Bill Anderson, Classic Country in the Central Valley

In the circles of country music, Bill Anderson has been known as a singer and songwriter for nearly sixty years.  He has gold records, a house full of awards, and the affection of his peers not to mention his fans.

Country Music Singer and Songwriter Bill Anderson. Photo from Bill Anderson.com

He performs October first at the Gallo Performing Arts Center in Modesto.  He’s performed in the Central Valley before, but this will be his first time playing at the Gallo.  

“We’ve been in Fresno once, Sacramento once, and we played the Crystal Palace in Bakersfield several years back,” Bill told me in a phone interview.

The Crystal Palace was owned by the late Buck Owens who lived in Bakersfield.  Buck passed away in 2005.

“I didn’t know him well, but one time we were seated together on a flight from Los Angeles to Nashville,” he recalled.  “We talked about songwriting and performing.  We agreed on some things, disagreed on some things, but I certainly enjoyed the conversation.”

Bill remembers the night he heard another Central Californian, Merle Haggard, perform a new song called Okie from Muskogee.  “It was the first time he performed the song on stage,” Bill recalled.  “I talked to him about it after the show.  Merle told me he wasn’t sure how audiences would accept the song given it had patriotic overtones.  I told him not to worry, “I think you have a hit.”

Okie from Muskogee, written by Merle Haggard and Roy Edward Burns, was a number one hit for Merle in 1969.  

Years later, Bill interviewed Merle for his satellite radio program.  Bill told Merle he was his favorite singer.  “A tear fell from his eye,” Bill told me.  “I made Merle Haggard cry.”

He also knew the Maddox Brothers and Rose, a popular family hillbilly band who settled in Modesto in the 1950s.  “I knew Rose rather well and was acquainted with Fred.  Rose ran a nightclub in Ocean City that I performed at back in the sixties.”

While Bill is looking forward to performing in the Central Valley, he wishes he could have traveled throughout the western states more back when he lived in LA in the 1970s.  “We could never bundle enough dates together to make it work,” he says.  

But this time around, he’s able to play the Gallo Center and the newly renovated performing arts center in Red Bluff.  The singer/songwriter plays about forty dates a year in addition to his regular performances at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

“There are some songs I do all the time during a live road performance,” Bill says.  “I can’t get off the stage unless I do Still.”

Still was a number one song written and sung by Bill in 1963.  It’s about a man lamenting a lost love and how he carries a torch after many years.  

Other songs in his catalog include Po Folks, about growing up in a household short on money but full of love; I Love You Drops about missing someone to the point of tears, and the iconic Tips of My Fingers which recalls the same lost love theme.  

Tips of My Fingers has been recorded by a number of country and pop artists including Roy Clark, Eddie Arnold, and even Dean Martin.

In recent years, he has collaborated with other songwriters on tunes that have blossomed into big hits.  Give it Away was co-authored by Bill with Jamie Johnson and Buddy Cannon.  It was a big hit for George Strait in 2006.  Whiskey Lullaby, a sad song about alcoholism, was written by Bill along with Jon Randall.  It was a duet hit for Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss.

Bill hopes his fans leave his performances feeling satisfied and entertained.  He wants to be remembered as a good singer, and hopefully as an enduring songwriter.

As for his legacy, he says, “I don’t think much about a legacy, but I hope if I am remembered for anything, it will be for my songs.”

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.  

His new book on California will be published in December.

Linden California’s Pride and Joy - Aaron Judge’s Hometown

Aaron Judge’s official Major League Baseball photo.  Photo from MLB.com

Anyone with a passing interest in baseball likely knows Aaron Judge is the New York Yankees outfielder who has had an incredible rookie season in 2017.  

He is Linden, California’s pride and joy.

Aaron played his college ball at Fresno State University and his high school ball at Linden High. In high school, he played football and basketball in addition to baseball.

He set school records for football and was recruited by such schools as UCLA, Notre Dame and Stanford for football.  

But baseball was his favorite sport.  So he headed just a couple hours south from Linden down the road to play for Fresno State.    

The Yankees drafted him in the 2013 draft and he spent the next three years in the minors.  He hit a home run in his first Major League Baseball at bat and had his first grand slam just a few weeks later.

The downtown area in Linden, California.  Photo by Steve Newvine

In his hometown in Linden, there are few signs that this baseball superstar grew up, played baseball, or even has made it to the major leagues.  

On a visit in the late summer, one could find signs protesting a plan to locate a Dollar General Store in the community, a banner at Linden High generating interest in the start of football season, and a poster promoting an upcoming church dinner.  

Recently, small signs noting Linden as the home of Aaron Judge have been put up at the city limits.

While there may be few outward signs of this hometown star, many who live and work in Linden have not forgotten Aaron.  On the streets downtown, a merchant told me there’s a lot of interest in Judge and he’s often asked by visitors about the Yankee star’s connection to Linden.

A mural covers the upper interior walls of the mailbox section of the Linden Post Office.  Photo by Steve Newvine

At the local post office, there’s a special mural commemorating the history of this farming community.  There’s nothing on the mural yet about the Yankee outfielder, but there’s hope that someday Aaron’s likeness will be on display prominently in Linden.

Eric Weber is the athletic director at Linden High.  While Eric was not the athletic director when Aaron went to high school, he is proud of all the success this sports star has achieved in such a short period of time.

Linden High School is proud of their alumnus Aaron Judge.  Photo by Steve Newvine

“We’re very happy about his accomplishments,” Eric said.  “He is a humble person, respectful of his roots, and has an excellent work ethic.”

Those accomplishments include hitting thirty home-runs by the all-star break in 2017.  That achievement beats a record set by Joe DiMaggio.

Aaron has been a tremendous addition to the Yankees, and he’s brought a lot of positive attention to Linden.

The baseball field at Linden High School where Aaron Judge played.  He was also a star football player at Linden High.  Photo by Steve Newvine

“It’s really exciting for this young man, from a small town, to create so much attention. You wouldn’t believe all the media who have been calling us.”

— Eric Weber

That media includes the national sports magazines, television networks, and sports radio.  All are following Aaron Judge’s remarkable year.

And the community of Linden, as well as the entire Central Valley, is sharing in some of that spotlight.

Steve Newvine lives in Merced.  

His new book about California will be published in December.