Bill Anderson celebrates 60th anniversary as Grand Ole Opry member | Entertainment

NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) – Country Music Hall of Famer Bill Anderson celebrated his 60th anniversary as an Opry member on Saturday night at the Grand Ole Opry.

Anderson made his Opry debut just weeks before his 21st birthday and became an official Opry member less than three years later on July 15, 1961 at the age of 23, the youngest member of the time.

Sarah Evans and Opry members Mark Wills and Vince Gill joined other artists on stage on Saturday congratulating Anderson on his anniversary.

Watch the performances on Opry Live on Sunday at 11 p.m. on News4 and on the Circle Network.

In celebration of Anderson’s anniversary, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee declared Saturday at “Bill Anderson Day,” as did Nashville Mayor John Cooper.

Backstage after the Opry performance, Anderson celebrated with friends, family members and fellow artists in the Opry House’s backstage Studio A. Gill presented the Lee’s proclamation to Anderson on Lee’s behalf while Jeannie Seely, who has been an Opry member for 54 years, presented a framed copy of Nashville’s proclamation on behalf of Cooper.

“It’s really hard to imagine I’ve been at the Grand Ole Opry for 60 years,” Anderson said. “It seems like yesterday they asked me if I wanted to be a part of this great family, and of course I couldn’t wait to tell them yes and be a part of this wonderful family. Because that’s what it is, a wonderful, wonderful family. I feel so blessed to have been a part of it for 60 years. I tell people all the time that the Grand Ole Opry is like Yankee Stadium to a baseball player, or Broadway to an actor, or Hollywood to someone in film. It’s the highest rung on the ladder. It’s as high as you can go in country music and I’m just thankful that I’ve gotten to be here for 60 years.”

According to a press release, Anderson’s music career started in 1958 when Ray Price recorded his song “City Lights” and it stayed at the top of Billboard magazine’s country charts for 13 weeks. Soon after this success, he signed with Decca Records and began to have hits of his own such as “Po’ Folks,” Mama Sang a Song,” “Still” and “Bright Lights and Country Music.” By now he had affectionately been nicknamed “Whisperin’ Bill because of his soft-spoken delivery and recitations.

Through the years Anderson has written hit songs for numerous artist, including Lefty Frizzell’s “Saginaw, Michigan,” Conway Twitty’s “I May Never Get to Heaven” and many more including Kenny Chesney’s “A Lot of Things Different,” George Strait’s “Give It Away” and Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss’ “Whiskey Lullaby,” with the last two hits winning CMA Song of the Year honors.

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