Bill Anderson - The First 10 Years, 1956 - 1966 (2011)

Tracklist

CD1
01. Empty Room
02. Take Me
03. City Lights
04. No Song to Sing
05. That's What It's Like to Be Lonesome (Single Version)
06. The Thrill of My Life
07. Ninety-Nine
08. Back Where I Started From
09. It's Not the End of Everything
10. Dead or Alive
11. No Man's Land
12. The Tip of My Fingers
13. Walk out Backwards
14. Best of Strangers
15. Flowing Waters and Shifting Sands
16. Goodbye Cruel World
17. Po' Folks
18. As Long as I Live
19. It Takes a Worried Man
20. City Lights (Alternative Version)
21. Columbus Stockade Blues
22. Mama Sang a Song
23. Wedding Bells
24. Yonder Comes a Sucker
25. Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain
26. On and on and On
27. Get a Little Dirt on Your Hands
28. Down Came the Rain
29. Still
30. You Made It Easy
31. I Wish It Was Mine
32. That's What It's Like to Be Lonesome

CD2
01. From a Jack to a King
02. Little Band of Gold
03. Restless
04. Happiness
05. Reverend Mr. Black
06. It's Been so Long, Darlin'
07. Take These Chains from My Heart
08. Molly
09. 8 X 10
10. I'll Be Somewhere
11. One Mile Over – Two Miles Back
12. Take Me Home
13. Candy Apple Red
14. Cincinnati Ohio
15. Easy Come Easy Go
16. Five Little Fingers
17. Me
18. 500 Miles Away from Home
19. You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry
20. Abilene
21. Green, Green
22. I'm Leaving It All up to You
23. I Love You More and More Every Day
24. Memory #1
25. In Case You Ever Change Your Mind
26. In the Misty Moonlight
27. 3 A.M.
28. Then and Only Then
29. Worry
30. You Can Have Her
31. Then I'll Stop Loving You
32. Mountain Dew

CD3
01. 3 A.M. (Remake)
02. Twist of the Wrist
03. Certain
04. I Love You Drops
05. Once a Day
06. I Missed Me
07. I've Enjoyed as Much of This as I Can Stand
08. Saginaw Michigan
09. I Don't Love You Anymore
10. Riverboat
11. I Know You Are Married (But I Love You Still)
12. Time Out
13. I'll Be Waiting
14. Bright Lights and Country Music
15. Born
16. The Freighter
17. Wild Side of Life
18. Truck Drivin' Man
19. I'll Go Down Swinging
20. The Strangers Story
21. Walking the Dog
22. How the Other Half Lives
23. Wine
24. All Nite Cafe
25. Cocktails
26. Golden Guitar
27. Think I'll Go Somewhere (And Cry Myself to Sleep)
28. In the Summertime
29. Used To
30. I'm so Lonesome I Could Cry

CD4
01. Lovin' Pains
02. When Liking Turns to Loving
03. Talkin' to the Wall
04. Next Time You're in Tulsa
05. I Get the Fever (Remake)
06. Nail My Shoes to the Floor
07. The First Mrs. Jones
08. Papa
09. For Loving You
10. The Untouchables
11. Get While the Gettin's Good
12. Something to Believe In
13. Ride Ride Ride
14. My Daddy and My Mama and Me
15. A Satisfied Mind
16. Bad Seed
17. Remember Me
18. The Wheel of Hurt
19. Open up Your Heart
20. Homesick
21. I'm Ashamed of You
22. If It's All the Same to You
23. Here Lies the Heart of Amos Brown
24. Once a Day Alt.
25. The Cold Hard Facts of Life
26. Think I'll Go Somewhere-And Cry Myself to Sleep
27. I Love You Drops Alt.
28. I'll Go Down Swingin'
29. You and Your Sweet Love
30. The Lord Knows I'm Drinkin'
31. Slippin' Away
32. Nobody but a Fool


One of the most successful songwriters in country music history, Bill Anderson was also a hugely popular singer in his own right, earning the nickname "Whispering Bill" for his gentle, airy vocal style and occasional spoken narrations. Anderson was born in Columbia, SC, in 1937 and grew up mostly in Atlanta. He studied journalism at the University of Georgia, with an eye toward sports writing, and worked his way through school as a radio DJ, during which time he first tried his hand at songwriting and singing. His composition "City Lights," written when he was just 19 years old, was recorded by Ray Price in 1958 and went all the way to the top of the country charts. Anderson took full advantage of his big break, moving to Nashville and landing a record contract of his own with Decca. His first chart hit came with 1959's "That's What It's Like to Be Lonesome," and he had his first Top Ten entry with 1960's "Tip of My Fingers." Early hits like "Po' Folks" (1961), "Mama Sang a Song" (his first number one, from 1962), and "8 X 10" (number two, 1963) still remain among his best-known. Anderson recorded his biggest hit and signature song, the partly spoken ballad "Still," in 1963, and it not only topped the country charts, but crossed over to the pop Top Ten as well.
Anderson remained a regular visitor to the country Top Ten through the late '70s, and reached the Top Five a total of 19 times through 1978. Among the highlights were the number ones "I Get the Fever" (1966), "For Loving You" (a 1967 duet with regular partner Jan Howard), "My Life (Throw It Away if I Want To)" (1969), "World of Make Believe" (1974), and "Sometimes" (1976). By that point, Anderson was working often with a new duet partner, Mary Lou Turner. He had also penned numerous hits for other artists, including Connie Smith, Hank Locklin, Porter Wagoner, Jim Reeves, and Faron Young, among many others. His final Top Ten country hit came with 1978's disco-tinged "I Can't Wait Any Longer," and by 1982, Anderson's inability to score a follow-up hit led him away from both songwriting and recording. Instead, he became a regular presence on television, hosting game shows (ABC's The Better Sex, TNN's Fandango) and spending several years in the cast of the soap opera One Life to Live; he also hosted the TNN talk show Opry Backstage.
When Steve Wariner hit the Top Five in 1992 with his cover of "Tip of My Fingers," Anderson was galvanized into a return to songwriting. He partnered with various Nashville pros and saw his songs new and old recorded by Kenny Chesney, Lorrie Morgan, Collin Raye, John Michael Montgomery, Mark Wills, Brad Paisley, Vince Gill, and many others. In 1998, Anderson returned to recording as well, signing with Reprise for one album Fine Wine. In 2001 Anderson moved to the Varese label and released A Lot of Things Different, which featured Anderson's version of the title track (a hit for Kenny Chesney). The Way I Feel followed four years later.

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