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James William Anderson III (born November 1, 1937 in Columbia, South Carolina) is an American country music singer and songwriter, nicknamed "Whisperin' Bill". He also wrote the country standard "Once A Day" for Connie Smith. The song has subsequently been covered by a large number of artists, including Martina McBride, Van Morrison, and The Triffids.

Although Bill was born in Columbia, South Carolina, he was raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Anderson had actually been writing songs since high school and he wrote Ray Price's 1958 hit "City Lights" when he was 19 years of age. "City Lights," backed with "No Song To Sing," were recorded and produced by a fellow disc jockey, Bob Ritter. He attended the University of Georgia and earned a degree in journalism from the university's Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Eventually, he landed a job at the Atlanta Constitution. During the time that he landed this job, he signed with Decca Records and began recording with the legendary producer, Owen Bradley. Bradley has been considered one of the founders of the Nashville Sound and had worked with many famous singers like Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline.

As a recording artist, he landed his first single in 1959 with "That's What It's Like To Be Lonesome." In 1960, he scored his first Top 10 single with "Walk Out Backwards." In 1961, he released what would become his trademark song, "Po' Folks"(which would become the name of his band in the 1960s. That same year, he would become a member of the Grand Ole Opry, of which he is still a member. In 1962,he would score his first number 1 single, with "Mama Sang A Song."

His next single, 1963's "Still," would become his biggest hit, not only reaching number 1 on the country charts, but also reaching number 8 on the pop charts. It became his best-known recording to date and became one of the biggest hits in Country music history.^{[citation needed]}

Other songs in the 1960s which were major hits for Anderson included, "I Get The Fever" (1966), "I Love You Drops"(1966), "Get While The Gettin's Good"(1967), "Wild Weekend"(1968), "Happy State Of Mind"(1968), "My Life (Throw It Away If I Want To)"(1969) and "But You Know That I Love You" (1969).

Bill Anderson has gone on to become one of the top songwriters of the 1960s. He wrote the hit "The Tips of My Fingers" for Roy Clark and Eddy Arnold and he wrote "Once a Day, a smash hit single for Connie Smith.

Besides his "whisper" of a singing voice, he was also known for his whispering recitations during songs, such as in "Mama Sang A Song" and "Still." In songs such as "Double S," he whispered through the whole single, telling about his fictitious one night stand with a woman who wouldn't give her name, but mysteriously called herself "Double S."

He has also served as a television game show host, emceeing The Better Sex on ABC (as a co-host with Sarah Purcell) and Fandango, which aired on The Nashville Network. He also co-produced the The Nashville Network show, You Can Be a Star!, which was hosted by fellow country singer Jim Ed Brown. Anderson also occasionally appeared on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. He was also a frequent guest on Match Game in the '70s. July 15, 2006 marked Anderson's 45th year as a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

The video for the song "Whiskey Lullaby" won Anderson Video of the Year and Vocal Collaboration of the Year in 2004. "Give It Away," co-written by Anderson and performed by George Strait, won the Academy of Country Music Song of the Year for 2006. In November 2007, "Give It Away" won the Country Music Association Song of the Year, an award that goes to the songwriters, Bill Anderson being a co-writer.

^{[citation needed]}

• "Still"
• "Mama Sang a Song"
• "I Get the Fever"
• "For Loving You" (duet with Jan Howard)
• "Wild Weekend"
• "But You Know That I Love You"
• "I Love You Drops"
• "My Life (Throw it Away If I Want To)"
• "Three A.M."
• "Quits"
• "Don't She Look Good"
• "The Corner Of My Life"
• "World Of Make Believe"
• "Mr. Peepers"
• "Sometimes" (duet with Mary Lou Turner)
• "I Can't Wait Any Longer"

• Georgia Magazine, September 2006, Vol. 85, No. 4, p.55
• Trott, Walt (1998). "Bill Anderson". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 12-13.
• Wolff, Kurt. Country Music: The Rough Guide.