ICYMI: PHOTOS – GRAND OLE OPRY MEMBER BILL ANDERSON’S 62ND ANNIVERSARY, LONGEST-SERVING MEMBER IN SHOW’S HISTORY

Country Music Hall of Fame member, Songwriters Hall of Fame member and ACM and CMA-award-winning entertainment titan, Bill Anderson, will be honored with the 2024 Dr. David Godbold Lifetime Achievement Award by the South Carolina Entertainment and Music Hall of Fame. Anderson was inducted by the organization in 1994, and will be the first Lifetime Achievement Award honoree when the event is held April 25, 2024. Anderson was born in Columbia, South Carolina and lived there for the first 8 years of his life until moving to Georgia.

“My Carolina roots run deep. The first country music I ever heard was broadcast over radio station WIS in Columbia, and the first time I ever saw a country band perform in person was in their studios. My first musical heroes were local entertainers named Byron Parker and Snuffy Jenkins. I am truly humbled to be the first artist to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the South Carolina Entertainment and Music Hall of Fame, and I thank the Board of Directors for their unanimous vote. This is a tremendous honor. I hope to be there to accept it in person,” Bill Anderson

The Dr. David Godbold Lifetime Achievement award carries the name of the founder of the South Carolina Entertainment and Music Hall of Fame and was created to recognize an artist who has previously been inducted and has achieved significant national success in the field of music and/or entertainment. The award is nominated and voted on by the board of directors to celebrate an individual or group who has achieved national prominence through their creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance that shines a positive light on the State of South Carolina.

“The South Carolina Entertainment and Music Hall of Fame voted unanimously to award Bill Anderson as the first artist recipient of the Dr. David Godbold Lifetime Achievement Award. We are thrilled to celebrate this award with Bill because of his lifetime contribution to the millions of country music fans around the world. He truly exemplifies the intent of this award through his work in country music as a singer, songwriter, television host and author. He is an extraordinary man with exceptional talent and has made a tremendous impact in South Carolina as well as so many people around the world,” said Roy Costner, Vice Chairman of the South Carolina Entertainment and Music Hall of Fame

Recently, Anderson was celebrated for his indelible 62 years as the longest-serving member in Grand Ole Opry history.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum currently features the life and illustrious career of Anderson in the exhibition, Bill Anderson: As Far as I Can See, which has been extended through Monday, September 25. The exhibit is an exploration of his life and musical legacy, from childhood through his contributions as one of the most decorated recording artists, songwriters, and entertainers in history.

The Grand Ole Opry will celebrate Country Music Hall of Fame member Bill Anderson as the longest-serving Opry member in the show’s history on Saturday, July 22. Anderson, one of the most awarded songwriters in the history of country music and a highly successful performer in his own right, was inducted in the Opry family on July 15, 1961. His membership has not lapsed in those 62 years, eclipsing the membership run of past Opry member Herman Crook, who joined the Opry in 1926 and remained with the show until his death in 1988.

The Opry will celebrate “Whisperin’ Bill,” with a Saturday night performance set to include Anderson and fellow Opry members Vince Gill, Jamey Johnson, Jeannie Seely, and Ricky Skaggs, among others.

“The Grand Ole Opry continues to be built on the shoulders of Opry members such as Bill Anderson,” said Dan Rogers, Opry vice president and executive producer. “Singling Bill out as the Opry’s longest-tenured member in our history among so many greats who came before him as well as so many contemporaries he calls his friends is a tremendous honor for all of us. We look forward to celebrating his achievement and dedication later this month.”

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum currently features the life and illustrious career of Anderson in the exhibition, Bill Anderson: As Far as I Can See, which has been extended through Monday, September 25. The exhibit is an exploration of his life and musical legacy, from childhood through his contributions as one of the most decorated recording artists, songwriters, and entertainers in history. Learn more about the exhibit and reserve tickets on the museum’s website.

Among the artists scheduled to appear on the Opry in the coming weeks include Trace Adkins, Breland, T. Graham Brown, Deana Carter, Steven Curtis Chapman, Henry Cho, Easton Corbin, Gary Mule Deer, Tom Douglas, Steve Earle, Paul Franklin, Vince Gill, The Isaacs, Jamey Johnson, Lady A, Raul Malo, Megan Moroney, Louise Mandrell, Craig Morgan, Scotty McCreery, Ian Munsick, Dennis Quaid, Ricky Skaggs, Carrie Underwood, and more.

Tickets are on sale now for all Opry 2023 shows running through December 2023 at (615) 871-OPRY and opry.com. For more details go to Opry.com.

Prolific songwriter and country music titan, Whisperin’ Bill Anderson releases 1984, a ten-song collection he recorded nearly 40 years ago for Swanee Records, available to stream for the first time. This is the 75th album release for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame member, whose illustrious career has spanned through an impressive seven decades. Anderson’s prior album release featured a duet with Dolly Parton, “Someday It’ll All Make Sense,” which inspired the 2023 GRAMMY® nominated bluegrass version.

To stream or download 1984, click HERE.  

1984 TRACKLIST:
1. Pity Party
2. This Is The Goodbye (To End All Goodbyes)
3. Wino The Clown
4. I Never Lie To Ruby
5. Country Music Died Today
6. When You Leave That Way
7. With Her
8. Lorene
9. Second Thoughts
10. The Years Fall Away

Recently, The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum announced it extended its exhibition Bill Anderson: As Far as I Can See through Monday, Sept. 25. The exhibit opened in December 2021 and was originally scheduled to close in March of this year. 
 
The exhibit traces Anderson’s story from his youth in Georgia, where he excelled as a baseball pitcher and sportswriter while in high school and a disc jockey in college, through his contributions as one of the most decorated recording artists and songwriters in history. Items featured in Bill Anderson: As Far as I Can See include historic photographs, treasured keepsakes, instruments, manuscripts and more. Touchscreen interactives also give visitors the opportunity to delve into Anderson’s songs and songwriting process through archival materials, performance clips and exclusive interview footage where Anderson reveals the stories behind his songs.
 
Learn more about the exhibit and reserve tickets on the museum’s website.
 
Anderson has placed 80 records on the Billboard charts as a recording artist, with his singles reaching country’s Top Twenty more than 40 times. His original songs have been recorded by a wide array of artists, including James Brown, Elvis Costello, Aretha Franklin, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Louvin Brothers, Dean Martin, Willie Nelson, Charley Pride, Connie Smith, George Strait and many more. As a songwriter, he’s placed songs on the country charts in seven consecutive decades, collaborating in recent years with artists Kenny Chesney, Jamey Johnson, Brad Paisley and many others.