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Ask Bill – February 8, 2023

1) I am having a disagreement with a friend about one of your old records. It’s called “Country Music Died Today.” She claims I am thinking of “Murder On Music Row.” So did you have such a song and did it chart? Who is right? And is it available on compact disc?

I did record a song called “Country Music Died Today” in the one album I did for Swanee Records back in the mid-eighties. I didn’t write it, and I don’t think the label ever released it as a single, therefore it didn’t make the charts. It has never been released on CD, but I recently purchased the masters to these old recordings so anything is possible. Stay tuned.

2) I have always wondered how a country artist gets paid? Do they get a percentage of the venues and also a percentage of the records they sell? Do most artists divide the money equally with the band? I’ve always wondered how the band gets paid when the artist gets all the attention from the public.

This is one of those topics where there is no one-size-fits-all answer. But I will try to generalize and answer as best as I can. Artists have several sources from which they can make money, record royalties and personal appearances being the primary two. A royalty rate is established when an artist signs a recording contract, and it is usually based on a percentage of record sales or streaming money received by the label. Personal appearance fees can be negotiated on a percentage of ticket sales or on a guaranteed amount for the artist agreed upon ahead of time. Most artists do not divide their appearance money with the band but rather pay their band members a salary or on a per-show basis. There are probably as many variations to these answers as there are artists, but these are the simplified basic rules today. Somebody will probably re-write them tomorrow.

3) You produced some great albums on Lewis Grizzard. Please enlighten us on how you came to know Lewis and your friendship with him.

Lewis, who was a great southern humorist (some called him this generation’s Mark Twain), was a small-town Georgia boy who loved country music, journalism, humor, and the Georgia Bulldogs above everything else in the world. Does that sound like someone else you know? We had known of each other for a long time, but we connected over all that we had in common when he once came to speak at a PoFolks restaurant convention. I sat next to him at the head table and somewhere in the course of conversation I asked him if he had ever considered recording his speeches for a record album. Next thing I knew I was following him all over the country capturing all the funny things he said and editing them into a series of albums and CDs. I think we did eight in all prior to his untimely death in 1994 at the age of 47. Those were some of the best times I ever had, and hardly a day goes by but what I don’t quote something crazy that he said. He was truly one of a kind.

Our Question Of The Month comes from Marsha in Pennsylvania: What would you say is the biggest highlight of your career, and would your answer be different now from what it might have been thirty years ago?

Yes, my answer would be quite different. Thirty years ago I had not written two Songs Of The Year, been named to the national Songwriters Hall of Fame, been chosen BMI’s first country songwriting ICON, celebrated 60-plus years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry, nor been voted membership  into the Country Music Hall of Fame. THE highlight? My whole career has been a “highlight” to me because I never expected any of these things to happen. I guess the cherry on top of the sundae, though, would be my election to the Country Music Hall of Fame. That’s the top rung on the ladder that I’ve been trying to climb ever since I was a teenager, and to have reached it is a feeling like no other.

Quickies: During the credits for Coal Miner’s Daughter I noticed the name Bill Anderson Jr. Is he your son or any kin?  I must have been asked this question a thousand times over the years and my answer is still the same: No. How tall was Peter Cooper? I thought you were 6’2″ or so, and he is a lot taller than you. I don’t know Peter’s exact height, but he was a couple of inches taller than me. In some pictures, he appears to be even taller than that, but it was the camera angle that made it look that way. And on the subject of pictures: Did you know that in pictures featuring both you and Dolly you look a lot younger?  And a lot better too! Dolly makes everyone and everything around her look better!! I am inquiring about your favorite car. I go to many car shows and sometimes see a celebrity with a classic. What was your favorite car? I’ve never been a big “car guy”, certainly not in the league with someone like Jay Leno. My favorite car I’ve ever owned was a late sixties Cadillac El Dorado…turquoise body, white leather top, and an all-white leather interior. It was hard to keep clean, but it sure was fun to drive. One of my favorite songs of yours is “Next Time You’re In Tulsa.” I feel that song should have gone high on the charts, but I don’t know if it ever charted at all. Did anyone else ever record it? Thank you. That song was in my “I Love You Drops” album, but was never released as a single. I can’t recall anyone else ever having recorded it. I love your monthly newsletter. It’s like getting a letter from a friend. That’s awfully nice of you to say. Sometimes I wonder if anybody cares about what I write, but I keep doing it because I enjoy staying connected to country music as well as to my friends and fans. I put a lot of time into it each month, but receiving a letter like yours makes it all worthwhile. Thank you.

I appreciate all your questions this month, and I hope I’ve satisfied your curiosity with my answers. We’ll do it again in March, so if you have a question send it to me. If yours is selected as our Question Of The Month, you’ll receive any item of your choice from our online store absolutely free. Write to me anytime in care of askbill@billanderson.com, and I’ll see you next time.

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Ask Bill – March 1, 2023

1) I have written lyrics to a song but have no musical ability to add a tune. Would you consider reading the lyrics and guide me in how to get music put to it?

You have no idea how many requests similar to yours that I receive, and as much as I’d like to help, there is simply no way I have the time to do so. If there is a good musician that you know of in your hometown, seek them out and perhaps they’d like to collaborate with you. Schools or churches might be a good place to start looking for someone. Or perhaps a person who gives music lessons. I wish you the best of luck.

2) Is the house where Roy Acuff lived at Opryland still there? If so, what is it used for?

I asked Dan Rogers, vice president of the Opry, for an answer to your question. He replied, “Roy’s house still stands today. While a portion of the home is utilized as office space for Opry Entertainment staff, other rooms of the home have been used for exhibits lately, including an exhibit of Les Leverett Opry photography and last year an exhibit celebration of country music of the 1990s. The Opry says a new 2023 exhibition will be announced soon. If you ever make your way to the house, look for a few photos of Roy inside the house in the 1980s.” So there you have it from someone who definitely knows.

3) I was honored to be on your Fandango show as a contestant back in the 1980s. I heard from somewhere that there will be a new similar game show. If you know anything about it I hope you would let me know.

There have been rumors of such a show off and on down through the years, and I know of one idea that got so far as the actual filming of a pilot episode, but so far as I know neither that show nor any of the others are actually scheduled for broadcast. If I learn anything more I’ll be glad to pass it along.

Oh, and before I continue, let me pause here to eat a little crow. In our most recent Ask Bill column I wrote that I didn’t know of anyone who had recorded my song, “Next Time You’re In Tulsa,” other than myself. I stand corrected by several of you who wrote to remind me that Charlie Louvin also cut that song in a 1968 album called, “Hey Daddy.” Charlie was one of my favorite singers and favorite people, and I apologize for overlooking his heartfelt version of my song. I’ve actually heard it several times, but you know how things slip your mind as you get……..

4) One of my favorite songs is “The Tip Of My Fingers,” and I’ve heard several different versions where some say “tip” and others say “tips.” Which is correct?

That’s a great question, and one I’ve been asked many times over the years. I originally wrote it as “tip” but came to decide in later years that it should be “tips.” So, I started singing it that way. But, to be honest, I really don’t know which is grammatically correct. Any English teachers out there? Settle this for us, please, once and for all. Thank you.

5) Our Question of the Month comes from Marie in Alaska –  I absolutely love Gene Watson singing, “When A Man Can’t Get A Woman Off His Mind.” You wrote this, I believe, with Sharon Vaughn. My question is about my favorite line in the song, “I just crushed a Dixie Cup for running out of wine.” Who wrote that line?

Technically, both of us did, but I’m glad you asked because I love to tell this story. Sharon and I had finished writing the first verse and the chorus of the song and were halfway through with the second verse when she asked to be excused from our little writing room to go to the restroom. When she returned I said, “I think I’ve got it,” and I sang, “I just cussed a Dixie Cup for running out of wine.” She screamed, “Oh my God, I love it….but you need to say ‘crushed’ instead of ‘cussed’.” I said, “No, that ol’ boy cussed it!” Sharon said, “Yeah, but after he cussed it, he crushed it!” We both laughed, and the lyric became “crushed.” That’s the sort of stuff that only happens in co-writing sessions, and is the kind of thing that keeps me keeping on after all these years.

6) Out of all the venues you have played, where would you like to play again? Name the top 3 please.

Oh, Wow! That’s a tough question. Off the top of my head, though, I would probably say Carnegie Hall in New York, the Palladium in London, and maybe the football stadium in Athens, Georgia, where we had an audience of over 70,000 people, some of whom had come to see a football game! And then there’s Massey Hall in Toronto, Madison Square Garden in New York, the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, and….and….and…..

7) Do you plan to go on another cruise this year? I really enjoyed the last one.

Thanks, but I’m not planning another one at the present time.

8) I’ve always wondered how records climb up the Billboard charts. How does a record go from #40 to #20 and so on?

I can’t speak for Billboard, but most people who put together music popularity charts use a combination of record sales and/or streaming numbers, combined with how many times a song is played on radio and television, to come up with the most popular songs during a particular time period. As a song’s numbers increase, that particular song grows in popularity and therefore moves up the charts. Chart methodology is far from an exact science, which is why one survey will show one song as being #1 while another shows a different song entirely. It’s not a perfect system by any means, but it’s the best we’ve got.

9) Have you ever met or collaborated with John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival fame?

Yes, I have met him and found him to be a very nice, down to earth guy. I’ve never collaborated with him musically, but we’ve discussed it and I’d love to try it someday.

10) Over 50 years ago I worked at a McDonald’s in Ft. Lauderdale. There was a guy sitting on the curb with a guitar who said his name was Bill Anderson. He asked us to listen to a song and we liked it. Years later I became a die-hard country fan, heard you on the radio, and always wondered if that was you and if you remembered it.

No, that wouldn’t have been me. When I was in Ft. Lauderdale, I always worked the curb outside of Wendy’s!

And with that, I think it’s time to ride off in the sunset one more time. Remember if you have a question about country music, send it to me in care of askbill@billanderson.com and I’ll try to give you either a truthful or a stupid answer (See #10 above). If yours is chosen our Question Of The Month, you will receive any item of your choice from our online store absolutely free of charge. Let me hear from you, and I’ll see you back here in April.

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Ask Bill – January 3, 2023

1) You sang your song, “Peel Me A ‘Nanner” on the Opry recently, and included a verse that Roy Drusky did not sing on his recording of the song. Did you write it later? And have you made significant changes to any songs you wrote after they were recorded…other than adding a child to “Wild Weekend” after J-Bird was born?

So far as I recall, I wrote that third verse at the same time I wrote the other two verses, but for some reason Roy…or his producer…chose to not include it when they cut the song. Back in those days (mid-60’s), an artist would get more airplay the shorter a record was. Roy’s cut came in under two minutes, and the DJ’s played the fire out of it. I don’t recall any significant changes I might have made to any other songs, but there may well have been some I’ve forgotten about.

2) I have a bunch of your albums and CD’s, and I was wondering how many #1 hits you have had. And which song was your last #1 hit?

Oh boy, you are opening quite a can of worms here. Back in the day when I was having hit records, there were three national country charts published every week. One was in Billboard magazine, one in CashBox magazine, and one in a publication called Record World. These charts would generally reflect the same overall musical trends, but they were seldom identical. A record might be #1 in CashBox and only #5 in Billboard. Or vice versa. No one chart was considered “official.”

Over the years, Billboard kept track of their charts the best, and eventually became the source the industry trusted…partly because the other magazines went out of business and their charts and methodology were lost. If you go by Billboard, I have had 7 #1 records, but if you also include CashBox and Record World, I’ve have had between 15 and 20. In Billboard, I have also had 9 records that reached #2, most of which went #1 somewhere else.

According to Billboard, my last #1 hit was “Sometimes” with Mary Lou Turner in 1975. According to other publications my last #1 was in 1978 with “I Can’t Wait Any Longer.” Now is it clear as mud?

3) What is your biggest regret in your career?

When you’ve had a career as blessed as mine, it’s hard to look back and regret anything. Any regrets I might have would be so few and so insignificant compared to my blessings that they are hardly worth mentioning. So I don’t think I will.

Our Question Of The Month comes from Lori in Alabama: My husband and I love you and your music, but he lost his hearing 10-years ago. We watch Country’s Family Reunion and Larry’s Country Diner, and he likes to watch music videos. But none of your music videos are captioned. Could you maybe caption your videos so that he can enjoy them?

Nobody has ever brought that up to me before, and I appreciate it. My last two videos, “It’s A Good Day (To Have A Good Day)” and “Someday It’ll All Make Sense” with Dolly Parton, were both released in a lyric video format with the words to the songs printed on the screen. You might try checking those out on my website or on YouTube. And I’ll certainly stay aware of your request for any future videos I might put out. Thanks for the suggestion.

Quickies: Are you related to any Anderson’s in California or Washington? Not that I know of. A few of my Anderson kinfolks got as far west as east Texas, but that’s about it. Did you write “Peanuts & Diamonds?” It is right up there with “Golden Guitar” as my favorite of all the songs I’ve heard you sing. Well you picked two songs that I did not write! But I’m glad you like them. Bobby Braddock wrote “Peanuts & Diamonds.” Do you prefer to write by yourself or with others? I enjoy both and feel blessed to be able to do both. Do you have a favorite co-writer? If I did, I wouldn’t mention it here because I’d make all the other co-writers mad! And from England: Did you ever meet Ken Dodd? Yes, I did, and for our American friends, Ken is the British artist who popularized several of my songs in the UK, including “Still,” “8×10”, and “Happiness.” He came to see me once when I was performing ln Liverpool, and it was a great honor to meet him. He was an icon in your country long before he was dubbed Sir Ken Dodd. I treasure the memory of our shaking hands and sharing a few laughs. I am 86-years old and my DVD’s of Country’s Family Reunion are such a blessing. Will there ever be more? I’m glad you enjoy them, but right now I don’t see any new ones on the horizon. I try to never say “never,” but that’s the way it looks here in early 2023.

Thanks for another bunch of great questions. Like always, I have a few left over for next month, but don’t let that keep you from sending yours. You can write to me at askbill@billanderson.com and I’ll try to respond to whatever is on your mind. Remember our Question Of The Month earns the sender a free copy of any merchandise item from our online store. See you back here in February.

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Ask Bill – December 1, 2022

1) At almost 65-years old I find myself yearning to write songs. Is one ever too old to get a publisher’s attention?

There’s a saying in the songwriting profession that the two best things about our job is that we never get too old to do it…and we get to wear the coolest uniforms! We can write in our pajamas, bathing suits, or tuxedos, and at any age. I’m still doing it at 85. You’re a spring chicken. Go for it.

2) Does the Grand Ole Opry management schedule your appearances or is there a mutual discussion as to when you will appear?

At the beginning of each month, the Opry will e-mail a notice to all the members letting us know what nights the following month that Opry shows are scheduled. We are then asked to let the Opry know which of those nights we might be available to perform. The schedulers take it from there.

3) I live in Ft. Worth, Texas, and I met most of my favorite country artists at a place called Panther Hall back in the 60s and early 70s, but I never remember you playing there. It’s been torn down now, but have you ever played at Panther Hall?

Yes, I played there many times. It was a fun place to work, with one of the highest stages I ever remember. We’d come in in the late afternoon and do a live TV show with our buddy, Bill Mack, then play a show and dance from eight to midnight. It was on my bus in the parking lot at Panther Hall that I got choked one night on some toothpaste, and Jan Howard had to come to my rescue. And the restaurant next door had the best chicken fried steak I’ve ever eaten. Lots of good memories from Panther Hall.

Our Question Of The Month comes from John, who is also in Texas, and who asked a very timely question: Do you ever exchange Christmas presents with other artists and/or band members?

Yes. Over the years I’ve always given my employees Christmas bonuses, and each of them will usually give me something in return. I don’t want them spending their bonuses on me, though, so it’s usually just a book they think I might like to read, an inexpensive bottle of wine, or perhaps something homemade from their kitchen. Most of the gifts I’ve given and received from other artists over the years have been nothing serious…just silly little tokens of our camaraderie and friendship. But we do celebrate the traditions of giving at Christmas time….just like normal folks!

Quickies: Did you ever have a home recording studio? I know artists like Jim Reeves and Hank Snow did. I once had a small area in my basement where I could record station breaks for disc jockies and commercials for some of my upcoming concert dates, but I never had anything close to a studio where I could make records. Nearly all the younger artists have some type of home studio today. When you write a song do you pick the person to sing it? No, I just try to write the best song I can and let it land wherever it happens to land. What songs in your illustrious career are the most emotional for you to sing and why? “Mama Sang A Song” is the most emotional of all for me because it brings back so many memories of my mother, my childhood, and my home. “Five Little Fingers,” because of my daughter, and “I Wonder If God Likes Country Music,” because of Roy Acuff, have both been known to stop me in my tracks as well. I used to see you at the Taft Theater in Cincinnati back in the good old days. Were you ever on the Ruth Lyons TV show here? I think I may have been on with Ruth one time before she retired, but I visited her successor, Bob Braun, on several occasions. He and I became good friends. What a fun show…and popular show…that was!  Did you ever tour or sing with Buck Owens? No I didn’t…other than on Brad Paisley’s recording of “Too Country” where Brad overdubbed vocals from me, Buck, and George Jones. Buck was based in California, and with me working out of  Nashville, our paths didn’t cross all that often. I wish they had. I was, and continue to be, a big Buck fan.

I also wish I had space to answer more of your questions, but I’ll save the leftovers for the new year. Meantime, if you have anything you’d like to ask, write to me at askbill@billanderson.com and I’ll try my best to provide an answer. If yours is chosen as our Question Of The Month, you’ll receive any item of your choice free from our online store. See you back here in 2023.

1 Comment

  1. Richard
    February 8, 2023 @ 8:35 pm

    “The Next Time Your In Tulsa” is a favorite song of mine. Charlie Louvin recorded that song as well – as a cut on his album “Hey Daddy” on Capitol ST-142 released in December, 1968.