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Ask Bill – September 1, 2026

1) I was just wondering if you ever played a show at Panther Hall in Ft. Worth, Texas. I got to see many country artists there, but I don’t ever remember you performing there. Did you? Many times…I don’t know how you managed to miss me. The closest I’ve ever come to thinking I was going to die was in the parking lot behind Panther Hall. I was on the bus brushing my teeth prior to one of our performances there when I got choked on some toothpaste. I could not catch my breath and was beginning to panic when Jan Howard, for some reason, returned to the bus from inside and saw me. She ran to my side and began pounding me on the back which managed to open my airways. For years afterward she constantly reminded me that I owed my life to her. And I quite possibly did.

2) What does the Opry pay when you are performing there? I have always wondered that. I am not comfortable talking about that other than to say that the musicians are paid union wages as agreed to by the Opry and the American Federation of Musicians (AFM). The featured performers are paid scale according to a contract between the Opry and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists or AFTRA. Both contracts are renewed every three years and contain sliding scales for periodic cost of living increases.

3) Is it true that you once played baseball for the Milwaukee Braves? Not hardly. Once when my friend, Dave Bristol, was the manager of the Milwaukee Brewers (not the Braves), I was with them in Anaheim, California, when they were playing the Angels. Dave let me put on a Brewers uniform (#63) and roam around in the outfield during batting practice. I remember a bunch of kids outside the fence yelling, “Hey #63…throw us a ball!” I didn’t think it was my place to start giving away baseballs, so I ignored them. Finally, one of them yelled out, “Hey sixty-three…if you don’t throw me a ball I’m not going to vote for you for the All Star team!” My one big chance to be a major league all-star and I blew it!

4) Our Question Of The Month this time comes from Evelyn in Georgia: I recently read a short story posted on Facebook about the movie star, Audie Murphy. It stated that he was a country-western songwriter. Did you know that? Did any of his songs become popular? Yes, I did know it and, yes, some of his songs did become popular. Beginning in the early sixties, Audie collaborated with a musician, songwriter and record producer named Scotty Turner, typically writing the lyrics while Scotty added the music. They combined on a big hit for Jerry Wallace in 1962 called “Shutters & Boards,” which was also recorded by Dean Martin, Porter Wagoner, Slim Whitman, and Jimmy Dean. Later they wrote “When The Wind Blows In Chicago” which Roy Clark, Eddy Arnold, and others cut. And there were more. Audie Murphy was also a respected poet, writing a well-known poem called “The Crosses Grow On Anzio,” inspired by his wartime experiences in Italy. He had a remarkable career overall, although his contributions to country songwriting are often overlooked.

Quickies: Did Loretta Lynn ever appear on The Bill Anderson TV show? I don’t think so. She was a regular on the Wilburn Brothers Show back in those days, and their show and mine were produced by competing companies. Porter Wagoner’s show was produced by that company, too, but we once made a deal for Porter and Dolly to appear on my show and in return, Jan Howard and I appeared on theirs. But I don’t recall Loretta ever being on my show. Surely I would have remembered that! Which writer in the Nashville songwriting community has the most million airplay awards? This is a hard question to answer. One writer could write a monster-hit song that achieves ten million public performances while another writer writes ten average-sized hits that achieve one million performances each. Which one has outdone the other? I can only speculate that the person with the most country music million airplays would come from this list: Harlan Howard, Hank Cochran, Willie Nelson, Billy Sherrill, Dolly Parton, Bobby Braddock, Curly Putman, Dean Dillon, Dallas Frazier, Loretta Lynn, Tom T. Hall, and Don Schlitz. But that’s only a guess. Someone asked you in your July fan mail if anyone had ever turned down being invited to join the Opry. You said no. I could be wrong, but I was thinking George Strait had turned it down. If you know anything about this please let me know. Go back and read that issue of our newsletter again. The question was not if someone had ever turned down becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry but if anyone had ever declined membership in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Those are two entirely different things. And I it was in our August newsletter not July! Is there any way to access the “Bill Anderson Visits With The Legends” XM radio interview series? I found one of you and Tom T. Hall on YouTube and was absolutely glued to it. I would love to hear more. I wish those shows could somehow be made available again, too, because they contained some of my favorite career moments I’ve been told that the master recordings are in a vault up in New York somewhere. The folks at Sirius, who purchased XM, have taken a few of them out and re-aired them over the years, most notably when one of my guests like George Jones or Merle Haggard passed away. I did not know the Tom T. show can be found on YouTube. Maybe some of the others will pop up there someday as well. A big part of your life for many years was spent riding all over the country in the back of a tour bus. What are some of your songs that were written in that setting? You know it’s funny, but I didn’t write a lot of songs on tour busses. Don’t ask me why, but I didn’t. But here’s the strange part: I wrote quite a few songs in cars back before I could afford to travel in a bus. “Once A Day,” “Then & Only Then,” “Three A.M.”, “Peel Me A ‘Nanner,” and more were birthed beneath the steering wheel of an automobile somewhere rolling across America. Maybe a good shrink could explain to me the psychology behind that sometime. What could you share of your thoughts and experiences while making the movie, “Las Vegas Hillbillies?” The most memorable thing about making that movie…other than being able to tell people I was in a movie with Jayne Mansfield…was the fact that I was offered a larger role in the film and had to turn it down. I filmed my part on December 2, 1965, and could have filmed additional scenes the next day had I not been otherwise occupied. I chose to be at Baptist Hospital in Nashville on December 3rd, however, because that’s when and where my daughter, Jennifer, decided to be born. I wouldn’t have missed that for all the movie roles in the world!!

Thanks for another month of interesting questions, and I hope you’ll keep right on sending them in. Write me anytime at askbill@billanderson.com and I’ll do my best to satisfy your country music curiosity. Submit our Question Of The Month and you’ll win absolutely free any item of your choosing from our online store. We’ll see you back here again in October.

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Ask Bill – October 1, 2026

1) I am a Canadian fan who noticed recently that you once recorded your TV show in Windsor, Ontario. That’s a long way from Nashville. Whyever did you choose Ontario for a location? When I first began my syndicated TV show in 1965, we recorded the programs in Charlotte, N.C., because there was no studio space available in Nashville. After about a year and a half, we were told if we’d move our production to Canada that we’d automatically be on the air coast-to-coast up there which was exciting. The closest Canadian video facility was in Windsor, just across the river from Detroit, so that’s where we went. Unfortunately, the nationwide exposure in Canada never materialized. Broadcasting in color up there lagged behind the United States, too, and we eventually had to find a home back in Nashville. I enjoyed our time in Windsor. Everybody treated us great.

2) Do you have a favorite memory of Dolly Parton that you’d like to share with us? I have many, going back to the night I first met her in a parking lot behind the WSM radio studios. My wife and I had been to a movie with George Hamilton IV and his wife, and we met a young Dolly and her date (Carl?) as we were returning to our car. She had short blonde hair, wore a bright yellow dress, and had that “bouncy” personality which she never lost. The next time I saw her she was singing some vocals for me on a demo session at Bradley’s Barn. That’s when we recorded “If It’s All The Same To You,” which is on my boxed set and my “As Far As I Can See” CD. We saw each other many times across the years, but she provided me with my favorite memory of all when she recorded “Someday It’ll All Make Sense” with me and then agreed to appear with me in the video of that song. I’ll never forget some of the things we talked about that day, and I will forever treasure our friendship.

3) Two of my all-time favorite country artists are Carl Smith and Wynn Stewart. How well did you know each of them? I knew Carl better than I knew Wynn, primarily because Carl lived just outside Nashville and for most of his career, Wynn headquartered on the west coast. Carl was rather private, but if he liked you and felt comfortable around you, he was fun to be with. Not long after his wife, Goldie Hill, passed away I found myself out at Carl’s ranch on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. We sat on his screened porch sipping iced tea and talking country music, quarter horses, sports, and any other subject we might hit on. He was one of my heroes growing up, and I was in awe of simply being there with him. I was a big Wynn Stewart fan as well (he used to tease me about his having been Jan Howard’s original duet singing partner before I came along), but I was never around him all that much. I loved his music, though, and always wished we could have spent more time together. Jan thought the world of him.

4) Our Question of the Month for the first time ever comes from England and a fan named Pat. I thought you’d find it interesting: “We have only visited the Opry once when we came over from England. The audience was given the chance to look around backstage while the show was going on, but we declined. We knew this would be our only opportunity and we wanted to see the show. Can you please tell us what happens when the audience does go backstage?” Well, I’ve never had a reason to personally take the backstage tour myself, but from what I’ve observed the fans get a big taste of our life behind the footlights. They get to see our dressing rooms, the backstage post office where we receive our mail, the myriad of Opry photographs that adorn the backstage walls, and hear a running narrative from a well-trained tour guide who explains much of the Opry’s history and legacy. I don’t think the fans are allowed to step out of line to talk with us or take pictures, but I try to always speak when I pass a tour group in the hallways and let them know we appreciate having them there. You were probably correct in staying in your seats and watching the show, but perhaps next time you visit you can add a backstage tour to your itinerary. I think you’d find it worthwhile.

Quickies: Was your song, “Still,” written from a real life experience? It keeps going through my mind because it’s so true for me. I’d say virtually every song written is from someone’s real life experience whether it’s the experience of the writer or someone else. I didn’t write “Still” from a real life experience but I wrote it BECAUSE of one. I explained it in more detail in my autobiography. Just wondering if Dolly Parton recorded any of your songs and did they chart? The only songs Dolly ever recorded of mine were the two duets that I mentioned earlier: “Someday It’ll All Make Sense” and “If It’s All The Same To You.”  I wish I could say she recorded some others, but she didn’t. I just watched an episode of the game show Password Plus with Allen Ludden from 1979. Do you have any memories of Allen from this or other episodes of this show? Also, you wore a pair of white cowboy boots. Just wondering if you still have them?  I always enjoyed my appearances with Allen and his wife, Betty White. I was on Password with Allen several times and admired his warmth and professionalism. My wife and I were also with him and Betty on Tattletales, and I often appeared on Match Game with Betty. They were a marvelous couple. I doubt I still have the white boots from 1979, but I have several pair just like them.  I am a fan from Italy. I’m wondering when you write the lyrics of a song do you pay attention to the formal aspects like the metric, the phonosymbolism, or the figures of speech as if it were a poem? Or is it more of a spontaneous process? Nothing with me is very “formal,” and I know nothing about writing poetry. Whatever I end up writing is definitely spontaneous. How did it make you feel when you first heard yourself singing on the radio? And how does it make you feel now?  The thrill of hearing myself on the radio has never worn off. Everybody wants to feel that something they’ve created is exposed to the widest audience possible. It’s not just about me, though. It’s also knowing that someone else, the DJ or program host, is placing part of his or her job security on my shoulders. They’re trusting that their listeners will stay tuned while I’m singing. That’s also very special. This is the 42nd anniversary of our losing Ernest Tubb. Do you have any stories about him? He was a great man from all that I hear.  You heard right. E.T. lent the original “helping hand” to as many or more Nashville newcomers as anyone back in the day, and was the kindest, most patient star I’ve ever known when it came to relating to his fans. I learned a lot from just hanging around and watching him. Plus, I always felt indebted to him because he helped convince Ray Price to record “City Lights.” I am from Australia. I heard talk recently about a group wanting to do a Legends tour here and your name was mentioned. Would you be able to come? I love your country and I’d love to return, but stopped touring after Covid in 2020. I know I would enjoy the shows and the music and the fans, but that’s the longest plane ride I ever took in my life. I’m not sure my ol’ bones would be up to that again!  Did you ever perform on any shows with Johnny Horton? I think he only performed on the Opry 4 times, but perhaps you met him there? No, and I never met him when I was at the Louisiana Hayride either. However, I did work a short midwestern tour…three to five days if I remember correctly…with him in 1960 not long before he was killed in the auto crash. And I’ve been a staunch advocate for his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame for years. Maybe someday.

And maybe someday we’ll get to do this again…like perhaps the first part of November. We need your questions, though, so if you’re curious about anything “country” reach out and let me know. Send your questions of me in care of askbill@billanderson.com  or at P.O.Box 888, Hermitage, TN. 37076, and I’ll do my best to answer. If yours is chosen our Question Of The Month, you’ll receive absolutely free any item of your choice from our online store. Stay curious…and I’ll look forward to hearing from you.

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Ask Bill – August 3, 2026

1) Bill, I am such a fan of you and your music! I know you like gospel music like I do. Have you written any gospel songs that other country artists have recorded? Oh yes…a whole bunch of them. Not counting “Mama Sang A Song,” which was covered in the early 60’s by Walter Brennan, Stan Kenton, and many more, one of the first was “A Great, Great Day” by the Oak Ridge Boys back in the early 70’s. It was their final gospel single prior to their seeking a career in country music. Later, when they released a gospel album, I won my only Dove Award for co-writing (with Tia Sellers) their recording of “Jonah, Job, & Moses.” Jerry Salley and I co-wrote a #1 bluegrass gospel hit last year called, “Go Spread The Gospel,” recorded by Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers. The most recent gospel song I’ve had released is one called “God Is Great God Is Good” by Moe Bandy.

2) I wrote you a couple of years ago to see if you remembered a concert promoter in Virginia and the Carolinas named Carlton Haney and you did. When he would book four or five of you on one show back in the 60’s, and the admission prices were so low, how much money did each act make? I’m not trying to be nosy, just curious. Go ahead and be nosy…it’s all right. I don’t remember the actual figures that we got paid back in those days, but it wasn’t very much when you consider the expenses we incurred hiring a band, buying and maintaining a tour bus, having fancy show-clothes custom tailored for ourselves and our groups, paying commissions to a booking agent, a fee to our managers, and the like. Not all the acts on those shows made the same amount, but I’d say the average fee was probably in the neighborhood of $1250 to $1500. That’s a mighty long way from what the country stars are raking in today!

3) I know you are a big baseball fan as am I. There is talk that major league baseball may expand to two more cities, and Nashville has been mentioned. I was thinking a good team name would be the “Brakemen,” in honor of Jimmie Rodgers. What do you think? I think the chances of that happening are somewhere between slim and none. We might get a team someday, and, hopefully, we will, but it will not be named in honor of Jimmie Rodgers. He had no connection to Nashville other than being one of the first three people elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame. He was from Mississippi, and his career flourished long before songs were being written and recorded in Music City. He probably performed here at some point but that’s about all.

4) Our Question Of The Month comes from Scott in Illinois and it brings back some good memories: “I never went to the Opryland theme park, but what was your opinion of it? I read often where people loved it and miss it.” You’d be hard pressed to find a native Nashvillian, or even a longtime resident of our city, who won’t tell you that the closing of Opryland USA tore out a piece of their heart. The park opened in the early 70’s and closed in 1997 when the powers-that-be decided our town needed an indoor shopping mall more than it needed one of the greatest outdoor family attractions in the country. The park offered rides, shows, food, and more in a clean, wholesome environment. For parents with young kids, it was the greatest babysitter in the world. Many’s the morning I’d drop my children and their friends off when the gates swung open and not see them again until the sun went down. I knew they were safe, entertained, and well taken care of. As a performer, it was so much fun to do shows in the park…both live shows and television programs during the Nashville Network days. We knew we were entertaining folks who had come to Nashville from all over the globe. My opinion in four words? I miss it terribly!

Quickies: Who was the first artist inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame? Has anyone ever said no? Can an artist be removed? There were three inductees into the Hall of Fame’s first class back in 1961: Hank Williams, songwriter Fred Rose, and the aforementioned Jimmie Rodgers. I don’t know of anyone who has ever turned down a chance to be inducted, and I’ve never heard of anyone being removed once they were part of the HOF family. Were you at the Opry the night Onie Wheeler passed away on stage? Also, can you tell us how Onie’s daughter, Karen Wheeler, is doing? No, I was on tour the night that Onie, who was Roy Acuff’s featured harmonica player, died (May 26, 1984) during an Opry performance. I’m almost glad that I wasn’t there, because I was such an Onie Wheeler fan. I loved his songwriting and his unique vocal stylings. He was only 62 at the time of his passing. I am told that his daughter, Karen, a beautiful lady and fine singer herself, is not in good health and is not singing or performing these days. I have been a fan of yours since you started, and was wondering how many songs of yours you have recorded. I know there are many. I’d like to know the number myself, but truthfully, I don’t. I tell folks I’ve been too busy writing and recording them to stop and count! I think most country music fans are familiar with the phrase, “Nashville Sound.” It seems that Chet Atkins is usually considered on the major forces of that sound. Did he impact your records, especially the early ones? Chet Atkins was one of the two “architects” of the Nashville Sound back in the late 50’s and early 60’s…the other being Owen Bradley. Chet produced records for RCA Victor and Owen for Decca. I was signed by Owen in 1958, and he produced everything I recorded for the better part of 20-years. Chet produced several of my songs by his RCA artists including Jim Reeves, The Browns, Eddy Arnold and others, but he did not ever “impact” any of my own recordings. Thank you for writing, “Give It Away.” It was one of my late father’s favorite songs. What inspired you to write it? Don’t give me all the credit for creating that song. It was a three-way co-write between me, Buddy Cannon, and Jamey Johnson. Jamey was going through a divorce at the time, and he came up with the original idea. Buddy came up with the idea for a “talking section” in the song, and I went out and got  coffee for everybody. I’m glad to know that your dad liked it.   I was lucky enough to be at the Opry for your 65th anniversary. My favorite moment was when you and Mary Lou sang, “Sometimes.” I was just wondering when the last time was that you had sung “Sometimes” together and if you had ever performed together on the Opry. Mary Lou was part of my touring group for seven years in the late 70’s and early 80’s, so we performed on the Opry together many times during those years. The last time we sang “Sometimes” prior to my 65th anniversary was in 2025 at my 64th. I have enjoyed several of your military and patriotic-themed songs through the years. Did you ever appear on any of the radio shows sponsored by the Armed Forces such as “Country Music Time” or “Country Hoedown?” I did many of those shows which were used as recruiting tools for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. Sometime I took my band into the studio to record those shows, and sometimes they just played our records. The shows must have been effective, because they were in production in one format or another for quite a few years. Who would you love to record a song with if you could choose anyone? Dolly Parton. Ooops, I just did that, didn’t I? Who else? Golly, I really don’t know. I have recently written a song about an older country singer having a conversation with a younger one. I’d like to record that with the right young artist someday. It’s a pretty interesting piece of material.

And with that, I need to “Ride Off In The Sunset,” which was an interesting piece of material as well. Thanks for all your questions this time, and we’ll do it again in September. Tell me  what you’re curious about by writing me at askbill@billanderson.com and I’ll do my best to respond. If yours is chosen our Question Of The Month, you’ll receive any item of merchandise you’d like from our online store absolutely FREE! Let me hear from you, and I’ll see you next time.

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Ask Bill – July 1, 2026

1) What is your favorite song that you like to sing on the Grand Ole Opry and why? Wow…I don’t know that I’ve ever thought about it in terms of favorites. When I first come out on stage, I like to sing one of my up-tempo songs like “Wild Weekend” or “I Get The Fever” to introduce myself to the crowd. When I want to get them in a light-hearted mood I turn to songs like “Wherever She Is,” “The Unicorn”, or “Peel Me A ‘Nanner.” But, truthfully, my most favorite songs to sing are probably the ballads where the audience grows quiet and hangs on every word. My faves on that list would include “Too Country,” “A Lot Of Things Different,” “The Way I Feel”, and “The Last One I’ll Forget.” I’m just honored to get to sing any song on that hallowed stage, and to have done it now for almost 65-years.

2) Everyone knows that Nashville is rich in country music, but I was wondering if you’ve ever had the chance to visit some of the other historical sites in the area, particularly the Hermitage which as been on my bucket list for years. Have you been there and what did you think? Oh yes…I don’t live nearly as sheltered a life as you might think. I’ve been to the Hermitage on several occasions, including one time which happened to fall on President Andrew Jackson’s birthday. While I was there, a delivery truck came up and someone placed a large red, white, and blue wreath on President Jackson’s grave. When they left, I leaned in to see what was written on the card. The wreath had been sent by our current President at the time….Richard Nixon. I’ve not only been to the Hermitage, but to the Parthenon, the Belle Meade Mansion, Cheekwood, the Loveless Cafe, the Station Inn, and Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. All in my efforts to be a well-rounded person!  🙂

3) What’s the story behind one of your songs that never became a big hit but one that you are proud of? Not long after Jon Randall and I co-wrote “Whiskey Lullaby,” we got onto writing a string of what Jon referred to as “dark” songs. Most of them have never seen the light of day and never will, but Kenny Chesney recorded one in an album called, “Demons,” that I’ve always been partial to. It told the story of a man who said, “Some come in a bottle, some in a pair of high heeled shoes,” and admitted, “If I’m not chasing demons there’s demons chasing me.” I’ve never been afraid to write songs about the dark but oft’times honest sides of life, and this is about as graphic description of that as I’ve ever been a part of creating. And a far cry from a happy one Jon and I wrote later with Carrie Underwood that’s just been released by Dailey & Vincent called, “A Beautiful Life!”

4) Question Of The Month: This month’s question was sent in by Kathleen from Virginia and it gives me a chance to talk about something I’ve been wanting to address for a long time: “You have been my favorite singer for over 50-years, ever since I heard “If You Can Live With It (I Can Live Without It)” back in 1973. It’s such a catchy song. Why didn’t it go to Number One? I researched and it only went to #57.” Oh, you have touched one of my most sensitive hillbilly nerves! I don’t know where you did your research, but to refresh my memory, I looked in a book called Hot Country Songs published by Billboard magazine and found that the week of February 24, 1973, “If You Can Live With It” was the #2 record in the country. Later, I found a plaque presented to me by a publication called Record World where it was #1 in their charts. So to say it only reached #57 is certainly not correct. The reason this type thing irritates me is because back in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s there were several publications that put out country music charts — Billboard, CashBox, Record World (once known as Music Vendor), the Music Reporter, The Gavin Report and more. They used different methods to create their charts each week…some based on record sales, some on radio airplay, some on jukebox activity…and as a result the charts often came out quite different from one another. A song could be #1 in one publication and only rise to #10 or #15 in another. Over the years, however, Billboard has been the only one of those magazines to have documented and preserved their charts for posterity. As a result, whatever Billboard said about a record back then is taken as gospel today. According to Billboard, I have had seven #1 records, but when you consider all the various charts together, I have had over 20 #1’s.  That’s quite a difference. Kathleen, I’m glad to know I am your favorite singer, and I appreciate your giving me the opportunity to sound off on a subject near and dear to my heart. Thank you.

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Quickies: I’m curious as to just what happens with the many gifts I am sure you receive from fans. I ate most of them! I’m only kidding, of course, but so many of the gifts fans brought to our concerts back in the day were cakes, pies, cookies, etc., and I ate ‘way too many of them! I’ve kept as many of the other gifts as I’ve had room for, and appreciated every  one. Jimmy Capps was a great guitar player, but he seemed to prefer not being in the limelight. I wonder how he was behind the scenes when the cameras were not rolling. Exactly the same as you saw him on TV. He was extremely talented and totally unassuming. The title of his autobiography says it all, “The Man In Back.” That’s where he stood and where he preferred to be. I read in your book that you have charted a song for seven consecutive decades. Have you charted any here in the ’20s to make it eight decades? No, but I’m working on it. And I’ve still got 3 1/2 years to go!! I noticed in last month’s newsletter that in her graduation picture your granddaughter had several cords hanging around her neck as well as a National Honor Society collar. Does each cord signify something different? I had to ask Hallie to identify them for me and here’s what she said: The collar was for being in the top 10% of her class. Two cords, a blue and a gold one, represented her membership in the National Honor Society. A medal was for being a Student Ambassador, the black cord for being on the student council (of which she was president), and the red one for her hosting a Red Cross blood drive at school. She had a wonderful high school career, and her ol’ PawPaw is awfully proud of her….as I am of all my children and grandchildren. Did you write “Walk Out Backwards?” I love that song. Thank you. When people make fun of it I try to deny that I wrote it, but the truth is I actually did. I recently saw a wonderful documentary about Dean Dillon. You mentioned him in a recent newsletter. How is he doing and do you plan to write with him again? So far as I know Dean is doing well, and I’m always open to writing with him. He’s one of the greatest country songwriters of all time. I’d also love to write with his daughter, Jesse. She’s writing more hits these days than me and her daddy combined! I have been a fan of yours as long as you have been singing. It has always been a dream of mine to meet you in person. Do you ever put on shows in the Northwest? I live in central Washington state. Thanks for your kind words. I have performed many times in the great Northwest, and always enjoyed the spectacular scenery and the great country fans out that way. I stopped touring during COVID, though, and haven’t started back. I doubt that I ever will. When you were growing up what made you decide to get into country music? Actually, growing up I wanted to be a professional baseball player. I was a left-handed pitcher in high school with dreams of playing in college and beyond. I decided to go into music, though, when the opposing hitters began moving up in the batters box and hitting my slow-breaking curve ball before it broke. I knew my fast ball wasn’t major league caliber, so I went to work on my G-chord and my songwriting. It all just unfolded from there.

And speaking of “folding,” we need to fold the tent for this go ’round and thank you for another great month of questions. Keep ’em coming, because we’ll be right back here to do this again in August. If you’re curious about something connected to me or to country music, send your inquiries to askbill@billanderson.com or mail them to me at P.O. Box 888, Hermitage, TN. 37076 USA. Submit our Question Of The Month and win any item of your choice from our online store absolutely free. I’ll look forward to hearing from you. Stay curious.