The Bill Anderson Story: His Greatest Hits is a compilation album by American
country singer-songwriter
Bill Anderson. It was released in March 1969 and was produced by
Owen Bradley. The Bill Anderson Story was a double compilation album that contained his singles released on the Decca label up to that point. It featured many recordings Anderson had issued over the last decade, including several number one hits and top ten hits.
Background and content
The Bill Anderson Story: His Greatest Hits was a double album of Anderson's singles previously released (and recorded) between 1958 and 1968. The sessions for these songs were all produced by Owen Bradley. Bradley was Anderson's longtime producer at the Decca label and was responsible for producing his biggest hits.[2] Between both records, the album contained a total of 24 tracks.[1] Most of these tracks were composed by Anderson as well. It featured songs ranging from his earliest recordings, such as "That's What It's Like to Be Lonesome."[2]
Also included were his number one hits up to that point: "
Mama Sang a Song," "
Still" and "
I Get the Fever."[1] In addition, The Bill Anderson Story featured songs Anderson had composed for other artists, but also recorded himself. Examples of this included his version of "
Once a Day," which was a hit for
Connie Smith. Another example is "
City Lights," a song recorded by
Ray Price that helped establish Anderson with his own recording contract. His number one duet single with
Jan Howard is also featured on the album, "
For Loving You."[2]
The Bill Anderson Story: His Greatest Hits was released first in March 1969 on Decca Records. It was the fifth compilation release of his career and first double-length album.[2] It was originally issued as a
vinyl LP, containing six songs on both sides of each record. This totaled to 24 songs.[3] It was reissued twice more in the United States, twice by
MCA Records.[4] The album peaked at number 43 on the BillboardTop Country Albums chart in 1969, becoming his third compilation to reach the chart.[5] In later years, it was reviewed positively by Thom Owens of
Allmusic, who rated it 4.5 out of 5 stars. "Several hits are missing, yet The Bill Anderson Story offers an effective introduction to the popular vocalist's easy-going, muted style," Owens commented.[1]
Track listing
All songs composed by Bill Anderson, except where noted.[2]
