Bill Anderson Sings

Bill Anderson Sings is a studio album by American country singer-songwriter Bill Anderson. It was released in February 1964 on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. The album was Anderson's second studio release as a recording artist and included two singles that became major hits on the Billboard country chart. The album itself would also reach positions on the Billboard charts following its release.

Bill Anderson Sings
Studio album by Bill Anderson
Released	February 1964
Recorded	1960–1963
Studio	Bradley Studio Columbia Recording Studio
Genre	Country Nashville Sound [1]
Label	Decca
Producer	Owen Bradley
Bill Anderson chronology
Still (1963) Bill Anderson Sings (1964) Showcase (1964)
Singles from Bill Anderson Sings
"8×10" Released: August 1963 "Five Little Fingers/Easy Come – Easy Go" Released: December 1963

Background and content

Bill Anderson Sings was recorded between 1960 and 1963 at both the Bradley Studio and the Columbia Recording Studio. Both studios were located in Nashville, Tennessee and all sessions were produced by Owen Bradley. Anderson and Bradley also collaborated for his previous studio album, among other recordings.[2] The album consisted of 12 tracks. Five of the record's songs were written or co-written by Anderson. Some recordings were remakes of originals recorded by other artists. The second track, "Abilene", was first recorded by George Hamilton IV. The third track, "I'm Leaving It Up to You", was originally cut by the duo Dale & Grace. Additionally, the seventh track, "500 Miles Away from Home", was recorded at the time by Bobby Bare.[3]

Release and chart performance

Bill Anderson Sings was officially released in February 1964 and was his second studio album for the Decca label.[2] It was issued as a vinyl record, containing six songs on each side of the record.[3] Upon its release, the album peaked at number 7 in April 1964 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. It became Anderson's second album to place on this chart.[4] Bill Anderson Sings also included two singles that were released in 1963. The first single, "8x10", was released in August 1963 and peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.[5] The single also became Anderson's third single to place on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 53 in September.[6] Also that September, the single reached number 18 on the adult contemporary chart.[7] The second single issued was "Five Little Fingers" was released in December 1963.[5] The song also became a major hit, reaching number 5 on the country chart in February 1964.[8] Additionally, the single's B-side charted on the same Billboard country chart, peaking at number 15 in May 1964.[9]

Track listing

Side one[3]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Easy Come – Easy Go"	Bill Anderson	2:03
2.	"Abilene"	Bob Gibson John D. Loudermilk	2:10
3.	"I'm Leaving It Up to You"	Don F. Harris Dewey Terry	2:12
4.	"Green, Green"	Encino Mandalay Barry McGuire	2:09
5.	"Five Little Fingers"	Anderson	3:00
6.	"Take Me Home"	Jack Clement Allen Reynolds	2:28

Side two[3]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"8×10"	Anderson Walter Haynes	2:48
2.	"500 Miles Away from Home"	Bobby Bare Charlie Williams	2:42
3.	"You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry"	Bob Merrill Terry Shand	2:04
4.	"Candy Apple Red"	Houston Turner	3:02
5.	"The Best of Strangers"	Anderson Buddy Killen	1:57
6.	"One Mile Over, Two Miles Back"	Anderson	2:17

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of Bill Anderson Sings.[2]

Musical personnel

Bill Anderson – lead vocals Brenton Banks – strings Harold Bradley – guitar George Brinkley – strings Cecil Brower – strings Howard Carpenter – strings Floyd Cramer – piano Pete Drake – steel guitar Ray Edenton – guitar Sofie Fott – strings Hank Garland – guitar Michael Gattozzi – strings Buddy Harman – drums

Lillian Hunt – strings Bob Johnson – banjo The Jordanaires – background vocals Jerry Kennedy – guitar The Anita Kerr Singers – background vocals Douglas Kirkham – drums Grady Martin – guitar Bill McElhiney – trumpet Bob Moore – bass Hargus "Pig" Robbins – piano Joe Zinkan – bass

Technical personnel

• Owen Bradley – record producer

Chart performance

Chart (1964)	Peak position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[10]	7

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
United States	February 1964	Vinyl	Decca	[3][1]

References

1. "Bill Anderson Sings – Bill Anderson: Songs, Reviews, Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
2. Anderson, Bill (February 1964). "Bill Anderson Sings (Liner Notes & Album Information)". Decca Records.
3. "Bill Anderson – Bill Anderson Sings (1964, Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
4. "Bill Anderson Sings chart history". Billboard. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
5. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
6. ""8x10" chart history". Billboard. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
7. ""8x10" chart history: AC". Billboard. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
8. ""Five Little Fingers" chart history". Billboard. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
9. ""Easy Come Easy Go" chart history". Billboard. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
10. "Bill Anderson Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2020.