June 2 2022

Ask Bill – June 2, 2022

1) I saw recently where Lorrie Morgan said she is the youngest person to ever be inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. She was 24. And then they said on TV that Ricky Skaggs was the youngest at 27. If my math is right, you were 23 when you joined. Doesn’t that make you the youngest one ever?

I don’t know if I’m the youngest one ever, but I was definitely younger than Lorrie and Ricky when I joined! I became an Opry member in July, 1961, and I didn’t turn 24 until November of that year. I am not the oldest member there today, but I have been a member the longest amount of time…something for which I am extremely grateful and thankful.

2) Why do you think it’s harder for 2nd and 3rd generations of kids of country singers to break in and make a name for themselves in the business?

I don’t know that it’s any harder for second and third generation country music children to succeed than it is for second and third generation athletes, media personalities, attorneys, doctors, or used car salesmen to succeed. Not everybody possesses the same talents or the same attributes as their parents. Plus, you don’t have to look any farther than Hank Williams Jr., Lorrie Morgan, Justin Tubb and others to know that it can be done in country music. And I’m sure it will be done again…and probably again and again…in the years to come.

3) What do you do when some amateur asks you to critique a song he or she wrote? Before you answer that, will you critique my great song?

I don’t know if you have a future as a songwriter, but you definitely have one as a comedian! I wish I could critique every song that was sent to me and offer advice and encouragement to every aspiring writer, but I simply cannot. There was a time earlier in my career when I tried, but I finally realized it was either these people’s songs or my own. Since I like to eat every day and put gasoline in my car, I figured I’d be better off putting my time and effort into my own creations. The Nashville Songwriters Association, International, has people who work with up and coming writers. I suggest you and other hopeful writers contact them.

Our Question Of The Month comes from Dennis in Missouri: In the March newsletter, you mentioned that you did not write the song, “But You Know I Love You.” However, you did record it, as did Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. All three of you had hits with it even though the tempos and phrasing are different. I’m wondering who makes the decision about tempo and phrasing? I am fascinated by how a song could be interpreted in so many different ways and still come out sounding great every time.

What an insightful question! Let me say first that neither Kenny, Dolly, or I wrote the song. It was written by Mike Settle, who was a member of Kenny Roger’s First Edition band, the first artists to record the song back in the mid-60’s. I’m sure Kenny’s version reflected the way Mike intended for it to sound. In those days, Kenny’s records were not being played on country radio, though, and I told my producer, Owen Bradley, that I felt this was a country song. He agreed, changed the tempo, simplified the chord structure, and my version went to #2 on the charts in 1969. Dolly didn’t cut it until 1981, not doing either my version nor Kenny’s, although hers was closer to his than to mine. She did it her own way, and it topped out at #1. Each of us tried to do the song in the style that we felt suited us best. And, fortunately, each of us succeeded.

Quickies: Is Stringbean’s killer still alive today? Two men were convicted in String’s murder. One died in prison and the other was paroled. Last I heard he was employed by the Cornerstone Church in Madison, Tennessee. Is Mike Snider still an active part of the Grand Ole Opry family? Yes, most definitely. He did not appear on the show much during 2020 and ’21, but he has begun coming back to see us recently. And the Opry House is a brighter place when he’s in the building! One of my favorite songs of yours is “A Death In The Family.” Is it a true song? How did you come up with the idea? It is based on a true story, yes. I was going through a divorce when I wrote it. I only had to look inside my heart to come up with the idea to write it. When are you coming to Melbourne, Australia? To Las Vegas? To England? To Texas and Oklahoma? Obviously, these are the same question from different folks in different locations, and my answer is the same to them all: I do not know. I appreciate your wanting me to perform in your part of the world, but right now I’m staying close to home and not touring. When that changes, you’ll be the first to know.

Thanks for a good set of questions this month. We’re open for yours anytime you’d like to send us one. Just address it to askbill@billanderson.com and be watching for an answer. And remember if yours is chosen our Question Of The Month you’ll receive any item of your choice from our online store absolutely free. Stay curious, and we’ll see you back here in July.

Ask Bill

Ask Bill – November 2, 2022

1) Did you ever go on tour with Loretta Lynn? Did you ever record together? I will forever miss her.

Many of our questions this month have revolved around Loretta and folks wanting to know more about my relationship with her. She and I came to town about the same time in the early sixties, and my first memory of her was seeing her in a white cowgirl outfit trimmed in red standing in the lobby of the old Cumberland Lodge Building downtown trying to get in to see the Wilburn Brothers. We all know how that turned out! Yes, I toured with her quite a bit in the early days, and used to love standing backstage watching her impersonate me during her performances. We never recorded together, but I sang with her on stage several times. In later years, when Conway Twitty couldn’t be with her, she would call me out to do Conway’s part on “God Bless American Again.” I wouldn’t take anything for those great times and all the memories.

2) I was reading in your autobiography about the song, “Saginaw, Michigan,” and your involvement in writing it. You say your name was added as a co-writer on the album copies, but I’ve never seen it there – even on the budget reissue that came out in 1973.

After Don Wayne asked me to help him finish writing, “Saginaw, Michigan,” I had every intention of recording it myself. And, as the artist, I was not going to ask for part of the songwriter’s share. However, when Don or Buddy Killen, the publisher, or somebody leaked the song to Lefty Frizzell, I felt I should be compensated. Don agreed, and my name was added to the song. By the time that happened, though, the first 45rpm copies of Lefty’s version had come from the pressing plant without my name on them. That was changed by the time his album was released, and my name has been on the song ever since. How it got left off that 1973 re-issue is anybody’s guess. The best part is that my name has been on the royalty statements for almost sixty years.
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3) Do you think that country music has lost its identity? I certainly believe that is has.

I don’t know that country music has “lost” its identity, but its style and its sound has definitely evolved and changed in recent years. But that’s nothing new. I imagine when Bill Anderson and Roger Miller and Willie Nelson and Harlan Howard and Loretta and Dolly and all the rest of us came to town in the early 60’s that Roy Acuff and Ernest Tubb and the other pioneers thought country music’s identity had been lost too. We wrote songs and recorded them differently from the way it had been done up to that point, and I’m sure some longtime artists and fans didn’t take too kindly to our innovations. The one constant in music is that it’s constantly changing. It always has and it always will.

Our Question of the Month comes from Diane in Michigan and is an insightful one: “Back in 1969 I saw you perform at the Ryman Auditorium. When the time came to move on, what was it like to no longer have the Opry at the Ryman?”

It was strange at first. The Ryman was the only Opry home that I had ever known, as both a fan and as an artist, and there was a certain sentimentality to leaving it behind. It felt weird to drive to another part of town on Friday and Saturday nights, even though for the first time we had free parking near the stage entrance and spacious dressing rooms inside. As a performer, the distance from the stage to the front row at the Ryman had been short and the fans always felt close to us and us to them, an intimacy that was compromised in the move to the new, larger Opry House. At the same time, it was a move that had to be made. The Ryman had fallen into a sad state of dis-repair, and the surrounding area downtown had grown neglected and seedy, nothing like it is today. Some people wanted the Ryman to be torn down, but fortunately wiser and cooler heads prevailed and the building has a vibrant life today. What felt awkward at the time has turned out to be a win-win situation for everybody.

Quickies: Several of you responded to last month’s question asking if Hank Williams ever recorded a Christmas song. Many referred to his version of, “At The First Fall Of Snow” as being his one and only Christmas recording. I checked out the lyric, and while that’s a wintertime country song, it is not “religious,” as some suggested, nor does it have any connection to Christmas. I think it stands that Hank never recorded a Christmas song. Who was your steel player on “Walk Out Backwards?” It was the legendary Hall of Famer, Pete Drake. Did you write the song, “Old Things New?” I know you have a version and so does Joe Nichols. I like them both. Thank you. I co-wrote it with Buddy Cannon and Paul Overstreet. What is Carol Lee Cooper doing these days? Does she still perform? I reached out to her to try and get an update on her current activities, but so far I have not heard back. I’ll let you know when I do.

Thanks for a great group of questions again this month. If you’ve got one rolling around in your head, feel free to send it to me, and I’ll try my best to answer. Write to me at askbill@billanderson.com and watch for your answer in a future column. Win your choice of any item free from our online store if yours is chosen our Question Of The Month. See you back here in December.

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Ask Bill – October 4, 2022

1) I recently heard a song of yours I had never heard before – “Ninety Nine Years.” I’ve been a fan of yours for 40 years and never heard you sing it or Eddie Stubbs play it. Now it’s my favorite Bill Anderson song. Did you write it? You need to sing it more often.

Thanks. I’m glad you like it. Yes, I wrote it, and it was actually the second single record I ever had released on Decca Records back in 1959. In some parts of the country…particularly in the upper midwest and in western Canada…it was a pretty big hit. It rose to #13 in the Billboard national charts. I sing it occasionally on the Opry, but now that you’ve brought it to my attention, I’ll try to remember and do it a bit more often.

2) Like you, I am a big Hank Williams Sr. fan. A buddy and I were talking today about the fact that there are no recordings we know of of Hank singing a Christmas song. Do you know of any Christmas recordings that he might have made? Also, did you ever get the chance to see him in person?

What an interesting question. I’ve racked my brain and called on a few of my friends who are large Hank Sr. fans, and none of us can recall his ever having recorded…or even having sung…a Christmas song. If anybody knows of one that we may have overlooked, please let me know. It seems very strange that of all his great country and gospel performances there was never a Christmas song included. And, no, I never saw him in person.

3) One of my favorite songs of yours is “Country D.J.” I retired from radio a couple of years ago and this song has always been one I related to. Could you talk about how that song came about?

I worked as a country disc jockey, as they called us back in the day, for several years, and on many occasions after I came to Nashville and got on the other side of the microphone, I thought back on those days with fondness…along with a bit of sarcasm and humor. One day I just picked up my guitar and started sifting through the memories, and the result was the Country DJ song. I thought it wouldn’t be understood by anyone other than someone who had also worked in the business, and was surprised when so many people outside of broadcasting began relating to it. It went from what I envisioned as an obscure album cut
to an eleven-week chart record in Billboard. Which proves one more time that you never can outguess the public.

Question Of The Month: This month’s question comes from Dusty in Georgia who writes, “One of my favorite things is watching you on Country’s Family Reunion. My friends and I have monthly get-togethers in my basement where we take turns playing our favorite clips from the show. With you being there to see all of those great performances take place in person, I’m very curious as to what moment sticks out to you as one of your favorite performances?

We recorded CFR shows for 23-years, and there were so many great performances that I could never narrow it down to one particular favorite. And not all special moments were musical. Many were woven into the story-telling fabric of the show…such as Merle Kilgore’s hilarious recounting of The Gnat Blowers at Faron Young’s house…a tale I can watch again and again and never grow tired of. Moments like Grandpa Jones interacting with Bill Carlisle….Jimmy Dean and Little Jimmy Dickens picking on one another…and the serious moments visiting with Ray Price’s widow and Merle Haggard’s sons. When we first began CFR we thought we were creating entertainment, which we were. But more than that, we were capturing history…and I wouldn’t take a jillion dollars for the opportunity to have been a part of it.

QUICKIES: What year and place did you make your first appearance making music? It was in 1953 in a talent show at Avondale High School near Atlanta. I was thrilled when some of your early LPs came out digital. I have a lot on vinyl, but they are starting to skip. Will more be released? I have been told that there will be more…possibly totaling as many as 30 or so. I am waiting on specifics from Universal Music, and as soon as I know more details I will pass them along. Are you related to anyone famous or popular? Only Whisperin’ Bill Anderson. He’s a country singer you may or may not have heard of. Are any of your children or grandchildren going to follow you and be a country singer or songwriter? It’s a bit too late for any of my children to get into this business, but my 14-year old granddaughter, Hallie, has shown a real interest in it. I’m not sure she wants to be a performer, but she told the talent coordinator at the Opry that she wants her job when she retires. Stay tuned. My granddaughter loves unicorns. How did you come up with that for a song? I didn’t write The Unicorn, but I wish I had. It was written by the great Shel Silverstein and was a pop hit for a group called The Irish Rovers years ago. I thought it would make a great country song, so I recorded it and have performed it onstage hundreds of times. It has been quite a staple of my career.

Thanks for your questions again this month. I’ll be looking for a whole bunch more for November. Send yours to askbill@billanderson.com and be watching for your answer in a future newsletter. If your question is chosen as our Question Of The Month, you will receive any merchandise item from our online store autographed and shipped to you free of charge. So get your question to me today, and we’ll see you back here again next month.

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Ask Bill – September 1, 2022

1) Did you ever consider setting up shop in Branson, Missouri? A lot of country music performers have over the years, and some have had a long presence there.

Yes I did. When I was the spokesman for the PoFolks restaurant chain back in the 80’s, we seriously considered opening a PoFolks Dinner Theater in Branson. We would have served up country food and country music, which would have been unique to the area at that time. I was excited about the possibilities, but the powers-that-be ultimately decided against it and I stayed rooted in Nashville.

2) I was one of the regulars who came to your TV show tapings at CKLW in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. I wonder if you have access to any of those tapings.

No, but I wish I did. Those black and white shows were recorded in 1966-67, and I’m sure the tapes have all been erased or destroyed by now. We didn’t have adequate ways of preserving them back then, and we certainly didn’t realize the wisdom in not letting them get away. They would be priceless treasures today.

3) Do you know if Mike Johnson still has a band? I have seen them on Country’s Family Reunion and they were the best!

Mike, who was the steel guitar player and band leader on CFR and in my PoFolks Band for sixteen years, is now touring with Reba McEntire, continuing to work as many recording sessions as his schedule will allow, and has a band called 45 RPM that plays great country music at the Station Inn in Nashville whenever they can. It’s not the exact same band as you saw on CFR, but they play the same style music and play it extremely well. If you’re ever in Nashville and find that they are performing while you are here, don’t miss the opportunity to see and hear them. You will not be disappointed.

Our Question Of The Month comes from Britt in Texas: Throughout the years you have been outstanding…touring, making records, hosting game shows, writing songs, playing the Grand Ole Opry etc., and you never missed a beat. What a wonderful life you have lived. I want to know how you want to be remembered?

Wow…thank you. Mac Wiseman had an old song called, “Tis Sweet To Be Remembered,” and I guess just BEING remembered should be at the top of anyone’s wish list. You’re right in that I have been very blessed in this life, but I think I’d rather be remembered for the person I was than for anything I might have accomplished. I’d like for my children to say I was a good father, my employees and co-workers to say that I treated them fairly, and for my friends to say I was a friend in return. Of course, if somebody were to sing one of my songs a hundred years from now and give me credit for writing it, that would be pretty special too.

Quickies: A few years ago you did a song with Tracy Byrd called “You Lied To Me.” Did you write it?? Yes, and Tracy was one of several artists who recorded it. He invited me to sing it alongside him one night on the Opry. Although I never recorded it, I also sang it there one night myself just for fun. And Steve Wariner surprised me the other day when he told me it was the first song he ever sang in public. I had no idea. What performer do you think influenced your music and songwriting the most? No doubt but what it was Hank Williams. What year was the CFR taping done of “Unbroken Circle?” That was the last series we recorded, and it was done in 2018. I have been watching your Family Reunion shows on Tubi. Do you have any more coming up? There won’t be any more new shows as they are no longer in production. I am not familiar with the schedule on Tubi, however, so perhaps they will be airing some of the older ones. I’m glad to know you enjoy watching. Did Country Family Reunion get took off of RFD? It’s not on there anymore, so I guess it got “took off”.

I appreciate all your questions, and invite you to send me any that you might have rolling around in your mind. Send them to askbill@billanderson.com and be watching for yours in an upcoming newsletter. If your question is chosen our Question Of The Month, you will win any item of your choice from our online store completely free of charge…and that includes shipping. I’ll look forward to hearing from you. Thanks and stay curious!

Ask Bill – June 2, 2022

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