Keith Anderson
Encyclopedia
Keith Anderson is an American country music
artist. Before signing to a record deal, Anderson was one of several co-writers on "Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?)", a duet by Garth Brooks
and George Jones
, released in late 2001. Anderson was signed as a recording artist to Arista Nashville
in 2004. His debut single "Pickin' Wildflowers
" was released that year, as the lead-off track from his debut album Three Chord Country and American Rock & Roll
. Counting "Pickin' Wildflowers", the album produced a total of four hit singles on the Billboard
Hot Country Songs
charts, and was certified gold by the RIAA.
In addition to his own material, Anderson co-wrote Big & Rich
's single "Lost in This Moment
", a Number One hit on the country music charts in mid-2007. Anderson switched to the Columbia
label in 2007, and his second album, C'mon!
, was released on August 5, 2008. The second single from the album, "I Still Miss You", became his first Top 5 country hit.
, he played sports during middle
and high school
, and began his music career by playing in a band at church. After graduating from high school, he attended Oklahoma State University, where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta
fraternity. During his college career, he obtained a degree in engineering
. He also played baseball
during his college years, and was approached by the Kansas City Royals
. After a shoulder injury ended his pursuit of a professional baseball career, Anderson tried bodybuilding and placed second in the Mr. Oklahoma competition.
. A year and a half later, he resigned to pursue a career in music. He attended clubs at night, began writing songs, and began learning guitar from his brother, Brian.
In Dallas, he auditioned for Grapevine Opry, a show that had produced other country stars in the past. He performed on the show for three years, before performing at the Texas State Fair and Six Flags
.
Due to financial difficulties, he was forced to find additional work, as a landscaper and as a personal trainer
. He also enrolled in the physical therapy
program at University of Texas. One month before starting, he decided to put his education on hold, and began producing his first CD, he said "The month before I started, I thought, 'Wait a minute. This is going to be a whole bunch of commitment. If I'm ever going to do music, I need to go for it 100%. NOW. Physical therapy will always be there, and my engineering degree will always be there.'"
After recording his CD in Nashville
, he began marketing it to radio stations. In 2000, he put together a band. His first hit as a songwriter came in 2001, when Garth Brooks
and George Jones
recorded "Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?)", which Anderson co-wrote with several other writers, including George Ducas
. He opened for Montgomery Gentry
in 2002, and performed at many events, where he earned his recording deal with Arista Nashville
. Since then, he has written songs for Gretchen Wilson
, as well as Big & Rich
's Number One single "Lost in This Moment
".
, produced four chart singles in "Pickin' Wildflowers", "XXL"(whose accompanying video featured cameos from Tommy Lee and Eddie George), "Every Time I Hear Your Name", and "Podunk". Also, the album was certified gold in the U.S. Initially, the album's title track was slated to be released as the fourth single (following "Every Time I Hear Your Name"). The song was even remixed for radio, with Steven Tyler
of Aerosmith
singing backup vocals on the radio edit. However, the radio edit of "Three Chord Country and American Rock & Roll" was withdrawn before it could chart, and replaced with "Podunk".
Nashville. His first single for the label, "I Still Miss You", was released in 2008 and has become his third Top Ten hit. It is the lead-off single to his second album C'mon!
, released in August 2008, and "Sunday Morning in America" was included on it, as well as his own rendition of "Lost in This Moment" and a cover of Foster & Lloyd
's "Crazy over You". The album's third single "Somebody Needs A Hug" peaked at #46. The fourth single, "She Could've Been Mine", only peaked at #56 in early 2009. Anderson then parted ways with Columbia Nashville in October of that year.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist. Before signing to a record deal, Anderson was one of several co-writers on "Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?)", a duet by Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
and George Jones
George Jones
George Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....
, released in late 2001. Anderson was signed as a recording artist to Arista Nashville
Arista Nashville
Arista Nashville is an American record label that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment, operated under the Sony Music Nashville division. Founded in 1989, the label specializes in country music artists, including Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood...
in 2004. His debut single "Pickin' Wildflowers
Pickin' Wildflowers
"Pickin' Wildflowers" is the title of a song written and recorded by American country music artist Keith Anderson. It was released in December 2004 as the first single from his 2005 album, Three Chord Country and American Rock & Roll, as well as Anderson's first single...
" was released that year, as the lead-off track from his debut album Three Chord Country and American Rock & Roll
Three Chord Country and American Rock & Roll
-Album:-Singles:-Certifications:-Personnel:*Keith Anderson – lead vocals, background vocals*Brian Barnett – piano, drums*Tom Bukovac – electric guitar*Chad Cromwell – drums*Eric Darken – percussion, lap steel guitar*Tom Hambridge – background vocals...
. Counting "Pickin' Wildflowers", the album produced a total of four hit singles on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
charts, and was certified gold by the RIAA.
In addition to his own material, Anderson co-wrote Big & Rich
Big & Rich
Big & Rich is an American country music duo composed of Big Kenny and John Rich. Both members alternate as lead vocalists and play rhythm guitar...
's single "Lost in This Moment
Lost in This Moment
"Lost in This Moment" is a single by country music duo Big & Rich. It is the first single from their third studio album, Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace. The single became their first Number One hit on the Billboard country charts in mid-2007...
", a Number One hit on the country music charts in mid-2007. Anderson switched to the Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
label in 2007, and his second album, C'mon!
C'mon!
C'mon! is the second album by American country music artist Keith Anderson. The album was released by Columbia Records on August 5, 2008. It features the singles "Sunday Morning in America" and "I Still Miss You," the latter of which reached the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in...
, was released on August 5, 2008. The second single from the album, "I Still Miss You", became his first Top 5 country hit.
Early life
While growing up in Miami, OklahomaMiami, Oklahoma
Miami is a city in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States. As of 2009, the population estimate was 12,910. It is the county seat of Ottawa County. The city is named after the Miami tribe...
, he played sports during middle
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
and high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, and began his music career by playing in a band at church. After graduating from high school, he attended Oklahoma State University, where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta
Delta Tau Delta
Delta Tau Delta is a U.S.-based international secret letter college fraternity. Delta Tau Delta was founded in 1858 at Bethany College, Bethany, Virginia, . It currently has around 125 student chapters nationwide, as well as more than 25 regional alumni groups. Its national community service...
fraternity. During his college career, he obtained a degree in engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
. He also played baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
during his college years, and was approached by the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
. After a shoulder injury ended his pursuit of a professional baseball career, Anderson tried bodybuilding and placed second in the Mr. Oklahoma competition.
Musical career
After graduating, he accepted a position with an engineering firm in Dallas, TexasDallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. A year and a half later, he resigned to pursue a career in music. He attended clubs at night, began writing songs, and began learning guitar from his brother, Brian.
In Dallas, he auditioned for Grapevine Opry, a show that had produced other country stars in the past. He performed on the show for three years, before performing at the Texas State Fair and Six Flags
Six Flags
Six Flags Entertainment Corp. is the world's largest amusement park corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance. The company maintains 14 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks and family...
.
Due to financial difficulties, he was forced to find additional work, as a landscaper and as a personal trainer
Personal trainer
A personal trainer is a fitness professional involved in exercise prescription and instruction. They motivate clients by setting goals and providing feedback and accountability to clients. Trainers also measure their client's strengths and weaknesses with fitness assessments...
. He also enrolled in the physical therapy
Physical therapy
Physical therapy , often abbreviated PT, is a health care profession. Physical therapy is concerned with identifying and maximizing quality of life and movement potential within the spheres of promotion, prevention, diagnosis, treatment/intervention,and rehabilitation...
program at University of Texas. One month before starting, he decided to put his education on hold, and began producing his first CD, he said "The month before I started, I thought, 'Wait a minute. This is going to be a whole bunch of commitment. If I'm ever going to do music, I need to go for it 100%. NOW. Physical therapy will always be there, and my engineering degree will always be there.'"
After recording his CD in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, he began marketing it to radio stations. In 2000, he put together a band. His first hit as a songwriter came in 2001, when Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
and George Jones
George Jones
George Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....
recorded "Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?)", which Anderson co-wrote with several other writers, including George Ducas
George Ducas (singer)
George Ducas is an American country music artist. He has released two studio albums: 1994's George Ducas and 1997's Where I Stand, and has charted six singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, of which the highest was the #9 "Lipstick Promises" in 1995...
. He opened for Montgomery Gentry
Montgomery Gentry
Montgomery Gentry is an American country music duo composed of vocalists Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry. The two began performing in the 1990s as part of a band which also included Eddie Montgomery's brother John Michael Montgomery, and founded the existing duo in 1999.Signed to Columbia Records,...
in 2002, and performed at many events, where he earned his recording deal with Arista Nashville
Arista Nashville
Arista Nashville is an American record label that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment, operated under the Sony Music Nashville division. Founded in 1989, the label specializes in country music artists, including Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood...
. Since then, he has written songs for Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Frances Wilson is an American country music artist. She made her debut in 2004 with the Grammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman," a number-one hit on the Billboard country charts. The song served as the lead-off single of her debut album, Here for the Party...
, as well as Big & Rich
Big & Rich
Big & Rich is an American country music duo composed of Big Kenny and John Rich. Both members alternate as lead vocalists and play rhythm guitar...
's Number One single "Lost in This Moment
Lost in This Moment
"Lost in This Moment" is a single by country music duo Big & Rich. It is the first single from their third studio album, Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace. The single became their first Number One hit on the Billboard country charts in mid-2007...
".
Three Chord Country and American Rock & Roll
In 2004, Anderson signed to Arista Nashville. His debut album, Three Chord Country and American Rock & RollThree Chord Country and American Rock & Roll
-Album:-Singles:-Certifications:-Personnel:*Keith Anderson – lead vocals, background vocals*Brian Barnett – piano, drums*Tom Bukovac – electric guitar*Chad Cromwell – drums*Eric Darken – percussion, lap steel guitar*Tom Hambridge – background vocals...
, produced four chart singles in "Pickin' Wildflowers", "XXL"(whose accompanying video featured cameos from Tommy Lee and Eddie George), "Every Time I Hear Your Name", and "Podunk". Also, the album was certified gold in the U.S. Initially, the album's title track was slated to be released as the fourth single (following "Every Time I Hear Your Name"). The song was even remixed for radio, with Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...
of Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
singing backup vocals on the radio edit. However, the radio edit of "Three Chord Country and American Rock & Roll" was withdrawn before it could chart, and replaced with "Podunk".
C'mon!
Anderson released a song called "Sunday Morning in America" in early 2007 as the lead-off single to a second album for Arista. This song peaked at #28, however, and the album was delayed. Later the same year, Anderson switched from Arista Nashville to Columbia RecordsColumbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
Nashville. His first single for the label, "I Still Miss You", was released in 2008 and has become his third Top Ten hit. It is the lead-off single to his second album C'mon!
C'mon!
C'mon! is the second album by American country music artist Keith Anderson. The album was released by Columbia Records on August 5, 2008. It features the singles "Sunday Morning in America" and "I Still Miss You," the latter of which reached the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in...
, released in August 2008, and "Sunday Morning in America" was included on it, as well as his own rendition of "Lost in This Moment" and a cover of Foster & Lloyd
Foster & Lloyd
Foster & Lloyd is an American country music duo consisting of singer-songwriters Radney Foster and Bill Lloyd . Founded in 1986, the duo recorded three albums for RCA Records, in addition to charting nine singles on the Billboard country charts. The highest-peaking of these was their debut single...
's "Crazy over You". The album's third single "Somebody Needs A Hug" peaked at #46. The fourth single, "She Could've Been Mine", only peaked at #56 in early 2009. Anderson then parted ways with Columbia Nashville in October of that year.
Personal life
Anderson married Lauren Woodruff in December 2010, after ten years of dating. They welcomed a little girl Crozle J. Anderson on October 5, 2011.Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales threshold) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country |
US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
|||
| Three Chord Country and American Rock & Roll Three Chord Country and American Rock & Roll -Album:-Singles:-Certifications:-Personnel:*Keith Anderson – lead vocals, background vocals*Brian Barnett – piano, drums*Tom Bukovac – electric guitar*Chad Cromwell – drums*Eric Darken – percussion, lap steel guitar*Tom Hambridge – background vocals... |
|
12 | 71 |
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... : Gold |
| C'mon C'mon - Songs :*"C'mon", a song on the Rustic Overtones album ¡Viva Nueva!*"C'mon", a song on Guster's Ganging Up on the Sun*"C'mon", a song on Mario's self titled album*"C'mon", a song by The Screaming Jets from their 1991 album All for One... |
|
3 | 12 | |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales threshold) |
Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Pop Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
CAN Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
||||
| 2004 | "Pickin' Wildflowers Pickin' Wildflowers "Pickin' Wildflowers" is the title of a song written and recorded by American country music artist Keith Anderson. It was released in December 2004 as the first single from his 2005 album, Three Chord Country and American Rock & Roll, as well as Anderson's first single... " |
8 | 64 | 82 | — |
|
Three Chord Country and American Rock & Roll |
| 2005 | "XXL" | 23 | 122 | — | — | ||
| 2006 | "Every Time I Hear Your Name Every Time I Hear Your Name "Everytime I Hear Your Name" is a single by American country music artist Keith Anderson. It was released in January 2006 as the third single from Anderson's 2005 album Three Chord Country and American Rock & Roll.... " |
7 | 64 | 97 | — | ||
| 2007 | "Podunk" | 34 | — | — | — | ||
| "Sunday Morning in America Sunday Morning in America "Sunday Morning in America" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Keith Anderson. It was released in May 2007 as the lead single from his sophomore album, C'mon!.-Content:... " |
28 | — | — | — | C'mon! | ||
| 2008 | "I Still Miss You" | 2 | 48 | — | 95 | ||
| "Somebody Needs a Hug" | 46 | — | — | — | |||
| 2009 | "She Could've Been Mine" | 56 | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | "Pickin' Wildflowers" | Eric Welch |
| 2005 | "XXL" | Trey Fanjoy Trey Fanjoy Trey Fanjoy is a country music and pop music video director. Fanjoy has directed over 150 major label music videos. Her videos have appeared on CMT, VH-1, GAC, The Nashville Network, CMT Canada, and MTV.-Music videos:... |
| 2006 | "Every Time I Hear Your Name" | Kristin Barlowe |
| 2007 | "Podunk" | Tony Holden |
| 2008 | "I Still Miss You" | Traci Goudie |