Bill Anderson

He’s known, in fact as “Whispering Bill,” a nickname hung on him years ago as a result of his breathy voice and his warm, soft approach to singing a country song. His credentials, however, shout his prominence: One of the most awarded songwriters in the history of country music, a million-selling recording artist many times over, television game show host, network soap opera star, spokesman for a nationwide restaurant chain, and a consummate onstage performer. His back-up group, The Po’ Folks Band, has long been considered one of the finest instrumental and vocal groups in the business.

Bill has been voted Songwriter Of The Year six times, Male Vocalist Of The Year, half of the Duet Of The Year with both Jan Howard and Mary Lou Turner, has hosted and starred in the Country Music Television Series Of The Year, seen his band voted Band Of The Year, and in 1975 was voted membership in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Ten years later, the State of Georgia honored him by choosing him as only the 7th living performer inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. In 1993, he was made a member of the Georgia Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame. In 1994, South Carolina inducted him into their Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame. And in 2001, he received the ultimate honor, membership in Nashville’s prestigious Country Music Hall of Fame.

Since 1997, Bill has also hosted the highly-rated television series on RFD-TV, “Country’s Family Reunion,” a show where legendary country stars sit alongside both their peers and newcomers to the industry, singing their songs and swapping their stories.

In the mid-nineties, after a ten-year self-imposed hiatus, Bill returned to his first love, songwriting, and for the second time in his life cut a wide path across the creative landscape. He co-wrote giant hits for Vince Gill (“Which Bridge To Cross - Which Bridge To Burn”), Steve Wariner (“Two Teardrops”), Mark Wills (“Wish You Were Here”), Joe Nichols (“I’ll Wait For You”), and Kenny Chesney (“A Lot Of Things Different”). He won Song Of The Year honors in both 2005 and 2007 for helping to write “Whiskey Lullaby” for Brad Paisley and Allison Krauss and “Give It Away” for George Strait. He also won a Dove award for co-writing the Country/Gospel Recorded Song of the Year, “Jonah, Job, and Moses” for the Oak Ridge Boys, plus the CMA Vocal Event of the Year, “Too Country,” recorded by Brad Paisley, George Jones, Buck Owens, and Bill himself. Both “Give It Away” and “Two Teardrops” afforded Anderson Grammy nominations.

In 2002, Broadcast Music, Inc. named Anderson its first country music songwriting Icon, placing him alongside R&B legends Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and James Brown as the only recipients of that prestigious award. In 2008, the Academy of Country Music honored him with their inaugural Poets Award.