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June 24
Why today? Whisperin’ Bill Anderson cut the song that would become his theme on this date in 1965.
About the record: Decca 31825, recorded on June 24, 1965, at Columbia Studios in Nashville. Released Aug. 2, 1965, eventually reaching No. 11 on Billboard‘s country chart. First LP appearance was on Bright Lights And Country Music, Decca DL7- 4686, released Nov. 15, 1965. It eventually reached No. 6 on Billboard‘s country album chart.
Anderson wrote this song with his right-hand man and leader of the Po’ Boys band, fiddler and bassist Jimmy Gateley. Though it didn’t make the Billboard Top 10, it has become one of the numbers most associated with him, and it’s his theme song on stage.
Music blogger Michael McDowell recently posted an extensive article and Q&A on the Country Music Hall of Famer, on the occasion of Anderson’s Songwriter album. Here’s what the artist had to say about “Bright Lights And Country Music”:
- Q: By 1965, you hit an artistic zenith with your “Bright Lights And Country Music” single and album. Of course the title track was a collaboration with Jimmy Gateley. Aside from the obvious story line in the lyrics, what was the background behind the creation of that song?
A: We were working at a little nightclub in Toronto called the Horseshoe Tavern. When you worked at the Horseshoe, you went in there for an entire week. I played every night, Monday through Friday.Then on Saturday, you had a matinee show in the afternoon. I don’t think they sold alcohol during the afternoon show, so kids could come. It was like a family thing in the afternoon. Then on Saturday nights, you went back to doing your regular show.
I had a big fan who lived in London, Ontario. She wrote me a letter at the Horseshoe. It was waiting for me when I got there that week. She said, “I just want you to know that I’m coming to see you on Saturday. But I’m not coming to the afternoon show. I’m coming to the night show, because I like bright lights with my country music!”
When I read that line, I told Jimmy, “That’s a song idea if I ever heard one!” We actually wrote the song downstairs in the dressing room at the Horseshoe Tavern. We had about, golly, I don’t know, about fifty or sixty people standing outside the door after one of the shows.
Jimmy and I started writing the song. But these people were wanting autographs! I said, “Folks, you’re just gonna have to wait.” It’s the only song that I’ve ever written in front of an audience!
As for me, I’m not much on the bright lights. But I do love that country music.
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June 24, 2010 at 6:29 AM
Ken Johnson
Now THAT’S country music!
This is the first song that REALLY made me a Bill Anderson fan. I was just a kid at that time so Bill’s successful but sentimental “whispering” narrations were not really connecting with my tender ears. (I learned to appreciate those a few years later.) From the first notes of the fiddle intro to the final notes of the steel guitar, that record is two minutes and thirty-nine seconds of country music nirvana.
In those days my dad had hooked up his radio & amplifier to a huge single speaker mounted inside of an oversized cabinet in our basement. The bass response felt like your heart beating outside of your chest. Those incredible bass runs from “Bright Lights” sounded even more magnificent on his sound system. The exceptional production values and clarity of that recording no doubt contributed to my love for this song.
The record deserved a much higher chart ranking than it received and I’m at a loss to explain why it did not achieve at least top ten status. It certainly was in sync with country music and country radio at that time. In my book, this song is an absolute country classic and remains one of Bill Anderson’s stellar musical accomplishments.
June 27, 2010 at 10:00 AM
pwdennis
I always like Bill Anderson, both as a performer and songwriter. Bill was totally aware of his vocal limitations and performed material that was entirely suited to his abilities. Whether on record or in live performance, Bill never missed a note or reached for a note that was beyond his range, so he always sounded good on stage. He was a master of narrations and his selection to the CMHOF was at least a decade overdue
Like Ken, I love this song