ole Opry, among other things.

They introduced themselves on the video as Mr. and Mrs. Paisley, Brad Paisley's mom and dad, but any Grand Ole Opry fan knows it's really Little Jimmy Dickens and Bill Anderson. The two teamed up backstage at an Opry performance to tape an introduction for Brad Paisley's performance at the Country Radio Seminar. No word yet if Brad's real parents plan to sue!

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