John Anderson Reflects on His History in Country Music and Looks into the Genre’s Uncertain Future

John Anderson Interview on Poignant New Album 'Years'

Last night (October 20), John Anderson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame alongside James Burton and Toby Keith. After decades of writing and recording songs with one of the genre’s most recognizable voices, Anderson finally got his due.

Ahead of the official Medallion Ceremony at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Anderson connected with Rolling Stone. He wrote about the past and future of country music as well as his career.

John Anderson on the Future of Country Music

John Anderson has a long history in country music. With any luck, he’ll have a long future in the genre as well. These days, he’s not as commercially successful as he was early in his career. However, his voice and the songs he writes still draw new fans every day. He addressed the future of country music in the Rolling Stone piece.

“Today, I’m hearing several young ones and the songs are good. However, the style has changed quite a bit,” Anderson noted. Indeed, the genre has experienced much change since he was in his prime. Some would say that the music on country radio sounds a little less “country” with electronic beats, modern pop production, and other additions.

“It’s hard to say where it goes from here, whether it will revert back to some of the classic country stuff that we did or whether it’ll just go on continuing to turn in its own direction,” he added. At the moment, it’s a toss-up. On one hand, some artists are content to continue following the status quo. Then, there are acts like Zach Top, Joshua Hedley, and Ben Jarrell who are making traditional-sounding country music.

Anderson on His Induction into the Hall of Fame

John Anderson released his debut single in 1975. Getting his start that early allowed him to become friends with legendary artists like Merle Haggard, Minnie Pearl Ernest Tubb, “Little” Jimmy Dickens, and Loretta Lynn, among others. As a result, he feels at home in the Country Music Hall of Fame.

“As surprised as I was to get in the Hall of Fame, on the other hand, I don’t feel out of place just on account of the people that I’ve known through the years that I became friends with,” he said. “I could almost swear I heard voices when it happened of Ernest Tubb and Minnie Pearl and Jimmy Dickens saying, ‘You come on in here, boy.’ It was a really warm feeling,” he added.