John Anderson, the Country Music Hall of Fame singer known for his distinctive, yearning vocals on hits like “Swingin,” “Wild and Blue” and “Black Sheep,” has died at age 71.
His family announced the death Wednesday on his social media accounts. No cause of death or further details were provided.
“To the world, he was a gifted country music singer whose voice and songs touched countless lives,” the family wrote. “To us, he was so much more. He was the heart of our family, the one who made us laugh, loved us fiercely, and made every ordinary moment feel special.”
Anderson died just days after attending the Country Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee, where new members including Tim McGraw, Paul Overstreet and the Stanley Brothers were inducted. McGraw wrote on Instagram Thursday that he was “completely shook” by the news, adding that Anderson “was in such good spirits” at the event.
“We talked, we laughed, we sang his songs that I loved so much together, just goofing off,” McGraw wrote, sharing a photo of himself with Anderson.
Anderson was a native of Apopka, Florida, and moved to Nashville right after high school. Before his commercial breakthrough in 1977 with “I’ve Got a Feelin’ (Somebody’s Been Stealin’),” he worked odd jobs around Music City, including helping build the roof of the new Grand Ole Opry House.
Over his career, Anderson released more than 20 albums and dozens of singles, becoming one of the artists credited with the “New Traditionalist” country movement alongside peers like George Strait and Ricky Skaggs. He was known for his skill at bending notes and for songs including “Straight Tequila Night,” “Seminole Wind” and “I Wish I Could Have Been There.”
Anderson was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Country Music Hall of Fame a decade later. He also won two Country Music Association awards: single of the year in 1983 for “Swingin,” and album of the year in 1994 as a contributor to the Eagles tribute album “Common Thread,” on which he covered “Heartache Tonight.”
