John Anderson Announced as Newest Inductee to Country Hall of Fame
John Anderson is one of the most unique singers and characters in the history of country music, with an incredible success story that now will include induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Announced on Monday, March 18th in a Hall of Fame press conference, John Anderson is the newest Hall of Fame inductee in the Veteran’s Era category.
Anderson goes in with Toby Keith as the Modern Era inductee, and Elvis Presley guitarist James Burton as a musician in the rotating category.
[I] want to thank the fans that have supported us through the last nearly 50 years, all of the folks here at the Hall of Fame and the CMA for letting this be possible, this moment for me.” John Anderson said. “This is an institution that preserves greatness. I know it is because I have so many dear friends that are in the Hall of Fame … But just the fact that I get to be amongst this kind of greatness, Words can’t really explain for me how important it really is.”
There are many reasons that Anderson has landed in the Hall of Fame, including songs like “Straight Tequila Night,” “Swingin’” and “Wild and Blue” that have become unquestionable country music standards. But it’s not just the songs Anderson wrote and selected, but his unique voice that sounds like caramel being run through a volume pedal that separated him from his peers, and earned him admiration. For over 45 years, John Anderson has been making folks jealous over his singing ability.
Raised in interior Florida in the town of Apopka, John Anderson was mostly interested in rock music until the age of 15 when he discovered George Jones and Merle Haggard, and set his life around pursuing country music. Lucky for John, his sister lived in Nashville, and in 1971 he arrived unannounced at her door to pursue his country music dreams.
Working construction jobs and other odd labor during the day, Anderson would play Nashville’s clubs at night, looking to be discovered. At one point he was hired to help put the roof on the new Grand Ole Opry house, and peered down at the stage, hoping one day he would get to play it. In 1977 he was finally signed to Warner Bros. and started releasing singles, but it wasn’t until the early 80s when he found success with #1’s like “Wild and Blue,” “Swingin'” and “Black Sheep.”
Interest in Anderson waned a bit in the late 80s, but he came roaring back in 1991 with the hit “Straight Tequila Night,” followed by “Seminole Wind” in 1992 calling back to his Florida roots, and the #1 “Money in the Bank” in 1993. Anderson never had the “look” of a big star and so his career was full of ups and downs as labels didn’t know exactly how to promote him. Though he officially ended up with six #1 singles in his career, his impact and influence was certainly outsized.
By the late 90s, John Anderson’s mainstream impact had expired, but lately he’s been enjoying a big resurgence. After experiencing some serious health issues that saw Anderson losing weight and looking almost unrecognizable to his old self, he re-emerged with Dan Auerback of The Black Keys and Easy Eye Sound to release a comeback album in 2020 called Years. Critically acclaimed, the album was also chased with a 2022 tribute album called Something Borrowed, Something New that saw selections from Tyler Childers, Eric Church, and Sierra Ferrell, speaking to Anderson’s lasting influence.
Knowing how to put the emphasis on the right notes is what has made John Anderson so legendary and influential in country music. Nobody could sing like him, but many tried. Meanwhile his songs had an honesty, and sometimes an innocence that was unmatched.
With Anderson’s health issues, his Hall of Fame induction couldn’t have come at a better time. Too many country legends have come and gone without seeing this honor in person. John Anderson will be formally inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame later this year in a Medallion Ceremony.
March 18, 2024 @ 8:17 am
Fantastic news. Well deserved. A unique great singer and one of my favourites. His latest album years is worth repeated listens. .
March 18, 2024 @ 8:22 am
Hard to argue with this pick
March 18, 2024 @ 8:22 am
As a central Floridian, I could not be more happy and proud to have Apopka’s own in the hall. A wonderful choice from the committee.
March 18, 2024 @ 8:28 am
I saw him at the Decatur, Illinois Civic Center opening for David Allan Coe at about the lowest point of his mid-career lull. It was kind of comical seeing his huge band with horns and all squeezed onto a stage about the size of a postage stamp, but he put on a great show and I remember wondering what the hell had happened to cause him to be at this level after his earlier success. Although I wasn’t as enthused about his later hits as I was about his earlier tunes, it was still satisfying to see him make his way back into the spotlight later. This is a much-deserved honor.
March 18, 2024 @ 8:33 am
He is deserving, but so are so many pre-1970 acts. Crystal Gayle, Steve Wariner, Roseanne Cash, The Gatlins will all likely follow in this category. The CMA needs to develop another category for pioneer or pre-1970.
March 18, 2024 @ 8:53 am
Yes, I kind of fear that deceased Veteran’s Era nominees are going to be permanently locked out of the process. Anderson is technically a Veteran, but feels Modern to me.
March 18, 2024 @ 1:41 pm
It does feel as if the “modern” era artist are getting caught up on, but this veteran category is a problem. I truly don’t understand why they don’t either induct two per year or have a “catch up” year. At this rate, so many people are being left out that it’s almost shameful.
March 18, 2024 @ 2:09 pm
First off, very happy for John Anderson, fully deserved. But in terms of the categories for CMHOF going forward, basically anything post, say, 1975, is plenty modern to me and I’m sure most fans of “classic” country music. I just wonder if at some point they should just get rid of the modern and veteran distinctions because, while I get it, I still don’t get it.
March 18, 2024 @ 11:01 am
David, there’s many artists 30 years before the ones you named that have been well overlooked-Forgotten. People today don’t even probably know who : Johnny & Jack( Johnny Wright was Kitty Wells hubby), Molly O’Day-singer, LuluBelle & Scotty, Bailes Brothers,”Bashful Brother Oswald” Pete Kirby, and songwriter-Albert E Brumley were.
Look them up. Youtube them.
They played decades before and were performing well into the new 21st Century except for Jack Anglin of Johnny & Jack who got killed in an automobile wreck on the way to Patsy Cline’s Funeral.
March 18, 2024 @ 2:21 pm
I agree that the HOF needs to create a Pioneer category, either to rotate with the other three rotating categories or be placed on its own rotation.
However, none of the artists you mention (Crystal Gayle, Steve Wariner, the Gatlins, Roseanne Cash) are pre-1970. They’re pre-1980, with the possible exception of Roseanne. She may have reached national prominence after 1980.
March 18, 2024 @ 2:27 pm
I’m sorry, David. I completely misread your statement about pre-1970 artists.
I tried to edit my comment after it posted, but I didn’t see a way to do that. So everyone, please just ignore my 2nd paragraph.
March 18, 2024 @ 8:49 am
When writing about James Burton, it would be nice to include his earlier work with Rick Nelson, and all those great Imperial and Decca recordings he did with him. James was — and is — far more than Elvis’ guitar player.
March 18, 2024 @ 10:00 am
He was also Spongebob’s guitar player, on the album “Best Day Ever.” 🙂
March 18, 2024 @ 9:12 am
His Mother is from Leslie County, Kentucky. Same county as the Osborne Brothers…..
March 18, 2024 @ 10:28 am
To my ears no better licks in country music than on Haggard’s 60s and 70s recordings — the contributions of James Burton (with Roy Nicholls etc. of course) were fundamental. Well deserved!
March 18, 2024 @ 10:39 am
What took John Anderson so long to be inducted into the Country music Hall Of Fame ? He’s obviously one of the all-time greats.
March 18, 2024 @ 12:55 pm
What took him so long? He’s a unique singer, but he was not a top-tier country star and is largely unknown, outside of country music circles. Artists like that get in, when the get in.
March 18, 2024 @ 10:56 am
“like caramel being run through a volume pedal”
finally, someone has been able to put into words what that sound is.
March 18, 2024 @ 11:08 am
Anyone remember from around 1983, “Just a Swingin” by John Anderson ? Everyone was singing that Tune every time it came on the Radio.
“Would You catch a Falling Star” was an overlooked Honky-Tonk Ballad by John Anderson in my book. Song about a once famous ,forgotten,singer. Also, “Your Lying Blue Eyes”. Real Country Music,no doubt, as former WSM Eddie Stubbs,would say. Do you have any Questions ?………
March 18, 2024 @ 11:23 am
On one hand, this is a welcome surprise, as I thought Anderson would be one of those who was thought of as not quite HOF-worthy. He lacked a public persona; he stayed out of the news.
That said, I know this is the type of announcement that is likely to result in a lot of “why not (fill in the blank)?” comments from fans of Maddox brothers and a lots of as-yet-uninducted artists. So I hate to add to those comments, but I really would liked to have seen the following, who all recorded about the same time (or slightly before) John Anderson was in his prime:
Rosanne Cash
Crystal Gayle
Earl Thomas Conley
Gene Watson
March 18, 2024 @ 12:11 pm
Very very pleased to see John enter the hall of fame, I had him being a few years down the road and worried he may not see it during his lifetime.
Fantastic artist who was able to have two very distinct runs as a hit maker, and his work past his commercial years has been just as strong.
Quite a few had him as a “modern” inductee prediction but I had figured he had transitioned to the veteran category by now. This draws a more solid line for others still on the border of the two categories.
March 18, 2024 @ 5:12 pm
Yep, I think when Steve Wariner inevitably gets indicted (and deservedly so) he will fall into the Veteran’s category, as his first charting single was in the late 1970s. Pretty much the same profile as John Anderson, including the mainstream comeback sometime during the 1990s.
March 19, 2024 @ 9:04 pm
I very much hope Mr. Wariner gets inducted and not indicted.
March 18, 2024 @ 2:18 pm
Very rarely do I give props to the all music guide, but they hit the nail on the head in their review of “Seminole Wind” where they give props to Anderson’s ability to lament the changing south on “Look Away” and then turn around and nail a country arrangement of a Tina Turner song on the very next track (the review is linked on the album’s wiki article, but I don’t advise going there on an outdated web browser if you want to use your computer in the next half hour)
I also give him props for, while not being a particularly prolific writer, the songs he wrote or co-wrote were never filler (and of course if the only two songs he’d ever written were Swingin and Seminole Wind that would be enough of a songwriting legacy)
March 18, 2024 @ 3:00 pm
This was a great pick. I’d have chosen Earl Thomas Conley, personally, but the reality is that he should have went in while he was still with us and that seems to be the crux of the problem. A rotating or permanent pioneer category would be one way to handle it. Or they can expand the Veteran’s category for one year. Similar to what they did in 2001, when 12 people were inducted. Following that precedent and given that next year is a Non-Performer’s turn in the rotating category, they should do Dwight in the modern category, Starday Records founder Don Pierce and ten veterans. Let’s say Conley, Maddox Brothers and Rose, the Stanley Brothers, Cowboy Copas, Johnny Paycheck, Crystal Gayle, the Gatlins, Eddie Rabbitt, Vern Gosdin and Johnny Horton.
March 18, 2024 @ 4:14 pm
Ten veterans at one time would make a mockery of the supposed process. I mean, if 10 is fine, then why limit it to 1 in other years? If a single entry is insufficient–as it seems to be–then raise the limit to 2. They’ll work off the backlog over time and all inductees will be treated the same. Almost all of the artists named above are dead, but it would be an insult to Crystal Gayle and Dwight Yoakam to go in as part of a mob induction.
March 18, 2024 @ 5:54 pm
That’s a fair point. I suggested it because I do think that a bulk induction will probably be the only way Paycheck gets in for the foreseeable future. With three or even four inductees per year, they aren’t going to shine the spotlight on someone with major skeletons in their closet. With 12, most journalists would be too busy to dredge up what happened in a bar one night almost 40 years ago.
March 22, 2024 @ 9:12 pm
I’m thinking that two a year for three years would do a lot by giving the songwriters, players and industry figures an extra inductee for a cycle and getting six inductees from the modern and veteran categories. Get the Maddox Brothers, Stanleys, Crystal, Dwight, the Gatlins, Don Rich and Buddy Emmons in there.
March 18, 2024 @ 3:11 pm
This is great news for one of the greatest voices in country music history. I found him somewhat inconsistent, but the first few albums are great, including “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal,” “Chicken Truck,” and “Your Lyin’ Blue Eyes.” When John Anderson got the right production and right song for his voice, he’s as good as anybody in the history of country music, in my view. I did get to see him live once, and was astounded that his voice was as good as on his albums. “Seminole Wind” is another classic, and his last album “Years” was very strong. Congratulations to John Anderson, the caramel voice made through mixing with bananas, fudge and strawberries, with the cherry on top 🙂
March 18, 2024 @ 3:34 pm
Incredible news. John’s voice is just phenomenal. It’s completely unique and his all his own. Seminole Wind brings a tear to my eye every single time.
March 18, 2024 @ 3:51 pm
I’ve been a long-time John Anderson fan since “Would You Catch a Falling Star,” was released. I saw him perform countless times earlier in his career. This announcement was long overdue. However, I was a little disappointed in his Hall of Fame acceptance speech in that he didn’t mention his first artist manager, Gene Ferguson, a friend of mine who also managed Charly McClain and Larry Boone at different times. Gene, a record label veteran, helped John get his recording contract with Warner Brothers Nashville and also took the responsibility for selecting the singles to be released to radio off his early albums through Wild and Blue’s mega-hit “Swingin’.” After that, things began to change between the artist and manager. Congratulations John, the honor is well-deserved.
March 18, 2024 @ 4:18 pm
So happy to hear this. John truly deserves to be call an “artist.” Three of my favorite songs of his (not all of them): Swingin’, Wish I Could’ve Been There and Nashville Tears. That last one has so much heart and compassion for those who for whatever reason miss the music industry’s brass ring, and as a parent myself, Wish I Could’ve Been There can bring me to tears.
March 18, 2024 @ 6:33 pm
I remember as a kid when Swingin was a big hit. My family all loved that song. My grandparents had the album and my cousins and I would play that song over and over. I’ve been a fan ever since.
March 18, 2024 @ 7:27 pm
I like to try and see who’s up next as top dog in certain genres-for instance blues Muddy to BB to currently Buddy and eventually the crown imo to Robert Cray.
Country in my little scale has Willie and Kris and then John Anderson-this honor/recognition helps validate my concept of hierarchy-well done Apopka son
March 18, 2024 @ 8:42 pm
I was glad John Anderson had a little resurgence with “Tuesday I’ll Be Gone” with Blake Shelton.
March 18, 2024 @ 9:49 pm
I like John Anderson a lot, but it feels like the HOF is simply skipping over tons of deserving artists.
March 19, 2024 @ 3:18 am
So thrilled to see John Anderson finally getting the recognition he deserves. I’ve always enjoyed his music. His distinct voice made his voice instantly recognizable. His song “Swingin’” was probably the first song I yearned to hear on the radio when I was a kid. Most artists would be done after a 5-10 year time span, but he came roaring back in the early 90s and lasted pretty much for the rest of the decade. Sad to hear though he has some health issues, such is the cruelty of aging, but knowing that he is still with us to learn of his induction I’m sure puts a feather in his cap. Thank you for your contributions Mr. Andrserson, enjoy your place the vaunted halls of memory for time immemorial.
March 19, 2024 @ 8:37 am
I was first introduced to John Anderson via Freakwater’s excellent 1997 cover of “Wild and Blue” –
https://youtu.be/TqqzKX-IL0w?si=Zan8z2nS5StmMdKI
March 19, 2024 @ 9:20 am
His singing gives us chills. He was blessed with the boys beyond words. God bless him. No one deserves it more.
March 19, 2024 @ 9:51 am
Gonna chalk this up to good news. John Anderson is great in my book, and looms large in the soundtrack of both my childhood and teenage years thanks to his ’90s comeback, but (at least to the extent that I give the HOF much thought) I would’ve figured he’d be among my personal favorites who didn’t quite make the cut. Like Gary Stewart, Carlene Carter or Lyle Lovett for other examples. Very happy to be wrong in this case.
March 19, 2024 @ 10:41 am
I wanted Johnny Horton as my number #1 pick, but I can’t complain about this one.
“Red Georgia Clay” is one of the best country songs ever.
Certificable legend.
March 19, 2024 @ 8:27 pm
I think it’s well deserved, wild n blue, wish I would have been there, would you catch a falling star, not sure it gets much better than that. Lots of other good tunes too. I do wish they would put in a few more cause a lot of the older ones are getting further away. Though people like to throw out crystal gayle, rosanne cash, I’m not sure they are deserving but I guess it’s just my opinion and opinions differ.
March 19, 2024 @ 9:15 pm
Trigger, I would like you to do an article on how chart statistics relate to HOF membership. Last year Patty Loveless was inducted, and this year John Anderson, but neither one of them had huge numbers of #1 hits.
Just for fun I compared Billboard’s “hot country songs” stats for Patty Loveless, John Anderson, and Kathy Mattea (I’m a huge KM fan) and they aren’t all that different, not by orders of magnitude like, say, Kenny Chesney who’s had 23 #1’s and 55 top 10’s.
Again, not saying John Anderson doesn’t deserve this, but Toby Keith had something like 4 times the amount of chart success JA had- they’re not in the same ballpark as far as Billboard is concerned.
It’s rather opaque.
March 20, 2024 @ 10:34 am
If chart success were the sole determining factor, Earl Thomas Conley would have went in at least a decade ago. He had more #1 hits than any artist in the ’80s other than Alabama and Ronnie Milsap. Despite it being categorized as the veteran’s era, I suspect one of the things they consider for is current relevance. Like last year’s veteran’s era inductee Tanya Tucker, Anderson recently released an acclaimed album produced by an acclaimed modern artist. There was also a tribute album to him released featuring mainstream stars like Eric Church, Luke Combs, Ashley McBryde and Brothers Osborne, as well as independent country powerhouses. I think Mattea could get in eventually and her current role as the host of Mountain Stage probably helps her chances, but, ironically, the fact that she has never stopped quietly releasing great music may actually work against her. If she releases a great album this year, the media won’t hail it as a comeback or suddenly begin shouting her name from the rooftops, because she’ll simply be doing the same thing she has for decades. On the other hand, that worked out well enough for Marty Stuart to get him inducted.
March 20, 2024 @ 6:57 pm
Adam, that’s a really thoughtful and helpful reply.
Last year Kathy Mattea was playing the City WInery not too far from where I live and we had babysitting all lined up for our kids and I had even persuaded my non-country-music loving wife to go by pointing out that KM had recorded with Cheryl Wheeler. . . and my daughter got sick and we couldn’t go.
ERRGG. Have never seen her live and I’ve been a fan since I was in college in the 80’s.
What are you gonna do?
March 20, 2024 @ 4:17 am
One of the most memorable shows I’ve seen was that John Anderson tribute show at the Grand Ole Opry. John and all the stars who performed his songs were great, particularly Sierra Hull on Down in Tennessee. The TV cut that aired on Circle is still on YouTube. Congratulations to John, a unique talent and voice.
March 21, 2024 @ 5:51 pm
Absolutely! That show was dynamite and Sierra was a highlight.
Down in Tennessee is a great COUNTRY song. John’s version is great but Sierra did a fine job on it as well. When I realized that she was singing Down in Tennessee, I had a visceral response like one would at a concert.
That show was a great example of what the Opry can be.