1) Have you ever thought of doing a Country’s Family Reunion show during the CMA Festival?No, but I’m not in charge of when and where we record our shows. Since CFR doesn’t normally have a studio audience, though, I can’t see much advantage in taping during CMA Music Fest other than perhaps making more people […]
ASK BILL! 1) Do you “do things up” for Christmas in your home or is the decorating more subdued? Also wondering what you do to celebrate the New Year.When my kids were younger, we “did things up” a lot more than I do now. Now I let THEM do most of the decorating at their […]
ASK BILL! 1) I recently watched a half-hour show on PBS called “The Songwriter,” which seemed fairly new, and featured you plugging your last book. It went very smoothly, and I wondered if the questions were submitted ahead of time. It seemed to be entirely spontaneous on your part. No, there was nothing submitted ahead […]
1) In 1988 you made an appearance on Nashville Now and you were singing a great song, but you lost your voice mid-song and had to stop singing. Do you remember that, and do you know the name of the song? I checked all of my albums and never found it. Great song whatever it […]
ASK BILL! 1) Does the Grand Ole Opry dressing room that Roy Acuff used still have some of his pictures on the walls and his sign on the door? Yes. Opry Dressing Room #1, now called “Mr. Roy,” has been preserved much as Mr. Acuff left it, and the door remains open during the shows […]
1) What song did you write that Debbie Reynolds recorded? She recorded “City Lights” back in 1958. 2) How does a singer’s estate (after they pass away) keep making money? And if there are no heirs, who gets that money? When an artist or a songwriter passes away, the royalty stream from their creative works […]
1) How are the guests picked to perform on the Grand Ole Opry? That’s a great question, and I reached out to our talent coordinator, Gina Keltner, for the answer: “Thie Grand Ole Opry is a one-of-a-kind production where all genres of country music are represented. An ideal show will include a mix of the […]
1) The song, “Until The Light Comes On Again,” has some very haunting lyrics in it, and I was wondering if it was written about death, depression, or something else? What is the real meaning of the lyrics? On the video and on the recording that is available for download, I take several seconds to […]
1) Has there ever been a song you could have recorded and didn’t…or a song you have turned down…that charted top ten or even gone to #1?? Yes. I had first crack at “Funny How Time Slips Away,” before it became a big hit for Billy Walker. Willie Nelson, who wrote it, sang it for […]
1) Is there a song or two in your catalog you felt particularly strong about that you think failed to reach its full potential? Something you think you should have done better? I always think I could have done a song better. I’m not sure any artist is ever truly satisfied with their work. One […]