Rob Joyner introduces you to a country legend.
Have you ever heard a song you haven’t heard before and said, “Hey! That’s so & so.” Some singers just have a certain voice that sounds like nobody else. Sinatra, Elvis, Dylan, Willie. There are more, of course, but for me these are probably the singers with the most recognizable voices. Completing my top five is John Anderson.
Yes, John Anderson. Not a fan? He’s that guy who sings “Swingin”. Whether you’re a country music fan or not, you’ve probably heard of it. A Florida native, Anderson played in a rock band until about age 15, but after he heard George Jones and Merle Haggard he moved to Nashville. There he played clubs at night and took odd jobs during the day, one being a roofer at the Grand Ole Opry. In 1977 he landed a contract with Warner Brothers and his slow but steady following began. Already having several top ten singles on the U.S. country charts, it was “Swingin” that put him over the top in 1983.
I recently saw Anderson on his current tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of “Swingin.” Got to meet him too—very nice guy—and the voice and his band are as strong as ever. If “Swingin” is the only song of his you’ve ever heard, and you like real country music with a good dose of twang, you owe it to yourself to at least grab up a few of his greatest hits compilations. “Swingin” is most definitely only the tip of the iceberg. Here are my favorites:
“Swingin'”
“I’m Just An Old Chunk Of Coal”
“Straight Tequila Night”
“I Wish I Could Have Been There”
“When It Comes To You”
“Black Sheep”
“Wild And Blue”
“Seminole Wind”
photo Kirby Collins / Flickr
Yep. 1959 is a classic. Some more of my faves are:
I Just Came Home To Count The Memories
Your Lyin’ Blue Eyes
Bend It ‘Til It Breaks
Let Go Of The Stone
Honky Tonk Crowd
I’ve Got It Made
My Kind Of Crazy
Solid Ground
Down In Tennessee
She Just Started Liking Cheatin’ Songs
Another good John Anderson song is “1959.” It doesn’t get as much play as some of his other stuff, like the ones mentioned in this article, but It’s a good one. Rob, thanks for this article.
Browsing the homepage, my eyes fell on this headline, and I thought, “John Anderson? For real? Wow!” A total blast from the past for me. I loved his music during my middle school days in the early 90s. Thanks for the profile!