John Anderson Biography
John David Anderson is an American country music artist who began his career in 1977 with the single "I've Got a Feelin' (Somebody's Been Stealin')". Although he continued to chart several more singles into the 1980s, it was not until the release of his 1983 crossover single "Swingin'" that he broke through as a mainstream country music artist.
Despite a decrease in chart success and album sales by the end of the decade, he rebounded in the early 1990s when he broke through again with "Straight Tequila Night". He maintained a string of Top Ten hits throughout the 1990s, but found his momentum again declining by the end of the 1990s. To date, Anderson has released twenty-two studio albums and more than ten compilation albums, in addition to charting more than forty singles on the Billboard country music charts, including five Number Ones: "Wild & Blue", "Swingin'", "Black Sheep", "Straight Tequila Night" and "Money in the Bank".
Anderson first traveled to Nashville in 1972 at the age of 17, eventually signing with Warner Bros. Records in 1976. He first hit the Billboard Country Hot 100 chart in 1977, and first made the country Top 40 in 1978. Anderson's decidedly backwoods accent and distinctive vocal timbre helped land him in the forefront of the "New Traditionalist" movement with artists like Ricky Skaggs, Reba McEntire, and Randy Travis.
In 1983, his career rose on the strength of his million selling hit "Swingin," earning him two Country Music Association awards. Contrary to the urban legend surrounding "Swingin", he knew it would be a huge hit and did not hand over royalties from the song to his soon to be ex-wife as part of a divorce settlement. In fact, he delayed recording and releasing the song until after his divorce was final. However, a few years later, his career cooled off. In 1992, he made a comeback with the release of his double platinum selling album Seminole Wind. His 1993 follow-up effort, "Solid Ground," reached gold-selling status, along with his original "Greatest Hits" album, which had been released in 1984.
Anderson has accumulated five number one hits and 23 top-ten hits in his career. He has had commercial success with hard country songs like "Your Lying Blue Eyes" and the Billy Joe Shaver penned "I'm Just An Old Chunk of Coal" (his first number one hit, which hit the radio airwaves in the spring of 1981), as well as more lighthearted efforts, such as "Black Sheep" and "Goin' Down Hill." (Both from 1983). In 1993, Anderson received the Academy of Country Music's Lifetime Achievement Award. As of 2007, Anderson is an honorary member of the MuzikMafia.
John Anderson established himself as a musician in the early 1980's with an approach to country music that was firmly rooted in tradition. Many of his songs became enormously popular, but problems with record labels brought his career to a halt in 1997. Some assistance from guitarist Mark Knopfler brought about a revivial in interest for Anderson in 1991, but an unwillingness to join the "young country" bandwagon again resulted in unreliable support from chickenshit industry bosses. He continues to command a considerable fan base, however, as well as respect from his peers.
