Bill Anderson
James William Anderson III is an American country music singer, songwriter, and television host. His soft-spoken singing voice earned him the nickname "Whispering Bill" from music critics and writers. As a songwriter, his compositions have been covered by various music artists since the late 1950s.
Anderson was raised in Decatur, Georgia, and began composing songs while in high school. While in college, he wrote the song "City Lights", which became a major hit for Ray Price in 1958. His songwriting led to his first recording contract with Decca Records that year; shortly afterward, Anderson began to have major hits. In 1963, he released his most successful single, "Still". The song became a major country/pop crossover hit and was followed by a series of top-10 hits. These songs included "I Love You Drops", "I Get the Fever", and "Wild Week-End". His songs were being notably recorded by other artists. In 1964, Connie Smith had her first major hit with his composition "Once a Day". In 1971, Cal Smith had a number-one single with Anderson's "The Lord Knows I'm Drinking".
In the 1970s, Anderson continued having major hits as a recording artist, as well. Songs including "Love Is a Sometimes Thing" and "All the Lonely Women in the World" became major hits. As the decade progressed, his style moved towards the polished countrypolitan genre of country music, with songs such as "I Can't Wait Any Longer". He was dropped from his record label in the early 1980s and began a brief career in television, which included hosting the game shows The Better Sex and Fandango. Anderson began writing songs again in the early 1990s for the next generation of country performers. Collaborating with other writers, he wrote material that went on to become hits for Vince Gill, George Strait, Kenny Chesney, and Steve Wariner in the next two decades.
Anderson also continued to record into the 1990s. In 1998, he released his first major label album in over a decade, entitled Fine Wine. He continued to release music through his own TWI record label, including projects of gospel and bluegrass material. His most recent studio album was released in 2020. In his career as both a writer and performer, he has received awards from the Academy of Country Music, Country Music Association, Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Early life
James William Anderson III was born to Elizabeth and James William Anderson Jr. in Columbia, South Carolina; his sister Elizabeth Anderson was born two years later. Their mother was a homemaker and their father was an insurance agent. He spent his early childhood with his family in Columbia. then when he was in third grade, the family moved to his grandparents' home in Griffin, Georgia, and shortly afterward moved into their own home in Decatur, Georgia, where he attended Avondale High School and spent the remainder of his childhood. In Decatur, his father opened his own insurance agency firm, which he continued to own until his retirement. In his 2016 autobiography, Anderson described his childhood as "average", recalling that he "never went to bed hungry", although the family did not have many material possessions.In school, Anderson was active in 4-H organizations and played both baseball and football. He was most interested in music, though, having been inspired by his grandparents, who played instruments. His interest grew further after watching country musicians perform on a radio station, located directly above his father's insurance company. Anderson soon saved enough money to purchase his own guitar. At age 10, he wrote his first song called "Carry Me Home Texas".
In high school, Anderson and his friends formed their own band and won a school talent contest. The band began performing around the local area, eventually performing on local radio as the Avondale Playboys. Anderson's strong interest in baseball continued through high school, as well. He became his high-school team's pitcher and was scouted to go to the Chicago Cubs training camp. However, Anderson declined the offer after realizing that his family would be upset if he did not attend college. Upon graduating high school, he enrolled at the University of Georgia and majored in journalism.
Anderson had dabbled with journalism before enrolling in university. While still in high school, he wrote for his school's newspaper and also obtained a job covering sports events for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In his freshman year, he pledged the Kappa Sigma fraternity. He and several students formed a country band called the "Classic City Playboys" and began playing local events. He also became interested in radio station work after a DJ friend introduced him to some of the controls. "I thought I was Superman. I knew that night I had to get a job as a disc jockey", he recalled.
Anderson graduated from college in 1959. During his first summer out of college, he got a job working as a rock and roll DJ at WGAU in Athens, Georgia. However, he was fired after playing country records over the air and was then hired at WJJC in Commerce, Georgia. Anderson began songwriting again after obtaining the new position. In Commerce, Anderson wrote the song "City Lights". The song ultimately brought him to Nashville, where both his songwriting and recording careers began.
Recording career
1958–1962: Early success
Anderson's own recording career began in 1957 after he released two singles in the independent label TNT. Both songs attracted little attention, but the success brought by Ray Price's version of "City Lights" led Anderson to frequent Nashville, Tennessee. In the city, he brought compositions for artists and producers to record. Owen Bradley of Decca Records was impressed by Anderson's writing, and decided to sign him to the label as a recording artist. Anderson officially signed with Decca in the summer of 1958. His early Decca singles were entirely self-composed. Anderson's first Decca release in December 1958 was called "That's What It's Like to Be Lonesome". The song became a major hit the following year when it climbed to the number 12 position on the Billboard Hot Country and Western Sides chart. He followed this in 1959 with the top-20 hits "Ninety-Nine" and "Dead or Alive".In 1960, "The Tip of My Fingers" became his first top-10 hit on the country chart, reaching number seven in August 1960. The song was later recorded and made hits individually by Eddy Arnold, Roy Clark, Jean Shepard and Steve Wariner. In 1961, the single "Po' Folks" reached number nine on the Billboard country songs chart. The success of "Po' Folks" led Anderson to receive an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry cast. Anderson accepted and joined the program the same year. This was followed by his first number-one hit, "Mama Sang a Song". It was also his first single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 89. Although successful, Anderson's early singles were not initially included on studio album releases. Instead, Decca issued his early hits on the 1962 compilation ''Bill Anderson Sings Country Heart Songs.''
1963–1976: "Still" and further career success
By 1963, Anderson's recording career was expanding further. He toured frequently and made public appearances to promote his music. Anderson was inspired to write his 1963 composition, "Still", after encountering an ex-girlfriend while promoting a song. The same night, he wrote the lyrics to the track on an Underwood typewriter at three o'clock in the morning. "Still" became the biggest single of his recording career. In April 1963, it reached number one on the Billboard country and western songs chart. It also became his second single to reach the Billboard Hot 100, but was his first successful crossover hit there, reaching number eight in June 1963. The track was also his first single to become a hit on the Billboard easy listening chart, reaching number three that June. The song's success led to the 1963 release of Anderson's debut studio album of the same name. The LP reached number ten on the Billboard country albums chart in January 1964 and the top 40 of the Billboard 200 in late 1963.The success of "Still" further elevated Anderson's recording career. This included making national television appearances on shows such as American Bandstand, where he performed his follow-up crossover hit "8×10". He won awards from several major music publications, including Billboard, ''Cashbox, and Music Reporter. He scheduled more concert engagements and made as much as $500 per gig. His success led Decca to record and release studio albums with more frequency. These albums were also successful. His second studio LP, Bill Anderson Sings, reached the top 10 of the country albums chart. His 1966 studio release reached number one on the same chart. Album releases were fueled by further hit singles, including "Bright Lights and Country Music", "Five Little Fingers", and "Three A.M." Music writers took notice of Anderson's music success, as well. Billboard magazine called his 1964 album, Showcase, "a powerful set of performances". Kurt Wolff of the book Country Music: The Rough Guide credited his success to a "fairly safe and suburban" musical style.
His chart hits continued through the 1960s, and many of these songs were self-composed. His 1966 release, "I Love You Drops", was inspired by the Chuck Berry hit "Memphis Tennessee". His next self-written release also became his third number-one hit, titled "I Get the Fever". He had further top-10 hits with "Get While the Gettin's Good" and "No One's Gonna Hurt You Anymore". During this time, Anderson formed his own touring band, which he named "The Po' Boys" after his 1961 hit. The band frequently received credit on his studio albums and single releases. He also started his own television program, The Bill Anderson Show, which was taped in Canada and Nashville. In the mid 1960s, he began performing duets with country artist Jan Howard, who was also on Decca Records. Believing they could be a successful recording partnership, the pair approached producer Owen Bradley with the idea of recording together. Bradley agreed, and the duo released their first single in 1965. In 1968, the pair had their first major hit with the duet "For Loving You". The song became a number-one hit on the Billboard country chart and led to several more successful collaborations.
Following several more hits, Anderson reached the number-one position for a fifth time in May 1969 with "My Life ". Both this, and the hit "But You Know I Love You", were included on his 1969 studio album. He began diversifying his album releases during this period with the recording of a gospel LP, I Can Do Nothing Alone, in 1967 and a holiday LP, Christmas, in 1969. A greatest hits package, Bill Anderson's Greatest Hits, was also issued and it reached number six on the country albums survey. Anderson continued releasing regular country albums as well, outputting as much as three per year by the early 1970s. His country LP's often included a mix of original material and cover versions. On his 1971 release, Always Remember,'' Greg Adams of AllMusic commented that it "confounds expectations" for delivering original vocal performances of songs first cut by Kris Kristofferson and Kenny Rogers. A series of uninterrupted top ten hits followed his early 1970s albums. During this time frame, he had hits with "Love Is a Sometimes Thing", "Where Have All Our Heroes Gone", "If You Can Live with It ", and "The Corner of My Life". In February 1974, he had his first number-one hit in five years with "World of Make Believe".