John Anderson
Anderson at the Pike County Fair, 2008
Background information
Born	John David Anderson[1] (1954-12-13)December 13, 1954 (age 71) Apopka, Florida, U.S.
Origin	Apopka, Florida, U.S.
Genres	Neotraditional Country
Occupations	Singer, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1974–present
Labels	Warner Bros.,MCA,Capitol,RCA,BNA,Mercury,Columbia,Orpheus, Blu Mountain, Warner Bros./Raybaw,Broken Bow
Website	johnanderson.com

John David Anderson (born December 13, 1954)^[2] is an Americancountry singer. Starting in 1977 with the release of his first single, "I've Got a Feelin' (Somebody's Been Stealin')", Anderson has charted more than 40 singles on theBillboard countrymusic charts, including five number ones: "Wild and Blue", "Swingin'", "Black Sheep", "Straight Tequila Night", and "Money in the Bank". He has also recorded 22 studio albums on several labels. His latest album,Years, was released on April 10, 2020, on the Easy Eye Sound label and was produced by Nashville veteran producerDavid Ferguson andDan Auerbach ofthe Black Keys.

Anderson was inducted to theNashville Songwriters Hall of Fame on October 5, 2014.^[3] He waselected into theCountry Music Hall of Fame 10 years later.^[4]

Raised inApopka, Florida, Anderson's first musical influences were not country artists, butrock and roll musicians such asJimi Hendrix andthe Rolling Stones.^[5] He played in a rock band until the age of 15, when he discovered the music ofGeorge Jones andMerle Haggard and turned to country music.^[1] Anderson moved toNashville, Tennessee, in 1971, arriving unannounced at his sister's home, and took on odd jobs during the day – including one as aroofer at theGrand Ole Opry House – while playing in clubs during the evenings.^[6]

The club appearances finally paid off in 1977, when he signed his first recording contract withWarner Bros. Records. He first hit theBillboard country chart in 1977 with the song "I've Got a Feelin' (Somebody's Been Stealin')",^[5] then broke into the country top 40 with "The Girl at the End of the Bar" the next year. Anderson's decidedly backwoods accent and distinctive vocal timbre helped land him in the forefront of the "New Traditionalist" movement with artists such asRicky Skaggs andGeorge Strait.^[2]

A steady stream of singles through the late 1970s and early 1980s continued to build Anderson's name in the country genre. The song "I'm Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I'm Gonna Be a Diamond Someday)" from the 1981 albumJohn Anderson 2 netted Anderson aGrammy Award nomination for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.^[7]

The release of Anderson's fourth album,Wild & Blue, in 1982 led to his breakthrough to mainstream country when the single "Swingin'" hit the airwaves early the next year. Co-written with his long-time writing partner, Lionel Delmore, the song broke into the country charts and reached number one by March, while at the same time crossing over to theBillboardHot 100, reaching a peak of number 43.^[8] The single became the biggest-selling record in the history of Warner Bros. Records.^[5] In the wake of "Swingin'", Anderson received five nominations forCountry Music Association awards for the year. He was the winner of the Horizon Award, and the song was named Single of the Year; he also received nominations for Song of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, and Album of the Year.^[9]

Anderson's success withWild & Blue carried on through several more albums, but none would match its chart numbers or sales. In 1986, Anderson and Warner Bros. parted ways.^[1]

After leaving Warner Bros., Anderson signed withMCA Records and released two albums under that label, followed by one withCapitol Records in 1990. Chart success was minimal throughout those years. That turned around in 1991, though, when Anderson joinedBNA Records, and working with legendary country producerJames Stroud, released the albumSeminole Wind. Powered by thetitle single, which rose to number two, and the number-one single "Straight Tequila Night", the album provided a resurgence for Anderson's career.^[10] The album twice has been certifiedplatinum, the highest of any of Anderson's albums, and he was nominated for three CMA Awards – Male Vocalist, Song of the Year,and Album of the Year.^[9]

The success ofSeminole Wind brought a fresh life to Anderson's career, and he released a number of albums that charted well, producing several more singles that pushed to the upper levels of the country charts. The 1993 albumSolid Ground produced a number-one single, "Money in the Bank", which turned out to be the most recent chart-topper of Anderson's career. He recorded for BNA through 1996 before leaving the label.^[2] In 1993, Anderson was awarded theAcademy of Country Music Career Achievement award.^[11]

Anderson has recorded for several labels since his departure from BNA, with moderate chart success.^[6] An album entitledBigger Hands, a return to working with Stroud as producer, was released in June 2009.^[12]

Over his career, Anderson has collaborated with a number of different artists. He worked withWaylon Jennings on his last live album before Jennings's death in 2002,Never Say Die: The Final Concert, where he performed a duet with Jennings on the track "Waymore's Blues". He has also worked withJohn Rich ofBig & Rich on his 2007 albumEasy Money,^[13] and co-wrote Rich's 2009 single "Shuttin' Detroit Down"^[14] He has been named an honorary member of theMuzikMafia, of which Rich is also a member.^[15]

Anderson lives inSmithville, Tennessee, his home for more than 30 years with his wife and two daughters.^[13]

• "Wild and Blue" (2 weeks, 1982)
• "Swingin'" (1 week, 1983)
• "Black Sheep" (1 week, 1983)
• "Straight Tequila Night" (1 week, 1991-1992)
• "Money in the Bank" (1 week, 1993)

• Official website
• John Anderson atIMDb

• 1954 births
• Living people
• People from Apopka, Florida
• People from Smithville, Tennessee
• American country guitarists
• American male guitarists
• American country singer-songwriters
• American male singer-songwriters
• Country musicians from Florida
• BNA Records artists
• Capitol Records artists
• Columbia Records artists
• Mercury Records artists
• MCA Records artists
• RCA Records artists
• Warner Records artists
• Singers from Orlando, Florida
• 20th-century American singer-songwriters
• 20th-century American guitarists
• 21st-century American guitarists
• Singer-songwriters from Tennessee
• Guitarists from Florida
• Guitarists from Tennessee
• Country musicians from Tennessee
• 20th-century American male singers
• 21st-century American male singers
• 21st-century American singer-songwriters
• Singer-songwriters from Florida

• Webarchive template wayback links
• All articles with dead external links
• Articles with dead external links from October 2010
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from April 2023
• Articles with hCards