{"id":1320396,"date":"2020-06-08T07:00:45","date_gmt":"2020-06-08T13:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/?p=1821567"},"modified":"2020-06-08T07:00:45","modified_gmt":"2020-06-08T13:00:45","slug":"country-legends-we-love-bill-anderson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/music-news\/country-legends-we-love-bill-anderson\/","title":{"rendered":"Country Legends We Love: Bill Anderson"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"byline\">by <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/author\/morrise\/\" title=\"Posts by Edward Morris\" rel=\"author\">Edward Morris<\/a><\/span> <span class=\"date\">1h ago<\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n<p>In a career that extends for more than 60 years, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/artists\/bill-anderson\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Bill Anderson<\/a> has written and co-written dozens of hits that have since become country standards, including \u201cOnce a Day,\u201d \u201cThe Lord Knows I\u2019m Drinking,\u201d \u201cThe Cold Hard Facts of Life,\u201d \u201cSaginaw, Michigan,\u201d \u201cCity Lights,\u201d \u201cTips of My Fingers,\u201d \u201cWhiskey Lullaby,\u201d and \u201cGive It Away.\u201d His soft, breathy vocal style earned him the moniker \u201cWhisperin\u2019 Bill.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gmmy1Idr1aw?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gmmy1Idr1aw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p>As a recording artist, he charted 80 singles over a period of 33 years, among them the No. 1 singles \u201cStill,\u201d \u201cMama Sang a Song,\u201d \u201cI Get the Fever,\u201d \u201cMy Life (Throw It Away If I Want To)\u201d and \u201cSometimes,\u201d all of which he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Born James William Anderson III on November 1, 1937, he earned a degree in journalism from the University of Georgia while working as a disc jockey and sports writer. In 1957, he recorded his composition \u201cCity Lights\u201d on a small Texas-based label. While his record didn\u2019t make the charts, it did catch the attention of country star Ray Price, who recorded it and took it the following year to No. 1, where it reigned for a phenomenal 13 weeks.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KH2zrXiWUio?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KH2zrXiWUio?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p>By this time, Anderson had signed to Decca Records. His first chart single was the self-penned \u201cThat\u2019s What It\u2019s Like to be Lonesome.\u201d It netted him a respectable No. 12. From 1958 until 1964, every one of the 12 singles Anderson charted were his own compositions, most of them going Top 10 or better. By the time of his final chart appearance in 1991, he\u2019d charted in five consecutive decades.<\/p>\n<p>On July 15, 1961, he joined the Grand Ole Opry. That same year, Roger Miller had a No. 6 single with \u201cWhen Two Worlds Collide,\u201d which he co-wrote with Anderson. Meanwhile, Anderson charted with Top 10 singles like \u201cWalk Out Backwards\u201d and \u201cPo\u2019 Folks,\u201d with the latter becoming the name of his band.<\/p>\n<div class=\"photo\" id=\"92f04c14\">\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"><noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;img&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/05\/Bill-Anderson-1590598075.jpg?quality=0.85&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=480\" srcset=\"http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/05\/Bill-Anderson-1590598075.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=481 481w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/05\/Bill-Anderson-1590598075.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=660 660w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/05\/Bill-Anderson-1590598075.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=768 768w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/05\/Bill-Anderson-1590598075.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=980 980w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/05\/Bill-Anderson-1590598075.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=1200 1200w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/05\/Bill-Anderson-1590598075.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=1500 1500w, http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:file:http:shared:cmt.com\/news\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/05\/Bill-Anderson-1590598075.jpg?quality=0.8&amp;format=jpg&amp;width=1800 1800w\" title=\"Photo of Bill ANDERSON\" class=\"js-srcset-img shortcode-image portrait p3x4\" alt><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<div class=\"photocredit\">Photo by David Redfern\/Redferns<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In 1964, Lefty Frizzell scored a major comeback with the storytelling song \u201cSaginaw, Michigan,\u201d written by Anderson and Don Wayne. It became a four-week No. 1 smash and Frizzell\u2019s highest-charting single in more than a decade. Anderson also recorded No. 1 duets with Mary Lou Turner (\u201cSometimes\u201d) and fellow Opry star Jan Howard (\u201cFor Loving You\u201d).<\/p>\n<p>Ever the experimenter, Anderson struck pay dirt in 1963 with his part-sung-part-spoken \u201cStill.\u201d Besides giving him another No. 1 country hit, it crossed over to the pop charts, where it went to No. 8. He even took a turn at disco in 1978 with \u201cI Can\u2019t Wait Any Longer.\u201d Co-written with his producer Buddy Killen, the song made it all the way to No. 4.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/g5n1zXkB5xw?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/g5n1zXkB5xw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p>Future star Connie Smith was discovered by Anderson at an amateur talent show he was judging in Ohio. Impressed by her powerful, emotionally layered voice, he encouraged her to come to Nashville and provided the young upstart her breakthrough and signature hit, \u201cOnce a Day,\u201d in 1964. It held the No. 1 spot for eight weeks, setting a record for a new female artist. Three years later, she cut Anderson\u2019s \u201cCincinnati, Ohio,\u201d which went Top 5.<\/p>\n<p>His magic touch as a songwriter led an array of other recording artists to clamor for Anderson\u2019s material. Porter Wagoner scored with \u201cThe Cold Hard Facts of Life,\u201d Jean Shepard with \u201cSlippin\u2019 Away,\u201d Conway Twitty with \u201cI May Never Get to Heaven,\u201d the Louvin Brothers with \u201cMust You Throw Dirt in My Face,\u201d and Cal Smith with \u201cThe Lord Knows I\u2019m Drinking.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_WWjqTXAsYk?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_WWjqTXAsYk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p>Finding a welcome resurgence in the \u201890s, Anderson became an in-demand songwriter, composing hits for Vince Gill with \u201cWhich Bridge to Cross (Which Bridge to Burn),\u201d Joe Nichols with \u201cI\u2019ll Wait for You,\u201d Steve Wariner with \u201cTwo Teardrops\u201d (and a remake of \u201cTips of My Fingers\u201d), Kenny Chesney with \u201cA Lot of Things Different,\u201d and George Strait with \u201cGive It Away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As a songwriter Anderson received Grammy nominations for \u201cOnce a Day,\u201d \u201cThe Cold Hard Facts of Life,\u201d \u201cTwo Teardrops\u201d (written with Wariner), and \u201cGive It Away\u201d (written with Jamey Johnson and Buddy Cannon). \u201cGive It Away\u201d also won a 2006 ACM Award and 2007 CMA Award for Song of the Year.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YCyS7EsF-Vc?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YCyS7EsF-Vc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p>\u201cWhiskey Lullaby,\u201d written with Jon Randall and recorded by Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss, secured a 2005 CMA Award for Song of the Year as well. Four years earlier, Paisley and Anderson shared a CMA Award with George Jones and Buck Owens in the vocal event category with \u201cToo Country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/1501175\/bill-anderson-bows-first-country-album-in-four-years\/\">2005 interview<\/a> for CMT.com, Anderson explained how he maintained his interest and success in songwriting even as new generations of composers came to the forefront. \u201cI enjoy writing with the young writers,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are some of them now that at 19 or 20 years of age [will] scare you to death. They just come into it with so much more background and so many more influences and so much more knowledge now that we did.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IZbN_nmxAGk?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IZbN_nmxAGk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<p>Apart from songwriting and recording, Anderson was also a television personality. From 1965 to 1973, he hosted the syndicated <em>The Bill Anderson Show<\/em>. He also hosted ABC\u2019s <em>The Better Sex<\/em> game show (1977-1978) and TNN: The Nashville Network\u2019s <em>Fandango<\/em> (1983-1989) and <em>The Opry Backstage<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Anderson was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1975, the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001, the ACM Poet\u2019s Award in 2007, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018. He remains one of the Grand Ole Opry\u2019s most revered artists.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\">Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jWkKnbDLpRM?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jWkKnbDLpRM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/noscript><\/div>\n<div class=\"author\">\n<div class=\"description\">Edward Morris is a veteran of country music journalism. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a frequent contributor to CMT.com.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/1821567\/country-legends-we-love-bill-anderson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: CMT News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Edward Morris 1h ago In a career that extends for more than 60 years, Bill Anderson has written and co-written dozens of hits that have since become country standards, including \u201cOnce a Day,\u201d \u201cThe Lord Knows I\u2019m Drinking,\u201d \u201cThe Cold Hard Facts of Life,\u201d \u201cSaginaw, Michigan,\u201d \u201cCity Lights,\u201d \u201cTips of My Fingers,\u201d \u201cWhiskey Lullaby,\u201d [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[159],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1320396","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-music-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-16 07:23:06","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSKE Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1320396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1320396"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1320396\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1320396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1320396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1320396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}