Nashville, Tenn. (October 25, 2024) – This past Sunday, John Anderson‘s iconic voice was permanently etched into history when he was formally inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. During the official Medallion Ceremony, held in the Country Music Hall of Fame‘s CMA Theater in Nashville, an emotional Anderson graciously accepted the honor.
Today, Anderson reacted to his induction with the following statement:
“I can’t count the times in the last couple of days when a great feeling would come over me and a smile would be on my face. Getting inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame at the ceremony on October 20th is one of the greatest honors I could have or ever hope to have. I’m so very grateful to Kyle Young and everyone at the Country Music Hall of Fame, as well as everyone who voted for me. I’m glad my family and friends were at the ceremony as the entire show was really wonderful and full of surprises. It also reminded me how fortunate I am to go in with Toby Keith and James Burton, as they are both American heroes. I’d also like to send a special gratitude to Shawn Camp, Del McCoury and Lucinda Williams for their great performances. And a special thanks to Bobby Braddock for his great induction speech. The Class of 24 is a great class to be in. As always, I thank the fans who have supported the music and the shows for the last 50 years. I could never have done it if it weren’t for you. I’m proud to have a spot in a place that preserves such greatness. I will proudly carry this honor for the rest of my life. Thanks to all of you and God Bless.”
Anderson was inducted by his longtime friend and colleague, Bobby Braddock, also a Country Music Hall of Fame member. During the ceremony, several artists paid tribute to Anderson with live performances of his songs: Shawn Camp sang “I Just Came Home to Count the Memories,” Del McCoury Band performed “Would You Catch a Falling Star” and Lucinda Williams closed with “Wild and Blue.”
As part of the Country Music Hall of Fame Class of 2024, Anderson was inducted in the Veterans Era Artist category, alongside the late Toby Keithin the Modern Era Artist category and James Burton in the Recording and/or Touring Musician category.
A steadfast force for traditionalism in country music, Anderson made an enduring impact in country music with his down-home, instantly recognizable singing style and memorable recordings. Influenced by Country Music Hall of Fame members Lefty Frizzell, Merle Haggard and George Jones as well as Levon Helm of the Band, the Florida native fashioned his own breathy, note-bending vocal approach, which put a distinctive stamp on hard-country ballads (“Wild and Blue”) and up-tempo numbers (“Seminole Wind”) alike. In 1983, he won the CMA’s Horizon Award and Single of the Year for his best-selling hit “Swingin.’” Between 1981 and 1995, he earned 20 Top 10 country singles and five #1 hits.
