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BillsJournal-BNR1

Hi Gang:

One of my boyhood heroes was (and is) a sportswriter in Atlanta named Furman Bisher. When I was a teenager and attempting to be a bit of a sportswriter myself, I wanted to grow up to be him.

Every Thanksgiving he would write a column in the paper listing the things he was most thankful for that particular year. With apologies for borrowing his idea, I’ve made a little list of my own:

I’M THANKFUL….

For the sun that came up over the Tennessee hills this morning, and that I was able to get up out of bed, make coffee, and be gifted with another day as a small part of God’s incredible creation.

I’m thankful that one is never considered “too old” to be a songwriter.

I’m thankful for the gift of “Whiskey Lullaby”, and the fact that it succeeded in spite of being so different from most of the songs on today’s country radio.

I’m thankful for the lives and the legacies of those we’ve lost this year, including Skeeter Davis and Roy Drusky, who inspired me with their talents and honored me with their friendship. And I’m thankful that Kris Kristofferson and Jim Fogelsong received their just due by being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

I’m thankful that I got into the music business at a time when value was placed on each artist being a unique stylist and being different from others in the genre.

I’m thankful for the gift of laughter, and I’m glad I’ve had the good fortune of getting to know and laugh along with Roger Miller, Grandpa Jones, Minnie Pearl, Lewis Grizzard, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Gateley, and Little Jimmy Dickens.

I’m thankful for the towns and cities along our concert trail that have sidewalks, hiking trails, and picturesque parks where I can go walking during my visits.

I’m thankful for having had the opportunity recently to re-visit the two houses of my childhood where I most remember growing up. But I sure thought the front yard of our house in South Carolina was bigger than it is!

As much as I miss my mom, I’m thankful she didn’t have to live to experience the horror of 9/11….nor see our neat little white house on Conway Road now painted an outlandish shade of red with white trim. And yet I can’t help but wonder what that witty and acerbic little lady would have said when she saw it!

I’m thankful my sister continues to stand toe-to-to with the Big C, fighting it has hard as anyone possibly could. I’m thankful she has learned to take each day as it comes…living with a grateful and determined attitude.

I’m thankful for the birth of two new grandchildren this year, and the wonderful love and joy I continue to receive from the four that were already here.

I’m thankful for three children, two sons-in-law, and a daughter-in-law who bless and brighten my life every day. I’m especially thankful for my son’s unshakable faith in the face of all the uncertainties within the airline industry these days…an industry he loves and in which he is employed.

I’m thankful for our servicemen and women who, by no choice of their own, must spend Thanksgiving apart from their friends and families this year because they are somewhere helping protect the freedoms the rest of us too often take for granted.

I’m thankful for the little 85-year old lady who proudly told me, “I’ve listened to you all my life!”

And I’m thankful for each of you, my fans and my friends, who stopped by my web site today. May we each be renewed by the season and reminded of our many, many blessings…not just at Thanksgiving, but on every single day of the year.

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July 11, 2020

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!

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June 28, 2023

Hi Gang:

If you know me very well, or have known me for very long, you know that I have a deep love, appreciation, and respect for bluegrass music.

I have written and recorded several bluegrass-oriented songs throughout the space of my career, and have had many of my country songs given bluegrass/acoustical interpretations by some of the most talented bluegrass artists in the world. It would be easier to list the legendary artists from that genre who have NOT recorded my songs, in fact, than to list the ones who have. Even the Grammy nomination Dolly and I received last year was for our bluegrass version of “Someday It’ll All Make Sense.”

I have toured and performed alongside most of the bluegrass greats and become close friends with many of them in the process. That’s why it hurt so bad this week to learn we’re all having to say goodbye to two of the very best….Jesse McReynolds and Bobby Osborne.

Both Jesse and Bobby were my Opry Brothers, and I can’t count the times I’ve shared the stage alongside each of them. I’ve introduced them on hundreds of Opry broadcasts, stepped aside and marveled at Jesse’s incredible mandolin cross-pickin’, and sung ‘Rocky Top’ with Bobby, off-mike, off-key, and in the shadows, more times than I could possibly recall. I came to know Jesse when he and his brother, Jim, were one of the top duet acts in the world…and the same for Bobby and his brother, Sonny.

I could tell stories about how Jim & Jesse performed with me in front of the largest live audience I have ever sung for…and how Bobby, both with Sonny and on his own, wrapped his indelible voice around a whole bunch of Bill Anderson songs over the years and made them his own.

We’ve shared cars, busses, dressing rooms and laughs…happy times and sad…and I’m a better person for having known them all.

There surely must be some beautiful acoustical music up in Heaven tonight. Rest in peace, my friends, and thanks for using your incredible talents to make this ol’ world…and particularly my little corner of it…a much better place.

 

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May 29, 2023

I hope while you are out today enjoying your grill, your boat, your ice cream freezer, your nearby lake or beach, that you don’t forget to pause and remember why we celebrate Memorial Day in the first place.

An awful lot of brave men and women have laid down their lives over the years so that we can enjoy the wonderful blessing we have in this country called “freedom.”

It’s not asking too much, is it, that we pause for a moment this afternoon to remember?To say thank you…even though we might not recognize a face in a picture or a name on a wall?

These heroes were somebody’s brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, mothers, and fathers. The least we can do on this day is remember….and whisper, “Thanks.”