By the end of the 1970's, Bill Anderson was one of the most decorated songwriters in music history. But the iconic
singer, songwriter, performer, and TV host came to a point in his career where he questioned if what he had to say mattered anymore. Music Row had changed, a new generation of artists and songwriters had transformed the genre.
The HoF member and long time Grand Ole Opry star was no longer "relevant" (i.e. in vogue). By 1990, he wasn't even writing anymore. Bad investments left him teetering at bankruptcy's edge. His second marriage was falling apart. And in Nashville, a music town (no longer just country music) where youth now carried the day, he was a museum piece-only seen as a nostalgia act, waving from the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. Anderson was only in his fifties when he assumed he had climbed all the mountains he was intended to scale. But in those moments plagued with self-doubt, little did he know, his most rewarding climb lie still lay ahead.
A versatile entertainer, Anderson hosted his own syndicated TV show, "The Bill Anderson Show" (1965–73), he was the first country star to host a network game show (ABC’s "The Better Sex", 1977–78), followed by "Fandango" (1983–89). He co-hosted the long-running "Opry Backstage", appeared in several country-oriented movies and a soap opera (ABC’s "One Life to Live"). He is the author of 1989 and 2016 autobiographies and a 1993 memoir, "I Hope You’re Living as High on the Hog as the Pig You Turned Out to Be", wrote a column for "Country Song Roundup" magazine for many years. For
7 years from 2006 he hosted the acclaimed “Bill Anderson Visits With The Legends” show and for 23 years has headlined the popular "Country’s Family Reunion".
'The Corner of My Life' was released in 1973, from the album "Bill". The song peaked at # 2 (# 1 in Canada). It's one of those country songs sung by a "maturing" singer (now 36 years old) for an adult audience, basically saying what his idea of a "lady friend" now is - with a description better appreciated through with age and experience-
"... You're a number I can phone you're a letter I can write / You're my water when I'm thirsty in the middle of the night
You're a warm and tender body you're a woman not a wife / And just knowing you has brightened the corner of my life..."
In 1976 Anderson enlisted Mary Lou Turner as duet partner for the recording of 'Sometimes', a playful, back-and-forth duet. It opens with Anderson speak-singing questions such as “Hello, beautiful, are you married?” and “Tell me, are you happy?” with Turner responding each time, “Sometimes.” With lines like “But you haven’t thought of cheating, have you?
/ Yes, sometimes,” the track was fairly risque for the mid-'70s and the core southern market - but not risque enough to stop it from becoming a # 1 hit -
In 1977, Anderson's longtime producer, Owen Bradley was replaced by Buddy Killen. With Killen, Anderson's musical sound shifted from Nashville Sound ballads towards uptempo Countrypolitan. The new sound was reflected in his latest albums and singles. In 1977, Anderson had two major hits with the uptempo 'Head to Toe' and 'Still the One'
Anderson then had a major hit in 1978 with the disco-flavored 'I Can't Wait Any Longer'. The song actually peaked at # 4, reflecting the invasive influence of disco even into country at that time - as well as the lengths Anderson would go to to stay "relevant" - but I had to include this song here because it's so ... strange. No Nashville Sound or country rock here, but good old country disco! - with Anderson whispering a countryfied imitation of Barry White! After this song came out, Anderson was briefly nicknamed "Barely White" -
The disco-tinged 'I Can't Wait Any Longer' was Anderson's last top 10 hit. As the 1970s gave way to the 1980s, a new
pop flavor invaded country music. By 1982, his inability to score a follow-up hit led him away from both songwriting
and recording. Instead, he became a regular presence on television, hosting game shows (ABC's "The Better Sex",
TNN's "Fandango") and spending several years in the cast of the soap opera One Life to Live; he also hosted the TNN
talk show "Opry Backstage".
After a decade of striving to update his musical style, Anderson recognized not to compromise the country flavour
of his music in order to accommodate the fickle whims of short-lived music fads. When Steve Wariner hit the top 5
in 1992 with his cover of 'Tip of My Fingers' (the first Anderson song featured 2 days ago) he returned to songwriting.
Partnerin with various Nashville pros, his songs were recorded by various contemporary artists. In 1998, Anderson also returned to recording, with the album "Fine Wine". In 2001, he released "A Lot of Things Different", which featured Anderson's version of the title track (a hit for Kenny Chesney). 'The Way I Feel followed In 2005
The studio album "Songwriter" was released in 2010 and in this number from it, the then 73 year old Anderson shows he still had his songwriting skills - and his sense of humour. Here he reverses the normal country music reaction of grief and despair over being dumped to that of relief. Anderson, who by this stage in his life, after 2 failed marriages, had several relationships with much younger women (of which one endured until her death by cancer in 2016), insisted this song was literally true in every way - but he never named the woman it was about. From my own life experience, I fully believe Bill on this being true - but still get a laugh out of it -
"... She told me you ain't nothing like my daddy / She told me how to dress and how to drive
She told me you don't kiss like my old boyfriend / But my favorite thing she ever told me was goodbye ..."
Still going strong at age 83, Anderson released 'It's a Good Day to Have a Good Day' in October 2020 following the debut of his 73rd album, "The Hits Re-Imagined", -
That's enough for today, but I haven't yet finished with Whisperin Bill just yet - actually I have with his singing, but Anderson himself rightly regards himself as a song-writer first and foremost, and many, probably most in fact, of his
best songs were written not for himself (and his limited vocal range) but for others. So tomorrow, for something
different in this history, we'll look at some of the biggest Bill Anderson written hits recorded by other artists.
singer, songwriter, performer, and TV host came to a point in his career where he questioned if what he had to say mattered anymore. Music Row had changed, a new generation of artists and songwriters had transformed the genre.
The HoF member and long time Grand Ole Opry star was no longer "relevant" (i.e. in vogue). By 1990, he wasn't even writing anymore. Bad investments left him teetering at bankruptcy's edge. His second marriage was falling apart. And in Nashville, a music town (no longer just country music) where youth now carried the day, he was a museum piece-only seen as a nostalgia act, waving from the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. Anderson was only in his fifties when he assumed he had climbed all the mountains he was intended to scale. But in those moments plagued with self-doubt, little did he know, his most rewarding climb lie still lay ahead.
A versatile entertainer, Anderson hosted his own syndicated TV show, "The Bill Anderson Show" (1965–73), he was the first country star to host a network game show (ABC’s "The Better Sex", 1977–78), followed by "Fandango" (1983–89). He co-hosted the long-running "Opry Backstage", appeared in several country-oriented movies and a soap opera (ABC’s "One Life to Live"). He is the author of 1989 and 2016 autobiographies and a 1993 memoir, "I Hope You’re Living as High on the Hog as the Pig You Turned Out to Be", wrote a column for "Country Song Roundup" magazine for many years. For
7 years from 2006 he hosted the acclaimed “Bill Anderson Visits With The Legends” show and for 23 years has headlined the popular "Country’s Family Reunion".
'The Corner of My Life' was released in 1973, from the album "Bill". The song peaked at # 2 (# 1 in Canada). It's one of those country songs sung by a "maturing" singer (now 36 years old) for an adult audience, basically saying what his idea of a "lady friend" now is - with a description better appreciated through with age and experience-
"... You're a number I can phone you're a letter I can write / You're my water when I'm thirsty in the middle of the night
You're a warm and tender body you're a woman not a wife / And just knowing you has brightened the corner of my life..."
In 1976 Anderson enlisted Mary Lou Turner as duet partner for the recording of 'Sometimes', a playful, back-and-forth duet. It opens with Anderson speak-singing questions such as “Hello, beautiful, are you married?” and “Tell me, are you happy?” with Turner responding each time, “Sometimes.” With lines like “But you haven’t thought of cheating, have you?
/ Yes, sometimes,” the track was fairly risque for the mid-'70s and the core southern market - but not risque enough to stop it from becoming a # 1 hit -
In 1977, Anderson's longtime producer, Owen Bradley was replaced by Buddy Killen. With Killen, Anderson's musical sound shifted from Nashville Sound ballads towards uptempo Countrypolitan. The new sound was reflected in his latest albums and singles. In 1977, Anderson had two major hits with the uptempo 'Head to Toe' and 'Still the One'
Anderson then had a major hit in 1978 with the disco-flavored 'I Can't Wait Any Longer'. The song actually peaked at # 4, reflecting the invasive influence of disco even into country at that time - as well as the lengths Anderson would go to to stay "relevant" - but I had to include this song here because it's so ... strange. No Nashville Sound or country rock here, but good old country disco! - with Anderson whispering a countryfied imitation of Barry White! After this song came out, Anderson was briefly nicknamed "Barely White" -
The disco-tinged 'I Can't Wait Any Longer' was Anderson's last top 10 hit. As the 1970s gave way to the 1980s, a new
pop flavor invaded country music. By 1982, his inability to score a follow-up hit led him away from both songwriting
and recording. Instead, he became a regular presence on television, hosting game shows (ABC's "The Better Sex",
TNN's "Fandango") and spending several years in the cast of the soap opera One Life to Live; he also hosted the TNN
talk show "Opry Backstage".
After a decade of striving to update his musical style, Anderson recognized not to compromise the country flavour
of his music in order to accommodate the fickle whims of short-lived music fads. When Steve Wariner hit the top 5
in 1992 with his cover of 'Tip of My Fingers' (the first Anderson song featured 2 days ago) he returned to songwriting.
Partnerin with various Nashville pros, his songs were recorded by various contemporary artists. In 1998, Anderson also returned to recording, with the album "Fine Wine". In 2001, he released "A Lot of Things Different", which featured Anderson's version of the title track (a hit for Kenny Chesney). 'The Way I Feel followed In 2005
The studio album "Songwriter" was released in 2010 and in this number from it, the then 73 year old Anderson shows he still had his songwriting skills - and his sense of humour. Here he reverses the normal country music reaction of grief and despair over being dumped to that of relief. Anderson, who by this stage in his life, after 2 failed marriages, had several relationships with much younger women (of which one endured until her death by cancer in 2016), insisted this song was literally true in every way - but he never named the woman it was about. From my own life experience, I fully believe Bill on this being true - but still get a laugh out of it -
"... She told me you ain't nothing like my daddy / She told me how to dress and how to drive
She told me you don't kiss like my old boyfriend / But my favorite thing she ever told me was goodbye ..."
Still going strong at age 83, Anderson released 'It's a Good Day to Have a Good Day' in October 2020 following the debut of his 73rd album, "The Hits Re-Imagined", -
That's enough for today, but I haven't yet finished with Whisperin Bill just yet - actually I have with his singing, but Anderson himself rightly regards himself as a song-writer first and foremost, and many, probably most in fact, of his
best songs were written not for himself (and his limited vocal range) but for others. So tomorrow, for something
different in this history, we'll look at some of the biggest Bill Anderson written hits recorded by other artists.