Bill Anderson

Commerce, Georgia radio station WJJC, where Bill Anderson began his career in the music industry more than 60 years ago, is honoring Anderson by re-branding as Whisperin’ 95.1 to honor the songwriter and performer. The station is also launching a new website, whisperin951.com.

In 1957, Anderson served as the first disc jockey for the classic country station.

To celebrate the re-naming, Anderson went live on air Friday morning at 10 a.m. EST, kicking off the special hour long programming that exclusively premiered a new recording of “City Lights,” which Anderson wrote while working at the station. The song was later became a No. 1 hit for Ray Price.

Before he began writing songs and performing, Anderson was a journalism student at the University of Georgia. He worked his way through college as a disc jockey, first at WGAU in Athens then moving to Commerce when WJJC took to the airwaves June 27, 1957. A young Anderson was the station’s first on air personality. Now more than 60 years later the station is being re-named in his honor.

“Whisperin’ Bill” Anderson, who is known for his breathy, conversational vocal style, has received many accolades over his extensive career that spans more than half a century. He has achieved 37 Top 10 hits as a recording artist and more than 50 BMI awards for songwriting. Anderson’s songs have been recorded by James Brown, Kenny Chesney, Jerry Lee Lewis, Dean Martin, and hundreds of others, among them Hall of Fame members, Porter Wagoner and Kitty Wells. In 2005, Anderson and Jon Randall Stewart wrote “Whiskey Lullaby,” recorded by Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss. It was CMA Song of the Year, and in 2007, Anderson won the CMA and ACM Song of the Year awards for “Give It Away,” written with Buddy Cannon and Jamey Johnson and recorded by George Strait. A Grand Ole Opry member since 1961, Anderson entered the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1975, the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2002 and the New York-based Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018. In late 2020, he will be honored with an exhibition at the Country Music Hall of Fame that will give visitors an inside look into the legacy that is “Whisperin’ Bill” Anderson.

ASCAP, The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, reported record-breaking financial results for the fifth year in a row, with total revenues topping $1.274 billion in 2019, a $47 million increase over 2018. Royalty distributions to ASCAP members also hit a record high in 2019 and increased by $75 million, crossing the $1 billion mark for a third year with $1.184 billion in royalties paid out to ASCAP songwriter, composer and publisher members.

Domestic revenue collected by ASCAP in 2019 was $945 million, up $39 million over the prior year, driven in part by an increase in audio streaming which increased 16%. Domestic distributions from ASCAP-licensed and administered performances in the US totaled $869 million, up $55 million over last year. Foreign revenue increased to $329 million and foreign distributions were $315 million, up by nearly $20 million over 2018. ASCAP operates on a not-for-profit basis and distributes all revenues collected, less operating expenses.

“We are pleased to report ASCAP’s strong financial results for 2019, but we know that our members are concerned about the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis on their royalties in 2020 and beyond,” said ASCAP Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth Matthews. “Fortunately, ASCAP closed a record number of multi-year licensing deals in 2019 and instituted immediate operational changes and expense cuts in early March 2020. As a result of these efforts, while collection efforts are increasingly challenging, our first quarter 2020 royalty distributions have proven to be among our highest ever. Hopefully, this distribution will provide a cushion to members to help weather the storm of COVID-19.”

“Music remains essential to our culture and to humanity. We see it in good times as evidenced by the achievements of our members and ASCAP in 2019, and we see it now, when music creators show their generosity and compassion, even as they struggle with the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on their own lives and livelihoods,” said ASCAP Chairman of the Board and President Paul Williams. “We are proud of ASCAP’s strong 2019 financial results, but our focus now is on the future, and fighting for our members. The ASCAP team is working tirelessly on behalf of our members to navigate through this crisis and protect their livelihoods, even in these challenging times. I am grateful to stand together with so many talented and dedicated members of the ASCAP family, at a time when we need each other more than ever.”

Last year, the performing rights organization invested in state-of-the-art technology systems to process trillions of performances annually. ASCAP also added new members including Mariah Carey, Dua Lipa, Mustard, Charlie XCX, Hayley Kiyoko, Courtney Hadwin, Epikh Pro and composer Siddhartha Khosla (This Is Us). ASCAP also renewed agreements with Billie Eilish, FINNEAS, Louis Bell, Diplo, Ne-Yo, James “Poo Bear” Boyd, Brothers Osborne, Andrew Taggart (The Chainsmokers), Polo G, Tommy “TB Hits” Brown, Scooter Carusoe, Angel Del Villar and Chris Jeday; film/TV composers Michael Giacchino, James Levine and Daniel Romer; and the estates of XXXTentacion and Tom Petty. ASCAP elected 45,875 members in 2019 and the organization is currently home to approximately 750,000 songwriters, composers and publishers.

Ryan Stevenson will debut his latest studio album, Wildest Dreams, on June 5 via Gotee Records. The project includes the newly released title track, current Top 25 Billboard radio hit, “Amadeo (Still My God)” and “When We Fall Apart,” and was almost entirely produced by Micah Kuiper and Bryan Fowler along with production from Jordan Sapp and Tyrus Morgan.

In addition to honoring his mother on the album on “When We Fall Apart,” Stevenson also penned a song for his dad, “With Your Life,” acknowledging how he now realizes how much his dad loved him as he reflects on his own life with two boys. Another impactful song, “Through It All,” touches on secrets and how debilitating the shame and pressure of sin can be if not brought into light. He also brings an upbeat melody to the project with the nostalgic, “My ’90s.”

“Over the last couple of years, I feel like I’ve been learning to rest more, and not worry so much about what may or may not happen in the future,” said Stevenson about the idea behind the new album. “In the beginning, I tended to operate out of a posture to ‘obtain’ success; then over time, I morphed into a posture of trying to ‘maintain’ success. Trying to micromanage and ‘maintain’ success is exhausting and is a thief of joy and peace. This last season has been an eye opener; in the way of realizing how good God is all the time. The title of this new record is so appropriate, because I truly feel like at every turn, God continues to blow my mind and come through in ways that I never thought were possible. His goodness and blessing, even in the midst of my chaos, is so humbling. My wife and I reflect regularly on our journey, and where the Lord has brought us on this journey. It really is better than our wildest dreams.”