Country Music Hall of Famer John Anderson, Singer of 'Swingin'' and 'Seminole Wind,' Dies at 71
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Image: Variety.
John Anderson, the country singer whose recordings include “Swingin’,” “Seminole Wind” and “Straight Tequila Night,” died Wednesday at the age of 71, Variety, Billboard and Rolling Stone reported. His death was announced by his family across his social media accounts on Wednesday, with no cause of death or further information noted, Variety said. Billboard reported he died Wednesday, Oct. 21.
Anderson, born Dec. 13, 1954, and raised in Apopka, Florida, had Number One country hits with “Wild and Blue,” “Black Sheep” and “Swingin’,” the last named Single of the Year by the CMA Awards, Rolling Stone reported. After chart success in the 1980s, he returned in 1992 with the album “Seminole Wind,” which produced the radio hits “Straight Tequila Night,” “When It Comes to You” and its solo-composed title track, an homage to his home state, Rolling Stone said.
Anderson was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2024 alongside Toby Keith and guitarist James Burton, Rolling Stone reported. On Sunday, four days before his death, he appeared with fellow inductees at the Hall of Fame Medallion Ceremony in Nashville, which inducted Tim McGraw, Paul Overstreet and the Stanley Brothers, Rolling Stone said. A post on Anderson’s social media called him a “gifted country music singer whose voice and songs touched countless lives,” Rolling Stone reported, and Billboard reported tributes from country artists including Blake Shelton and Tim McGraw.