New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Country
Music Hall of Famer Bill Anderson will release a new album of some of the famed singer/songwriter's hits, As Far As I Can See: The Best Of, on June 10. The collection of sixteen songs shares its name with the current exhibition at the Country
Music Hall of Fame, Bill Anderson: As Far As I Can See, and comes from the opening line of one of the first songs he ever wrote, "City Lights," the country classic that was a hit for Ray Price in 1958. In addition to such beloved songs as "City Lights," "Still," "Po' Folks," "The Tip Of My Fingers," and "Sometimes," the album features a new song with country icon Dolly Parton, "Someday It'll All Make Sense." The newly recorded duet is joined by Anderson and Parton's first-ever collaboration, an incredibly rare demo of "If It Is All The Same To You," recorded in 1964 and eventually released as a duet with Jan
Howard on Anderson's chart-topping 1969 album of the same name. As Far As I Can See: The Best Of, is being released by MCA Nashville/UMe, which has been Anderson's label home for most of his seven-decade long career. The new project is being released in conjunction with the first-time digital release of seven of Anderson's albums from the 1960s, available now.
"Needless to say I am thrilled over my new association with UMG. Not only do they have 23 years' worth of my back catalog ready to introduce to the digital world, but I am reuniting with
Dolly Parton on this project," says Anderson. "Dolly sang some demos for me (and with me) back in the early sixties when she was new in town. One was a duet called, 'If It's All The Same To You,' which had gone missing for years. UMG has recovered it and included it along with my and Dolly's new duet in this package. That's called connecting the dots across more than fifty years. How cool is that?"
TRACK LISTING As Far As I Can See: The Best Of
1. "
City Lights" 1961
2. "Walk Out Backwards" 1961
3. "Three AM" 1964
4. "
Still" 1963
5. "The Tip of My Fingers" 1961
6. "I Love You Drops" 1964
7. "I Get The Fever" 1966
8. "
Po' Folks" 1961
9. "Wild Week-End" 1967
10. "Happy
State Of Mind" 1968
11. "My Life (Throw It Away If I Want To)" 1969
12. "
Sometimes" featuring Mary Lou Turner 1975
13. "If You Can Live With It (I Can Live Without It)" 1972
14. "The Corner Of My Life" 1973
15. "If It Is All The Same To You" circa 1964
Demo featuring Dolly Parton
16. "Someday It'll All Make Sense" 2022
featuring Dolly Parton
BILL ANDERSON'S ALBUMS AVAILABLE DIGITALLY NOW HERE
Sings Country
Heart Songs 1962
Still 1963
Bill Anderson Sings 1964
Bill Anderson Showcase 1964
Bright
Lights And County
Music 1965
I Love You Drops 1966
Get While The Getting's Good 1967
Country
Music Hall of Famer and Grand Ole Opry titan Bill Anderson is the rare songwriter whose first major label cut went to No. 1 on the charts, was named Song of The Year and sparked a writing career that is currently in its seventh decade. The song, "City Lights," was written when Anderson was a 19-year-old Georgia disc jockey and became a career-defining hit for Ray Price in 1958. The song opened doors for him in Nashville, leading him to signing with BMI and Tree Publishing. Anderson was far from a one-hit wonder. He followed "
City Lights" with country standards like "The Tip Of My Fingers," the GRAMMY-nominated "Once A Day," "Saginaw, Michigan," "That's What It's Like To Be Lonesome," "I Missed Me," "Cold Hard Facts Of Life," which earned him another GRAMMY nomination, "Mama Sang A Song," the crossover smash, "Still," and countless others. He was voted country Songwriter of the Year six times during his first decade in
Music City. His success continued into the 1970s with award-winning hits like "Slippin' Away," "The Lord Knows I'm Drinking," "I May Never Get To Heaven," and the disco-flavored, "I Can't Wait Any Longer." The 1980s saw Anderson's chart-topping career take a hiatus as he became a TV network game show host, spokesman for a national restaurant chain and a nonstop touring Grand Ole Opry performer. In the 1990s he came roaring back with a vengeance, however, as he seriously turned to co-writing for the first time. Inducted into the Country
Music Hall of Fame in 2001, his collaborations with the newer generation of Nashville tunesmiths resulted in hits like "Wish You Were Here," the GRAMMY-nominated "Two Teardrops," "A Lot Of Things Different," for Kenny Chesney, "Which Bridge To Cross (Which Bridge To Burn)," for
Vince Gill and two CMA Song Of The Year trophies for "Whiskey Lullaby," with
Brad Paisley and
Alison Krauss and
George Strait's "Give It Away," in 2005 and 2007 respectfully. He continues to write today with songs like Brad Paisley's "Dying To See Her." For more information, visit BillAnderson.com.
