“How sweet it was to come down the straightaway on Briley Parkway the night of October 17th and see the big illuminated sign saying that Bill Anderson would be performing that night on the Grand Ole Opry! It had been seven months since I had walked out on that world-famous stage, and I couldn’t wait […]
My granddaughter, Hallie (12), is a cheerleader for her middle school team, and I had the chance to go see her perform recently. Big brother, Blake, who is the starting center on the high school basketball team, was there as well along with little sister, Sophie. It was a fun outing, made even better by […]
“The top picture is a close-up of the Grand Ole Opry ring I wrote about in the Ask Bill section of our newsletter. You can see the year “1925” embossed on one side of the ring. That’s the year the Opry began. I couldn’t fit both sides into the picture, but on the other side […]
1) One of country music’s greatest radio voices and most noted historians, Eddie Stubbs, has announced his retirement from WSM and the Grand Ole Opry. I first met Eddie when he was on the air at WAMU in Washington, D.C., and encouraged him to come to Nashville. He is a dear friend and my personal […]
Our oldest living fan club member, Bertha Thomas of Pilot Mountain, N.C., celebrated her 103rd birthday on June 8th. She saw her first concert when she was 99, and her daughter brought her to see me in Mt. Airy, N.C. We became instant buddies, and I send her flowers every year on her big day. […]
My granddaughter, Hallie, turned 12-years old on May 9th, and I was able to go to her house and wish her a socially distanced Happy Birthday. Several of her friends gave her a drive-by birthday parade and she was all smiles. Not a normal birthday by any means, but one she definitely won’t forget! I […]
My good friend, Dallas Wayne, whom many of you know from his radio shows on Willie’s Roadhouse at Sirius/XM, recently had this beautiful guitar strap made for me. It is designed to go on the Grammer Guitar that I play at the Opry. It was created by Shawn Ohler in Arkansas, and is something I […]
Jan Howard and I first met in the spring of 1960 when I made my first trip to California. She and her husband, Harlan, invited me out to their home for dinner, and I ended up staying for two days. They moved to Nashville later that year, and in 1966, Jan came to work as […]
It was a chilly night in Nashville, and I didn\’t want my buddy, Little Jimmy Dickens, to get cold, so I loaned him my overcoat as I was leaving the Ryman. His statue stands on the plaza outside, reminding me every time I pass what a special friend and special entertainer he was. Another special […]
I thought you might like to see a few pictures from the shows we did on the Country’s Family Reunion cruise. It was so much fun working alongside my friends, Gene Watson, who is about to become the Grand Ole Opry’s newest member, and Jeannie Seely, who always entertains the crowd. In the bottom photo, […]