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FROM BILL

Hi Gang:
August went out with a bang and now, following Labor Day, here comes September in with a roar. Things are never dull in Whisperville.
I guess by now most of you have seen the footage of my asking Sara Evans if she would like to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry last month. I flew home early from a business trip to California in order to be the one to pop the question, and it was so worth it. The look on Sara’s face and the tears in her eyes told me how much it meant to her, and on October 7th her lifelong dream of Opry membership will come true. That’s the night she will be formally inducted, and it comes during the Opry’s 98th birthday celebration. I hope lots of you can come be with us or at least tune into the festivities.
Sara becomes the fourth artist to whom I have personally extended an Opry membership invitation….joining Brad Paisley, Mel Tillis, and Jamey Johnson. Each of the others has made me awfully proud over the years, and I’m sure Sara will do the same.
What else is going on? Well, my big September weekend will be the 15th and 16th of the month when I will perform on the Friday Opry and then take part in an exciting program inside the Ford Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame the following afternoon. It will be a panel discussion called Opry Memories with Bill Anderson, and will feature myself, Jeannie Seely, Mark Wills, and former Opry general manager, Bud Wendell, talking about what the Opry has meant in each of our lives. The panel will be moderated by the Hall’s Paul Kingsbury and followed by a meet ‘n greet with the fans and all the participants afterward. Several of you have told me that you’ve already gotten your tickets and made your plans for a “wild weekend,” and I hope more of you will join us. Hurry, though, because I’m told it’s almost sold out.
I can’t tell you how many people have congratulated me recently on my becoming the oldest member of the Grand Ole Opry. NO…NO…NO…I am not the oldest member. I know of at least four members who are older than I am. What we were celebrating a few weeks ago was my becoming the LONGEST SERVING member of the Opry in the show’s history. I’ve simply been an Opry member for over 62 consecutive years, longer than any other performer in history. Please don’t try making me any older than I am!
On a more somber note, we have had to say goodbye recently to two ladies who were each, in their own way, a big part of my career back in the day. Bev Porter who played keyboards and sang back-up vocals with my Po’ Folks Band in the eighties, passed away last month from a rare type of leukemia that went undetected until it was too late. She was 67. And Jeanne Chennault, whom some of you knew as Jeanne Gaddis, died Labor Day weekend at the age of 94 near her home in Texas. Jeanne worked for me for 24-years, serving as both my secretary and fan club president. She was the mother of my longtime assistant, Kathy Gaddy. Both Bev and Jeanne contributed so much to my life and my career. They will both be missed.
I had planned to spend the last few days of August and the early days of September relaxing amid the surf and sand in Florida, but unfortunately, a hurricane named Idalia had a similar idea. She was bigger and stronger than me, so I let her have the territory at first. I just relaxed at home until she moved out and I could move in.  Hopefully, I’ll arrive home refreshed and ready to climb back in the saddle. Lots of things involving new music are on the horizon, and I hope it won’t be long before I can share some of them with you.
Have a great month with whatever is on your plate, and we’ll see you back here in my favorite month of October. As always, thanks for everything….

LATEST NEWS

ASK BILL

ASK BILL!
1) I recently found an RCA record by Don Bowman with a parody of your song, “Still.” It says it’s from an album called “Whispering Country.” Can you provide any information about this record?
Don Bowman was the comedian on my syndicated television show from the late sixties into the early seventies, and he loved to tease and pick on me. He, in fact, was the first person to ever refer to me as “Whisperin’ Bill.” He came up with the concept of doing an entire album of parodies on my songs, “Still” being one of them. The album was called “Whispering Country,” and the cover photo showed Don standing over a table of my albums about to chop them to pieces with a meat cleaver. He “butchered” my songs all right, but in a funny and creative way. Don had a tremendous sense of humor and was a dear and valued friend.
2) Why are your CDs and other merchandise not shipped to the UK?
We used to ship our merchandise all over the world, but in recent years international shipping has become not only very expensive but very complicated. As you might expect, there are different rates, rules, and regulations for shipping to each country. We are not a large enough company to afford a computer program sophisticated enough to figure all the various international costs. However, if any of our overseas fans would like to order a specific item and have it shipped to you, contact judy@billanderson.com and ask for the cost of shipping to your particular address. She will manually figure the cost for you, and if you have a Pay Pal account you’ll be able to order. Sorry….I wish it were easier, but like so many things these days, it simply is not.
3) Recently we were watching the Country’s Family Reunion DVD where Jan Howard read her poem about her thoughts on growing older. Do you know of any way to get a copy of that? Yes…you have come to the right place. A man named Ron Harmon is the administrator of Jan’s website, and a free printed copy of Jan’s poem, entitled “Aging”, is available through him. The e-copies are free, and you can request one by e-mailing Ron at JanHowardWebsite@comcast.net. For those of you who might like a hard copy via snail mail, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Ron Harmon, 101 Cottage Place, Nashville, TN. 37214, and he will send you  one by return mail.
Our Question Of The Month comes from Byron in Ohio: When I was at the Opry last year, Don Schlitz was on and did a great job. I noticed that he had a notebook on a music stand which I assume contained the lyrics to his songs. He glanced at it ever so often. My thought was that he has written so many songs that it was hard for him to remember the lyrics. I know you have also written hundreds of songs, and I wonder if you remember the words to every song that you’ve written? At times do you have to refer to a “cheat sheet” if you’re singing a song you haven’t done in a while?
I don’t know anyone who remembers the words to all of their songs. People say, “You wrote it…you should remember it,” but that’s not always the case. I forget the words sometimes, and not just to songs I haven’t done in a while. Not long ago I stood on the Opry stage and couldn’t for the life of me remember second verse of “Wherever She Is,” a song I do quite often on the show. One of the background singers finally had to clue me in. I don’t have a notebook like Don, but I will occasionally ask the Opry staff to put the lyrics to one of my songs on the teleprompter. And there have been other times where I’ve simply re-written the song as I sang it. I laugh and tell the audience, “Well, I wrote it the first time, I guess I can write it again if I want to!”
Quickies: Do you have any news on Helen Cornelius? I know she has had a few health challenges and is basically retired. I would love to hear that she is doing well. We would like to hear that, too, but unfortunately I’m afraid that’s not the case. We all need to keep Helen in our thoughts and prayers. I see you are performing frequently at the Opry. Do you have plans to go back on the road anytime soon? I try to never say never, but I really don’t. With my songwriting, recording, Opry appearances, and the time I enjoy spending with my friends and family, climbing back on a tour bus right now is not high on my list of priorities. I miss the shows and miss being with the fans, but it’s awfully nice to sleep in my own bed every night. My favorite gospel group has always been the Happy Goodman Family. I know your former steel guitar player, Jack Smith, was at one time married to Howard and Vestal Goodman’s daughter. I am curious as to what years he played with you. My memory is not good enough to remember the exact dates, but Jack came with me somewhere in the mid-seventies and stayed until the early eighties. He left Nashville a few years ago and sadly was killed in a car wreck in Arizona not long afterward.
Thanks again for your questions this month, although I didn’t receive as many as I usually do. Don’t be shy…if you have something to do with me or country music that you’d like to know about, write me at askbill@billanderson.com and I’ll try to satisfy your curiosity. If yours is chosen our Question Of The Month you’ll win any item of your choice from our online store absolutely free. See you back here again next month.

LATEST PHOTOS

You can see from this first picture that Sara Evans became very emotional when I asked her if she would like to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Sara was headlining her own concert at the Ryman when some of us (me, Lady A, and Carly Pearce) broke in to present her with an award and pop this very special question. Sara will be officially inducted into the Opry family on October 7th. The second picture is that of a young Bev Porter as she appeared in her early days as the keyboard player and background vocalist in my Po’ Folks Band. Many of you met Bev and heard her play both at the Opry and on our tours over the years. As I indicated earlier in my letter, she was an important part of all that I did back in the eighties.The third picture was taken backstage at the Opry where I recently had the chance to catch up with Becky Isaacs Bowman of the singing group, The Isaacs. As you probably know, Becky was seriously injured in a head-on car crash back in December and has had to undergo several surgeries and intensive rehab. Her spirit, her faith, and her attitude have not wavered, though, and it was wonderful to share some moments with her. What a light of positivity and optimism she is. 

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LATEST JOURNAL

Hi Gang:

I guess the sports fans among you know without my telling you that tonight is the night they will be playing the 93rd Major League All-Star baseball game out in Seattle. For those of you who do not keep tabs on these kinds of things, now you know.

Why do I bring it up? Because exactly 62 years ago today….Tuesday July 11, 1961….I was sitting in my living room watching a black and white telecast of the Major League All-Star baseball game from San Francisco when I received a telephone call that changed my life.

And I almost didn’t get up to answer the phone. Who would dare to call and interrupt me in the middle of such a momentous event anyhow?

After about the third ring, I got up, shuffled into the den, and picked up the receiver. I’m sure my greeting sounded a bit less than cheerful. “HELLO?” I probably growled.

“Bill, this is Ott Devine,” came the instantly recognizable voice on the other end of the line. I had heard those dulcet tones for years on WSM radio and in his role as general manager of the Grand Ole Opry. He didn’t waste any time on pleasantries. “I’m calling to ask if you’d like to become a member of the Opry.”

Suddenly, the ball game was not nearly so significant. I’m not sure I even watched another pitch. I was too busy calling friends and family to share the news. I was made the 48th member of the Opry cast four days later.

Fast forward to July 22nd of this year when I will celebrate becoming the longest-tenured member of the Opry in its nearly 100-year history. Sixty-two years that have literally flown by. Songs, music, friendships, mistakes, applause, joy and sadness…they’ve all been a part of this 62-year roller coaster ride. What an amazing time it’s been.

Thanks to each of you…whether you’ve been on the journey with me the entire time or only recently climbed aboard the train. It’s been an honor to share the miles, the music, and the memories with you. I’m looking forward to a whole bunch more.

And, oh yes, in case you’re wondering, the National League won the ball game 5-4. With eight Atlanta Braves on this year’s team, here’s hoping they do it again!