February 1, 2012

Hi Folks:

I hope you don't get tired of seeing me pop up in your mailbox, but it's time for our regular monthly fan club newsletter. I hope it's not overkill, coming on the heels of the recent blast we sent out about our new record, "Gone Away."

Your response to that mailing and to the record has been nothing short of amazing. I've lost count of how many listens and downloads you've come through with, but it's in the thousands. Your comments about the recording have been extremely positive, and I can't thank you enough. If you haven't yet listened or downloaded the song, you've only got a few more days to take advantage of the FREE offer. Go to our web site at www.billanderson.com and click on the banner at the top of the Home page. It's that simple.

There has been one very nice but totally unexpected thing come out of all this. Several radio stations around the world have downloaded the song and are now playing it on their airwaves. I've heard from several stations here in the U.S., plus some in Europe, in Australia, and across Canada. If you have a favorite station or favorite disc jockey, get in touch with them and tell them to take advantage of this new music by Whisperin' Bill and the Oak Ridge Boys. If they play the older artists or the classic songs at any point in their schedule, this song should be a perfect fit. Thank you.

I am trying to get packed and ready to go overseas on the 19th of February, even to the point of buying a new heavy coat yesterday. I hope the weather is good over there, but I've been there enough to know it can get cold and rainy at times. We're only going to be gone for a week, but from the looks of my luggage you'd think we were going for six months. I never know what to leave at home.

For all our fans and friends in Great Britain, in Ireland, and in Northern Ireland, I'm sure looking forward to visiting with you again. It's been 'way too long since I've been there. I hope you'll spread the word and come to see us if you possibly can.

Closer to home, my booking agency is opening an office in Nashville this month to go along with their offices in New York, Toronto, Los Angeles, and London, and that's exciting for us. Hopefully, it will result in more concerts for us this year. We have quite a few dates pending already, but we can't announce them just yet. I can say, though, that in addition to everything else, we will be touring western Canada again in October.

Again, thanks for all your help on "Gone Away," and for being the best friends and fans anybody could ever have. I'll see you right back here again the first of March.

"Still,"

Yes, I have written all three of my books by myself. My advice is to try and write your life's story as if you were sitting face to face with a stranger and telling that person all about yourself. Don't try to make it too fancy...just tell what happened and how if affected you. And don't worry about the movie version. When Hollywood discovers you, they'll re-write everything anyhow. And when they're through, you probably won't even recognize it..

Yes, I have played there many times over the years, but not recently. Portland used to be a regular stop on any tour we'd play through the northwest and western Canada. I also recall having played the Oregon State Fair in Salem years ago. On my last trip into your beautiful state, I got fogged in for three days in Medford. No planes could get in or out. I finally rented a car and drove (very carefully) to Redding, California. I figured if I couldn't get a plane out of there I could always bunk in with Merle Haggard. Fortunately for him, I caught a plane.

I have two gospel CD's out plus several inspirational songs that I've recorded over the years, but there is no one CD with all of them on it. I have almost 50 such recordings, so I should probably get busy and put them all into a Gospel Greats collection and make them available. Remind me to do that when things slow down a bit....which I hope will be in my lifetime.

Thanks for your interest and for your questions. Keep them coming to askbill@billanderson.com and I'll keep trying to answer. Also, if you have pictures of us together that you'd like to share, send those as well. We'll use them in a future newsletter.

Hi Gang:

Well, I promised you in my first letter of the new year that we would have some surprises for you in 2012.

I just didn't realize the first one would be coming this soon.

How about some new music? Some new FREE music?? That's exactly what we are about to offer.

So many of you have written about having heard the new song I recorded with the Oak Ridge Boys on our recent Sirius/XM radio special, and you've asked where you might obtain a copy for your own use. Well, how about right here? How about right now? And how about FREE?

=> Read more!

(L to R) 1) There's nothing an entertainer enjoys seeing more than a "Sold Out" sign outside the venue where he or she is about to perform.... 2) Jimmy "Meatball" Bell, the fiddle player in Bill's high school band, The Avondale Playboys, came to a recent concert and got an autographed Bill Anderson t-shirt... 3) The plaque that hangs outside the Bill Anderson Performing Arts Center in Commerce, Georgia, recognizing the many artists who gave of their time and talent to help build the auditorium. It's quite an impressive list, wouldn't you say??