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From Bill (1)

April 1, 2021

Hi Gang:
 
I tried to come up with a good April Fool’s joke to start off this month’s newsletter, but I couldn’t think of a thing. So none of what you are about to read is made up…it’s all true. At least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it! Thanks for joining us.
 
And thanks to all who checked in following our severe Music City weather last week just to make sure my family and I were all right. The bottom floor of my office was flooded, but other than that we’re all fine. Lots of damage in our town, though. Between tornadoes, bombings, and floods, it seems that for the past year Nashville has been in the cross-hairs of bad luck. Hopefully, things will change soon. 
 
I told you in our last newsletter that I had a big announcement that I couldn’t make until March 24th, and many of you wrote in trying to guess what it might be. Nobody guessed correctly.
 
By now, though, many of you have heard that my song and Connie Smith’s 1964 recording of “Once A Day” has been selected by the Library of Congress in Washington for induction into the National Recording Registry as an “audio treasure worthy of preservation as part of America’s creative legacy.” The Library wanted to make the announcement themselves on March 24th, and I was sworn to secrecy until that time.
 
This is an incredible honor for a little three-chord country song that I wrote in the front seat of my car at a four-way stop in the Nashville suburbs almost 60-years ago. And it came from the very first recording session Connie Smith ever had on her way to a Hall of Fame career. And now to think that it will be resting alongside compositions from George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, and others. It was the only country song selected for 2020, and I am highly honored and thrilled. 
 
As you know, I still love writing songs even after all these years, and I still get excited when one of my compositions gets recorded. The reigning Bluegrass Entertainer of the Year, Joe Mullins, has just recorded a new song with his Radio Ramblers that Jerry Salley and I co-wrote called, “Go Spread The Gospel,” and it will be in Joe’s new gospel album coming in early May. For some reason, I’ve never written very many religious songs although I have recorded bunches of them. But I really like this one, and I hope you will enjoy its up-tempo feel and up-beat message. Joe and the guys did a great job on it.
 
In other news, I want to thank those of you who joined us for our first Facebook Live Chat back on March 20th. We had over 3,000 messages from people all around the world, so many, in fact, that they overloaded my computer and shut us down for awhile. We had to regroup at my webmaster, Stephanie Orr-Buttrey’s, house where we stayed on for almost an hour. I really enjoyed it, and can’t believe how many of you have asked us to do it again. So…to prove that we really do listen when you speak, we will be chatting with you again on Saturday April 24th at 2 p.m. Nashville (Central) time. Spread the word and let’s beat our terrific March turnout. I might just bring my guitar along this time…so there’s no telling what we’ll end up doing!
 
Several of you have written lately wanting to know if we are planning anything special for our fans and fan club members in connection with my 60th Anniversary at the Grand Ole Opry coming up July 17th. Yes, we are working closely with the Opry management, but due to the pandemic and all the restrictions, everyone is having to move slowly. Nobody knows today just what the situation will be in July, but we are working on group seating and a meet ‘n greet after the show. Stay tuned, and when we know more I’ll let you know.
 
I was almost through writing this letter when I got an invitation from the folks at the Mike Huckabee Show to come be their guest announcer the weekend of April 10th. I’ll be substituting for Keith Bilbrey, and it should be fun. With all the great announcing voices in Nashville, I’m not sure exactly why they reached out to me, but I’m glad they did. You can catch the show on TBN Saturday night April 10th and again Sunday night April 11th. Check for local times in your area.
 
Folks have also been asking me if I went to Spring Training with the Braves down in Florida this year, which is my usual springtime ritual, but no, I didn’t get to go this time. I’m getting my baseball fix, though, by watching some college and high school games in and around Nashville. Our local Vanderbilt team is the defending College World Series Champion from 2019, and they are fun to watch. The regular major league season opens today. Shouldn’t it be declared a national holiday?? 
 
The latest from my grandson, Gabe, is that he has finished his series of radiation treatments and he now has a little over six weeks to rest up before his bone marrow transplant in May. Thanks one more time for all your prayers, your wearing the Team Gabe t-shirts, and all the positive vibes you continue to send our way. My family and I appreciate you more than you’ll ever know.
 
Enjoy the April showers (as long as they come in moderation)…hope they bring lots of pretty May flowers…and we’ll see you back here again next month. I wish for each of you a Happy and Blessed Easter, and I thank you for everything.

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From Bill (1)

August 2, 2021

Hi Gang:
 
Well, if I had known my 60th Opry anniversary was going to be so much fun, I would have scheduled it earlier in my career!!
 
Seriously, the whole weekend was surreal beyond belief, and I thank you so much for being here, for watching and listening, and for your countless cards, letters, and notes of congratulation. I wish I could respond to every one of you personally, but I simply cannot. Just know that every single message was read and deeply appreciated. 
 
If you’d like to see the pictures and read a first-person account of the evening’s activities, we have a slideshow available. Just click the link https://wp.me/p36e3n-2zA or visit the Journal area and enjoy.
 
There are so many people I want and need to thank that I hardly know where to begin. Dan Rogers and Gina Keltner from the Opry were fantastic in planning everything and following through with a wonderful presentation on stage.The beautiful engraved watch (I thought they only gave watches to people who are retiring….reckon they’re trying to tell me something?) and the incredible private reception backstage afterward were simply amazing.
 
At the reception, I was given proclamations from both the City of Nashville and the State of Tennessee declaring July 17th as Bill Anderson Day. There were wall-to-wall flowers, a cake decorated like the Hatch Show Print poster that was on sale that night, and 500 specially engraved guitar picks courtesy of my friend, Jeannie Seely. One side of the picks is a drawing of me by artist, David Anderson, and the other side is dedicated to “Bill Anderson – Opry Whisperer – 60-Years (So Far). Thanks, Seely. You are truly one-of-a-kind!
 
All three of my children were at the show and the reception, along with six of my eight grandchildren. Add it all together and know that it was one of the most special nights of my life. I fell into bed about two o’clock Sunday morning…exhausted but feeling very, very loved.
 
I had done so many interviews leading up to the celebration that I was getting a little hoarse prior to going on stage. On Thursday night, I had joined with many of my country music friends in honoring our buddy, Keith Bilbrey, on a TV special geared toward raising funds for him and his wife, Emmy Joe, following their devastating house fire a few weeks earlier. On Friday, I taped a guest appearance on Larry’s Country Diner which will air in late September and early October. All week long it seemed someone was sticking a microphone and/or a camera in my face. It was a non-stop frenzy for sure.
 
The following Monday I was back in the recording studio beginning the mixing process on my new songs. I can’t tell you a lot right now, but I will share this with you: One of the songs I plan to release is a duet with Dolly Parton…and another features performances by Jimmy Fortune and Bobby Bare. I am somewhere ‘way beyond excited!
 
On the family front, my grandson Gabe, who will mark his 17th birthday August 6th, is back home from his fourth trip to the hospital since his bone marrow transplant in May. He has been battling pneumonia and high blood pressure. Your prayers continue to be vital and most appreciated. Gabe’s older brother, Blake, leaves for college this month while sisters Hallie and Sophie have begun middle school cheerleading practice. My oldest granddaughter, Rae, gets married on August 28th, and sometime this month I’m going to sneak away to the beach and work on my tan. I might just “accidentally” forget to take my phone and my laptop!!
 
Enjoy the month wherever you are and whatever you are doing. Thanks for everything, and we’ll see you back here in September.
From Bill (1)

July 1, 2021

Hi Gang:
 
Welcome to our July newsletter…a month I’ve been looking forward to for quite some time.
 
I’m going to be busier this month than I’ve been in a long while, but it’s a good kind of busy with lots of exciting things going on.
 
Most of the excitement is built around my 60th Anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry which we will be celebrating on Saturday night July 17th. Between now and then, I’ll be busy doing interviews and tending to all the million-and-one little details that go into making a milestone like this all that it can be. Many of you are coming in to help celebrate with us, and I’m looking forward to seeing you. We’ll be hosting a special meet ‘n greet for our fans and fan club members prior to the show that night.
 
I will be on the televised portion of the Opry which you can see on the Circle Network and in a variety of other places. For those who can’t be here, I’ll hope you’ll tune us in.
 
I’ve been back in the recording studio these past couple of weeks, and I’m excited about the new music we’ll be releasing later this year. I can’t share too many details just yet, but rest assured I have recorded a COUNTRY record like many of you have been asking for. Lots of fiddle and steel and country lyrics and melodies. A few of my country music friends have joined me on this new music, and I can’t wait for you to hear what we’ve done. If I sound excited it’s because I am.
 
And speaking of recordings, we are in the process of repackaging both our gospel  and Christmas CDs, including a totally new design on the Christmas CD cover. We’ll be offering these with special pricing shortly. Stay tuned.
 
The next big event in Whisperville will come in early December when the Bill Anderson Exhibit will open at the Country Music Hall of Fame….and the process is underway full-blast. The HOF sent a big ol’ van loaded with cardboard boxes and bubble wrap out to my house and to my office yesterday, and they hauled off everything that wasn’t nailed down…stage clothes, guitars, record albums, song lyrics, pictures, awards, trophies. They are going to need a humongous exhibit space to display even half of what they gathered!
 
My friends at the University of Georgia library are pitching in to help, too, as they are bringing up some of the materials I gave them and lending them to the Hall for my display. That’s called “super cooperation.” Why can’t more people in this world get along like that??
 
June was both a happy and a sad month for me in that I lost a dear friend with the passing of Jim Bessman, a music journalist based in New York who wrote many nice articles about me over the years, and then the tragic house fire at the home of my buddy, Keith Bilbrey, and his wife Emy Joe. A bunch of us are getting together for a televised tribute and a fund-raising show for the Bilbrey’s on Thursday night July 15th. Larry Black and Mike Huckabee, who both host TV shows where Keith is the announcer, are putting it together. You can watch via CountryRoadsTV and hopefully other outlets as well. 
 
The good news in June was that my grandson, Gabe, got to go home from the hospital after being confined for over a month following his bone marrow transplant. He still has a long recovery road ahead of him (he’s already been back in the hospital with pneumonia), but the doctors are pleased with his progress overall. I continue to be so grateful for your many prayers and messages of concern. I truly believe his support system is a big reason he is doing as well as he is. But please don’t stop now. The first 100 days following a procedure like this are critical, and we’re not even halfway there. Thank you.
 
Guess that wraps it up for this time. You folks here in the U.S. enjoy your Fourth of July and celebrate it in a safe and sane fashion. I’ll see you from the Opry stage on July 9th, the 17th, and the 31st, and back here again next month. Thanks for everything.
From Bill (1)

June 1, 2021

Hi Gang:
 
Well, I’ll have to admit that returning to the Opry stage after our long, COVID-induced absence was a real hoot. Once I remembered which end of the microphone to sing into…and which way to face standing on stage…it was like riding a bicycle. I just hope I never have to be away for such a long time ever again.
 
And it was so cool to see fans sitting shoulder to shoulder in the pews and smiling and laughing without masks covering their faces. I’ve taken that for granted for almost sixty years, but never again. Now if we can just return to our normal backstage atmosphere. That’s where so much of the fun is for us…not to mention the free coffee and the free popcorn!
 
Our next Opry appearances will be on Saturday June 5th, Tuesday June 15th, and Friday June 25th. Hope you’ll tune us in when you can.
 
And speaking of the Opry, our fan section for my 60th Anniversary on July 17th has almost sold out, so they are adding more seats for those of you who have yet to sign up. Remember, to be part of our group…and a meet ‘n greet following the show if we’re allowed to have one…order your tickets from www.opry.com and put in the code BILL60. Did I mention you get a 20% discount? Well, you do.
 
I’ll have to admit that there was a bit of a bitter-sweet feeling to being back at the Opry because my longtime guitar player, Les Singer, wasn’t with us there for the first time in 40-years. Les is having some health issues that prohibit him from playing right now, and I hope you’ll keep him in your thoughts and prayers. Kerry Marks and Danny Parks from the Opry staff band filled in. Lester, it took two of them to take your place, Pal!
 
I’m getting ready to go into the recording studio here in a few days to begin working on what I hope will be a new album to be released later this year. At the moment I’m not sure if we’re talking a complete album or maybe a shortened EP with six or seven cuts, but regardless I’m anxious to put down some of the new music I’ve been working on. Stay tuned.
 
My buddy, Dallas Wayne, from Willie’s Roadhouse on Sirius-XM satellite radio, came to town recently and recorded a new song that he, Buddy Cannon, and I wrote called, “He Even Brought Her Flowers.” I’m not sure just when it will be released, but I’ll keep you posted. Steve Wariner has recorded a great new version of our song, “Christmas In Your Arms,” that will be featured in his new Christmas album later this year, and Joe Mullins’ bluegrass version of, “Go Spread The Gospel,” is now available in his new collection titled, “Somewhere Beyond The Blue.” Jimmy Fortune is hosting a new television show called, “My Life My Songs,” and I recorded an episode with him, laughing and discussing my crazy career. Hopefully, that will be airing soon. I may not be on tour this year, but I’m managing to stay busy. And I like it that way. 
 
I was saddened, as I’m sure you were, over the Memorial Day weekend to learn of the passing of B. J. Thomas. He was a terrific singer, a wonderful man who overcame a lot of adversity in his life, and, I’m proud to say, a good friend. He left us a lot of great music. May he rest in peace.
 
On the personal side of things, I can’t begin to tell you how much my family and I have appreciated your thoughts, prayers, and concerns expressed for my grandson, Gabe, and his sister, Hallie, as they went through a bone marrow transplant this past month in an effort to rid Gabe’s young body of the rare form of cancer that he’s been fighting for the past ten years. It’s been a very intense period of time for all of us, but knowing you were lifting us up in prayer has meant more than you’ll ever know.
 
The transplant itself went well, but this was only the beginning of the journey. Gabe will be in the hospital for several more weeks followed by a long recovery time at home. I hope you will continue to keep him, his parents, and his siblings in your prayers. Hallie is sore and moving slowly, but overall she is doing fine.
 
I goofed in last month’s newsletter by failing to wish all the moms a Happy Mother’s Day, and, believe me, I heard about it. My apologies. So, lest I forget again, to all you dads out there, let me wish you a Happy Father’s Day on the 20th. Enjoy the hazy, crazy, lazy days of summer, and we’ll see you back here in July. Thanks for everything.

2 Comments

  1. Ron Smith
    April 4, 2021 @ 7:49 pm

    another major award to be added for Kennedy Award someday Hi Bill it’s Ron

  2. Ron Smith
    April 4, 2021 @ 7:46 pm

    wow another award once day….Just another reason why you should be honoured by the Kennedy Centre. oh hope a white box came in the mail. Hi Bill it’s Ron

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