Bill Anderson fans may want to circle Sept. 14 on their calendars.
The country music icon says while nothing is definite, he’s considering a concert in Commerce that day to help mark the 1,000th football game in the history of Commerce High School.
Anderson refers to Commerce as his adopted hometown for it was in Commerce where he was working as a disc jockey at WJJC Radio that he wrote the song that launched his career in the country music world. That song is City Lights – and the “city” is Commerce.
He wrote it in 1957 at age 19 while sitting on the roof of a three-story hotel in Commerce at night, strumming his guitar and gazing at the twinkling stars and the lights of the town down below. He recorded the song at the University of Georgia where he was a student at the time. city lights bill anderson youtube – Search (bing.com)
Now in his late 80s, “Whispering Bill” recently wrote on his website in announcing tentative plans for the concert that he hasn’t played a concert since early in 2020 just before COVID hit and though he has never considered himself “retired,” going back on tour “has not been at or near the top of my bucket list” until he heard from some people in Commerce.
Here’s part of what he wrote:
They feel this calls for a celebration, and they want me to come celebrate with them. You know the auditorium at Commerce High is called the Bill Anderson Performing Arts Center, and if I were to do a concert again there couldn’t be a more perfect place.
Nothing is definite but it might just happen. While the details are being ironed out, you might want to circle Saturday September 14th on your calendar…and start checking the mileage from where you live to Commerce. It sure would be fun to see a whole bunch of you again. Stay tuned…I’ll be telling you more as the time approaches.