FANCLUB

FROM BILL

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.

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ASK BILL

1) Have you ever considered recording cover songs by some of the late and great artists who have gone on? Example – Carl Smith, Hank Williams, Wynn Stewart, and many more?

I’ve recorded many songs over the years that have been hits for some of the greats. I can think of at least four Hank Williams songs that I have done…”Wedding Bells,” “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” “I Dreamed About Mama Last Night,” and “Pictures From Life’s Other Side.” There have probably been others. In recent years, though, the trend has been to record more original songs than covers. But if it fit my project, I would never say no to a great song.

2) Do you think the Opry will ever go back to the same format that it used to be?

I assume you mean to the format where one artist hosted a particular segment of the show, opened and closed that segment with their own songs, and introduced the guest artists…as opposed to having an announcer do it all. They changed the format in response to COVID, with the purpose being to have fewer people onstage at one time. I don’t know what the plan is moving forward, and I’m not sure the Opry even knows at this point. If and when I hear anything, I’ll gladly pass it along. Out of curiosity, which way do you like best?

3) When you wrote “The Lord Knows I’m Drinking” did you write it in the tempo that Cal Smith recorded it or in the tempo you later released?

My version was for my Whisperin’ Bluegrass album, and a bluegrass arrangement just lends itself to a faster tempo. Or, if the tempo itself is not faster, it SOUNDS faster because of the rolling banjo and other acoustical instruments. I wrote the song more in the vein of Cal Smith’s original record, and the fact that it was such a big hit leads me to think that was the right way to do it.

Quickies: Your July newsletter dealt with a question about your high school years. How many people were in your graduating class? That’s been a few years ago, but I seem to remember it was around 140. A friend of mine knew Jack Greene when he worked in your hometown of Decatur, Georgia. Did you know him then? Yes…he worked at a glass repair shop and my dad handled their insurance. Jack played music at night at the Covered Wagon in Atlanta. Do you know why Neal McCoy has never been invited to join the Opry? No I don’t. You’ll have to ask someone who is involved in making those decisions. I am not. Do you have an address where I can write to Connie Smith? You can write to any of the Opry artists in care of the Grand Ole Opry, 2804 Opryland Drive, Nashville, TN. 37214. I seem to remember you once had a drummer you called Snuffy Miller. Was that his real name, and is he still with you? His real name was Len Miller, and he was with me from 1964 into the early 70’s. He passed away a few years ago. What are your thoughts about karaoke music? I try not to think about it.

Thanks for continuing to supply me with interesting questions for the Ask Bill column. If you are curious about something, let me know. I’ll do my best to try and satisfy that curiosity.

Write me at askbill@billanderson.com or in care of P.O. Box 888, Hermitage, TN. 37076. We’ll see you back here next month.

LATEST PHOTOS

“I was honored to be asked to take part in the fund-raising tribute last month for my longtime friends Emmy Joe and Keith Bilbrey following the devastating fire that recently destroyed their home. I had a chance to visit with them prior to the show along with my friend, Sharyl Melvin.The Bilbreys plan to rebuild, and I hope our efforts on their behalf will make things a little bit easier. In the second picture, my buddy Dallas Wayne, the afternoon host on Sirius/XM’s Willie’s Roadhouse, drove down from his new home in Bristol to help me celebrate my 60th Anniversary at the Opry. Anytime Dallas is in the house the room lights up and the laughter abounds. I sure appreciated him and his wife, Jo, taking the time to come join with us. It was back to work on Monday, though, as Bobby Bare came to the recording studio to put his unmistakable voice on a song for my upcoming album. Our dear friend and soon-to-be newest Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member, Buddy Cannon, came by as well. We couldn’t resist posing for a picture together.”

LATEST JOURNAL

July 17th was quite a night as you’re about to see.

It started when backstage guard, Jim Schuermerhorn, greeted me and pointed me toward what seemed like hundreds of flowers sent to me from fans and friends all over the country. Thanks to fan club members Kris Larabee, Judy Hamilton, and Amy Hudson for making the backstage area look so pretty. I “stopped and smelled the roses” and headed to my dressing room. We had an onstage rehearsal for our musical part of the night’s show.

I had promised our club members in attendance that I’d spend some special time with them before the festivities got underway, and I did. Mark Wills hosted a Q&A session, and then they whisked me back to the Opry House for interviews and more interviews. Meantime, the Opry staff was setting up a montage of old photographs and delicious food for the guests who would be arriving backstage to dine and watch the show on a big screen TV. It was a memorable night on stage, capped off by several standing ovations and Vince Gill presenting me with a beautiful, engraved pocket watch.

It was fun seeing so many old friends and new ones at the reception when the show was over. In these pictures you can see me smiling and visiting with my singing partner of many years, Mary Lou Turner; my new friend, Dennis Quaid, as we compared our silver boots; newcomer Stephanie Quayle who sang “Once A Day” on the non-televised portion of the Opry; my son, Jamey, granddaughter Hallie and grandson Blake; David Anderson (no kin), who presented me with a very special and unique portrait that he had drawn; my former booking agent, Carrie Moore Reid, and her twin sister and my songwriting co-hort, Debbie Moore; my three children, Terri, Jenni, and Jamey; and my friends Wendie and Mike Grauer who flew in from Phoenix, Arizona. Mike is the pawn shop owner who found my old Grammer guitar in his shop a few years back. There were many others, but we simply don’t have the space to print all the pictures.

But what an incredible evening and what fantastic memories. Each of you was a part of it in some way…even if you only listened to me on the Opry once or twice over my sixty-years on the show. Thanks for all you have meant to me and all the Opry has meant to me for such a large portion of my life. There are no words to express my gratitude.

I’m already starting to plan for the next sixty!!