Bear Family Records The First 10 Years, 1956-1966 (4-CD Deluxe Box Set)

The first comprehensive anthology spotlighting Bill Anderson, the most successful singer-songwriter during the Nashville Sound's classic era. Contains 21 'Billboard' country chart hits, including such favorites as Po' Folks, Mama Sang A Song, Still, Bright Lights And Country Music, I Love You Drops and I Get The Fever. Includes everything from Anderson's first eight Decca albums plus seven non-LP 'B' sides and three unissued studio tracks. Five duets with Jan Howard, including the chart-topping For Loving You. Features the first reissue of Anderson's rare, early TNT singles including the rocking Take Me and the premiere recording of his enduring honky-tonk anthem City Lights. Includes twelve demos of Anderson originals from the singer's private collection, among them a duet featuring a teen-aged Dolly Parton. With a career dating back to the mid-fifties, Bill Anderson is probably the most successful singer-songwriter in country music history. A member of the Grand Ole Opry for more than a half-century, he remains an engaging performer, a prolific writer and one of the industry's most respected elder statesmen. His best-selling Decca recordings of the late fifties and through the sixties were benchmarks in the emerging Nashville Sound. Outside of indifferently assembled 'hits' packages, these sides have never been properly reissued on compact disc until now. Assembled with the singer's co-operation, this four-CD compilation gathers every surviving master recording from 1956 through 1966, plus an alternate version of 3 A.M. The set includes Anderson's first single, released while he was a 19-year-old University of Georgia student. For those who only know the singer for the intimate, soft-spoken vocals and recitations that landed him the nickname 'Whispering Bill,' these early sides are a revelation, a diverse mix ranging from rockabilly balladry to Texas-style shuffles to unapologetic honky-tonk to Nashville pop country. The set also includes twelve demos from Anderson's private collection, including such now-celebrated songs as I Love You Drops; The Cold, Hard Facts Of Life; Once A Day; Slippin' Away; and The Lord Knows I'm Drinkin'. A young Dolly Parton duets with Anderson on If It's All The Same To You. This collection includes a detailed biography of Anderson's remarkable career through 1966, illustrated with photos and memorabilia from the singer's personal archive.