“I’m just thankful … ”
PLUS: Bill’s remembrance on the passing of longtime friend Charlie Daniels
The Tennessean – Whisperin’ Bill Anderson needed a new doormat.
Instead of hunting down a shoe scraper with the word “Welcome” or “Anderson” on it, he found one that — after about six decades of penning country music hits and entertaining audiences on the famed Grand Ole Opry stage — says exactly how he feels: Blessed.
“If somebody comes up to my house, I want them to know I feel like I’m blessed,” said Anderson, a soft-singing songwriter who first penned a story about “City Lights” as a teenager in the late 1950s, launching a country music career that spans seven decades.
“They’ll see it right there on the doormat.”
And, as he prepares to release his 73rd album (yes, 73rd!), there’s no shortage of musical blessings for this 82-year-old Country Music Hall of Famer.
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“I’m just thankful for all the things,” Anderson told The Tennessean last week via Zoom, his second time using the overnight software sensation (his first virtual outing was a co-write with Brad Paisley).
During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Anderson’s spent his time writing songs (mostly love songs, he said); playing the first audience-free Opry show (a night he called “sobering, in a lot of ways”); and, this Friday, he releases “The Hits Re-Imagined.”
A 10-song journey, “Re-Imagined” spans Anderson’s career from his formative years before earning a place as a Grand Ole Opry staple in the 1960s to a second wave of songwriting success he unearthed in the 21st century.
“There isn’t many things I can still do for the first time” Anderson jested as he noted releasing music during the ongoing health crisis … Read more.
“Charlie Daniels was a big ol’ teddy bear…one of the kindest, gentlest people I’ve ever known…with a wonderful sense of humor and a great outlook on life. I’ve played golf with him, shared the Opry stage with him, sat alongside him at the Titans football games, and always marveled at his talent and his tenacity. There’s a big ol’ hole in lots of our hearts today with the news of his passing.” – Bill Anderson