Country Music Hall of Fame member Bill Anderson performs live and shares the stories behind some of his hit songs in this intimate Songwriter Session, held October 22, 2016, at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Anderson kicks off the program with a performance of his 1965 hit “Bright Lights and Country Music,” and talks about writing his first song around age ten, and titling it “Carry Me Back to My Old Texas Home,” though he had never been further west than Alabama at the time.

Anderson remembers putting that avid imagination to work again years later, sitting atop the Hotel Andrew Jackson in Commerce, Georgia, and envisioning Commerce as a big city. He performs the #1 hit that resulted: “City Lights,” recorded by Ray Price in 1958, and Anderson’s first huge success as a songwriter.

Anderson describes his songwriting process, which mostly involved solo writing even after co-writing became very popular in Nashville. He initially felt that his songs wouldn’t resonate with a younger audience, but came to embrace the concept of co-writing with younger artists and writers after Steve Wariner earned a Top Ten hit with Anderson’s “Tips of My Fingers” in the early ’90s.

Anderson also performs and shares the story behind “Whiskey Lullaby,” which was recorded by Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss, and written with Jon Randall.

The Country Music Hall of Fame member closes the program saying how much he loves writing and performing, and vowing to continue as long as he can.

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