Re: Bill Anderson article
Jon Weisberger wrote: The guy is a monster When I hear the name Bill Anderson I have to contend with "I Get The Fever" going through my head for a day or two. That tune and it's instrumentation really suits his voice. WWWestern
Bill Anderson article
Here's an excellent article on Whisperin' Bill's resurgence from this week's Nashville Scene: On the Right Track Straight-shooting Anderson maintains solid career after four decades By Michael McCall No other performer spans the growth of the Nashville music industry in quite the same way as Bill Anderson. His career goes back 40 years, starting in 1958, when he wrote "City Lights" for Ray Price. Mere months later, he became a hit-maker in his own right. What's even more impressive is that these days he's a successful songwriter once more, turning out tunes for a whole new generation of artists. "I first started coming here at the tail end of the hillbilly era," recalls Anderson, who was a 19-year-old college student in Georgia when he penned "City Lights." "I remember seeing them pull their Cadillacs up to the old Clarkston Hotel and strap the bass on top and take off. I did some of that--I've ridden in a car with a bass fiddle on my lap." After "City Lights," Anderson wrote hits for Jim Reeves, Eddy Arnold, Kitty Wells, Porter Wagoner, and dozens of other country stars. By 1960, he had joined such luminaries as Harlan Howard and Roger Miller in helping to build the city's booming publishing business. Besides the often-recorded "The Tip of My Fingers," which became a top-10 hit for the fourth time when Steve Wariner revived it in 1992, Anderson created such country classics as Connie Smith's "Once a Day" and Lefty Frizzell's "Saginaw, Michigan" (the latter cowritten with Don Wayne). As a performer, he worked with producer Owen Bradley, blending rural homilies and Southern morals into smooth, contemporary musical settings. With hits like "Still," "Po' Folks," and "Mama Sang a Song," he drew on classic country themes yet gave them a modern sheen. With Bradley's help, Anderson learned how to use his limited vocal range to convey the quiet emotions packed into his well-crafted lyrics--hence his nickname, "Whisperin' Bill." His countrypolitan sound played a big part in moving country away from the raucousness of Webb Pierce, Faron Young, and Carl Smith toward the smoother sounds that dominated the '60s. Then, as now, Anderson owned a conservative, low-key style and "didn't hang out as much as some of 'em," he says. Cordial and helpful, he carried a poise and a sense of responsibility that set him apart from many hard-living country music types. That's why, in addition to recording 37 top 10 songs between 1961 and 1978, he was able to adapt so well to television. Besides hosting a syndicated country music show, Anderson struck away from the pack and started appearing regularly on daytime TV. He began with appearances as a guest on Match Game, Hollywood Squares, and Family Feud. From there, he became the first country star to host his own game show, The Better Sex, as well as the first with a recurring role on a soap opera, One Life to Live. "I never started out to do any of that," Anderson says with a shrug. "But the opportunities were there, and I said, `Why not?' " Such work not only augmented his career--it extended it. In 1982, after 23 years, Anderson left MCA/Decca, and he decided to give up songwriting. "The industry was into a real pop kind of sound," he says. "I had a little trouble identifying with that. So I quit writing." Instead, he used his television experience to become a central figure on The Nashville Network, then a fledgling cable station. He hosted a music-trivia game show, Fandango, and helped develop the You Can Be a Star program. He eventually became host of the Saturday-night Opry Backstage show, on which he is still a regular. Several years ago, when Wariner scored a hit "The Tip of My Fingers," Anderson felt "inspired to get back into writing again." It was the right move: Anderson has become one of Music Row's hottest, and most unlikely, hit tunesmiths of the late '90s. In addition to cuts by Vince Gill, Bryan White, Lorrie Morgan, Wade Hayes, and Rick Trevino, he currently has two of the fastest-rising songs on the country charts: Mark Wills' "Wish You Were Here" and Steve Wariner's "Two Teardrops." Moreover, his newfound resurgence earned him the chance to record a major-label album for the first time in over 15 years. His recent Warner Bros. release Fine Wine features classic Anderson-style recitations, along with reflections on the values of love and the pitfalls of modern life. "I'm having so much fun," he says. "I had never written like they do today. They make appointments and meet at the office at 10 a.m., write for a while, go to lunch, come back. It's like punching a time clock. "Writing used to be a lonely profession; it was something you did at night with the shades pulled down. You'd see how miserable you could get, then you'd write a song. I didn't cowrite much, because I thought nobody would understand me because I was weird. But it turns out it's fun to get with people and see that they're coming from the same place you are."
RE: Bill Anderson article
That *is* an excellent article. It ought to be pointed out, though, that "City Lights," "Once A Day" and "Saginaw, Michigan" barely begins to start scratching the surface of great Anderson songs; I suppose that editorially speaking it would have made for excess to list many more than three. Still, folks interested in songwriting ought to head over to http://bmi.com and check out Anderson's catalog; in my opinion, he's one of the very best ever at it. Fine Wine is a pretty enjoyable album, too, and there's a great song on there every musician ought to check out, called "My Van." Jon Weisberger Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger/
RE: Bill Anderson article
I'm telling you, there's about 13 pages of BMI registrations under the first "Anderson Bill" entry at http://bmi.com, at about 20 songs a page. The guy is a monster, right up there with Harlan Howard, Roger Miller and Pete Goble. Jon Weisberger Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger/
RE: Bill Anderson article
How much did they ever wanna do anything else? The irony here is that if there had been a P2 back then, some folks on the list would have been pointing to the same thing in relation to Anderson. Not that he's wrong, mind you, but I'll bet that he'd argue that there's a difference between, say, Owen Bradley or Chet Atkins and Pat Quigley, and I suspect that not everyone would agree that there is. First of all, who's Pat Quigley? Prexy/CEO of Capitol Nashville, the one who purportedly suggested calling Patsy Cline to see if she'd duet with John Berry. The irony *here* is... Second, there was something in that big bad Carlin book of country music, in which he stated that Atkins has been apologetic about his 60s pop production, averring that it was a desperate and deliberate strategy to save the industry from ruin, as opposed to a valid artistic statement. Atkins has said more than once that the development of the Nashville Sound had an economic motivation, but I don't know that he's ever counterposed it to valid artistic statements. Terry, you really might want to think about picking up a copy of Joli Jensen's book, _The Nashville Sound: Authenticity, Commercialization, and Country Music." Lots of direct quotes on the subject therein. Jon Weisberger Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger/
RE: Bill Anderson article
Atkins has said more than once that the development of the Nashville Sound had an economic motivation, but I don't know that he's ever counterposed it to valid artistic statements. Jon, I swear I'm not making this up, but I read somewhere (and it wasn't Carlin's book) an interview with Chet in which he expressed what sounded to me like some honest-to-God regret for his role (as a producer/arranger) in influencing the stylistic direction country music had taken (i.e. away from it's "rural" roots). Now I bet you want me to find this article, right? g Terry, you really might want to think about picking up a copy of Joli Jensen's book, _The Nashville Sound: Authenticity, Commercialization, and Country Music." Lots of direct quotes on the subject therein. From whom? Sounds like I need to find this book, too. Jim Nelson
Re: Bill Anderson article
Jon quoted from texts that quoted Chet Atkins, as follows: "In 1976, Chet Atkins made an ambivalent apology for his role in redefining the sound of country music: I hate to see country going uptown beause it's the wrong uptown. We're about to lose our identity and get all mixed up with other music. We were always a little half-assed anyway, but a music dies when it becomes a parody of itself, which has happened to some extent with rock. Of course, I had a lot to do with changing country, and I do apologize. We did it to broaden the appeal, and to keep making records different, to surprise the public." Then Jon continues: Which, she goes on to point out, is a complex statement: "He expresses regret for his part in fostering these developments but then justifies his role in both commercial (broadening appeal) and creative (making records different) terms, in relation to a public that he sought to please." This stuff is fascinating as hell, and I hope P-2ers aren't turning off to this because it looks to them like an obscure argument about some has-been era of country music. To me, this goes to the heart of most of the debates we have on this list. I think I come from the perspective that if you broaden the appeal of the music, you're diluting it, and its artistic merit is thus lessened. But as you point out about Atkins, that doesn't necessarily have to be the case, particularly if you're experimenting with sounds, as Atkins was doing. Of course, the history of popular music is full of examples of folks who had both broad appeal and incredible artistic merit. She loves you, ya, ya, ya. Stubborn me, I still feel that "broadening appeal" can just as likely -- can more likely -- have the effect of sapping the strength and honesty from music. It's not black and white, obviously; as usual, we're talking about likelihoods, tendencies, etc. No argument, though, that Chet Atkins was an amazing artist, both as a guitarist and producer. He sought a new sound and he got it. I'm just not that thrilled by it. -- Terry Smith ps so Patrick Carr is known to some of you all. That CMF book I quoted from had the singular deficiency of excluding any capsule bios of the essay authors.
Re: Bill Anderson article
that *is* an excellent article. It ought to be pointed out, though, that "City Lights," "Once A Day" and "Saginaw, Michigan" barely begins to start scratching the surface of great Anderson songs; I suppose that editorially speaking it would have made for excess to list many more than three. Still, folks interested in songwriting ought to head over to http://bmi.com and check out Anderson's catalog; in my opinion, he's one of the very best ever at it. Fine Wine is a pretty enjoyable album, too, and there's a great song on there every musician ought to check out, called "My Van." Jon Weisberger Kenton County, KY [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.fuse.net/jonweisberger/ It's also interesting that "Saginaw, Michigan" keeps getting singled out as one of Anderson's greatest creations when he actually had less to do with writing it than with any of his other songs. He just helped the guy with a couple of lines and instead of a writer's credit, he was supposed to get the first crack at recording it. When the song somehow wound up with Lefty Frizzell instead, Anderson was given a cowriting credit to make up for it. Bill Anderson was /is one of the greatest - and most prolific - songwriters in history, and at least 90% of the songs he got recorded he wrote solo. I'm still amazed that I can never pick up an old country album without finding something by him on there. And Jon is write about "Fine Wine" and "My Van."
