Every time your head’s been idle for two seconds, you catch yourself humming snatches of it. That song kept you awake because someone wrote a melody-hook you can’t forget. And, as you’ll see in “Whisperin’ Bill Anderson” by Bill Anderson with Peter Cooper, somebody also wrote the words.
Though he grew up singing with his family, and though he was a member of a contest-winning band as a teen, Bill Anderson dreamed of playing baseball. That was a normal life-goal for a city-boy from a mostly-financially-comfortable small family – in other words, none of the things Anderson sang about in years to come.
Music was always one of his loves so when his baseball career fizzled, Anderson turned to radio, DJing in the early days of rock & roll. He liked that new music but his passion for “hillbilly” tunes got him kindly fired; he was directed to a new C&W station in Commerce , Georgia – a blessing that was exactly what he needed.
During this time, Anderson continued playing his guitar and writing songs, things he’d been doing for years. Eventually, he wrote something that touched a chord, went hand-to-hand through the music industry and – surprisingly quick and easy by today’s standards – became a hit for singer Ray Price.
But all good things must come to an end and no star can shine forever. When Anderson ‘s music career faltered, he tried his hand at television, restauranteering and owning a radio station. He kept his fingers in country music but, he says, “I felt like a relic.”
And then his hairdresser gave him a life-changing phone number…
If it’s true that you can’t be a writer without being a storyteller, then author Bill Anderson has that sewn up. “Whisperin’ Bill Anderson” (with Peter Cooper), is so filled with easy tales that you’ll feel like you just pulled up a chair by a dear old friend.
While I was eager to read more about his personal life (which is somewhat lacking here), what I found inside this book was more-than-satisfying.
Anderson has a gentle, playful sense of humor that shines in his best memories and, through his recollections, we get to know singers and a way of doing business that are both long gone.
But this isn’t entirely a happy-happy book: readers also see the not-so-sunny sides of a fledgling (and racist) recording industry; of touring, before investors got involved; and of being an older star in a “new century.”
While anyone can read this book, I think fans of old-time country music will love it best because it contains all the tales you’ll want to know. For you, start “Whisperin’ Bill Anderson,” and you’ll be hooked before long.