Country music star “Whisperin’ Bill” Anderson will return to Athens Sept. 7 to perform specially selected songs and read from his well-received autobiography, now out from the University of Georgia Press.
Known as “Whisperin’ Bill” to generations of fans for his soft vocalizations and spoken lyrics, Anderson is the only songwriter in country music history to have a song on the charts in each of the past seven consecutive decades. A UGA graduate and member of the Grand Ol’ Opry, Anderson will be at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries for the event, which begins at 4 p.m. It is open free to the public and a reception will follow, giving visitors an opportunity to see an exhibit drawn from Anderson’s collection of memorabilia. Reservations are requested by Aug. 31 to Leandra Nessel at libdevelopment@uga.edu or (706) 542-3879.
Whisperin’ Bill: An Unprecedented Life in Country Music presents a revealing portrait of Bill Anderson, one of the most prolific songwriters in the history of country music. Mega country music hits like “City Lights,” (Ray Price), “Tips Of My Fingers,” (Roy Clark, Eddy Arnold, Steve Wariner), “Once A Day,” (Connie Smith), “Saginaw, Michigan,” (Lefty Frizzell), and many more flowed from his pen, making him one of the most decorated songwriters in music history. But the iconic singer, songwriter, performer, and TV host came to a point in his career where he questioned if what he had to say mattered anymore – little did he know, his most rewarding climb lie ahead. A follow-up to his 1989 autobiography, this honest and revealing book tells the story of a man with an unprecedented gift, holding on to it in order to share it. A product of a long-gone Nashville, Anderson worked to reinvent himself, and this biography documents Anderson’s 50-plus-year career—a career he once thought unattainable.