Who Is Clayton Anderson? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music

Today we are highlighting an incredible singer-songwriter, Clayton Anderson. While we often share new artists in this segment, Anderson is a name you might already recognize. The talented singer-songwriter has been hustling in the country music genre for years, and it is well-deserved.

Anderson grew up in Bedford, Indiana, a blue-collar town that instilled in him the value of hard work. While he had dreams of becoming a basketball player, the singer admits that music was a mainstay. “I discovered music through my parents, though they didn’t play instruments, but music was always on in our house,” began the singer. “Whether it was my mom listening to Elvis Presley or my dad listening to KISS and Aerosmith, and my grandma listening to Conway Twitty, music was always around growing up.”

Anderson especially loved country music. “I listened to everything growing up. […] We had all different kinds of radio stations in our areas, but I always loved Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, all those older guys,” shared the singer. “I also loved Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, and Garth Brooks just as much and loved John Mellencamp, he was always the God of music to us growing up.”

Despite early access to all different types of music, Anderson did not show interest in learning an instrument until he was a little bit older. “I didn’t really even pick up a guitar until my senior year of high school and I just fell in love with it. I was hooked,” shared the artist. “I caught the bug for it, and after that, there was no looking back.”

The Turning Point:

With a love of music in tow, Anderson headed off to college. “I kept doing worse in school and staying up late playing music,” the singer shared with a laugh. While he recalls playing music with his roommate, it was always just for fun, until one night, in particular, changed things for him.

“One thing led to another and someone ended up canceling a gig in our town and they had no one else to call. […] It was the busiest bar night of the year and they got stuck with me and I played the same seven songs over and over, but that first live performance was when I was truly hooked,” shared Anderson.

This was the moment that the singer started to consider making music for a living. While playing covers at bars were fun, he knew he wanted to be an artist, so he began writing songs on his own, little by little cultivating a new muscle.

“I really was like I need to be an artist, I need to write my own songs, I need to be my own thing. […] I want to give people something to believe in, to want to follow me, so instead of studying, I started writing down silly songs,” shared Anderson, adding later, “The more you put into your craft, the more you get out of it. I look back at some of those first songs and I chuckle and laugh, but a couple of them are still some of my favorites. […] To see the progression to now is still pretty cool.”

In 2011, the singer finally took the plunge and headed to Music City. “I finally just said I have to go to Nashville and see if I could make it.”

Today:

Flash forward to today, Anderson has three full-length albums to his name. “I’ve been working on it for a long time. It’s not some overnight success and it’s been a total grind, and I’ve had so many no’s that I just kept fighting through because luckily I’ve built such a fanbase, that was my yes. When I go play somewhere, and people are singing the words back to me, that’s what I needed to keep pushing on,” shared the singer-songwriter.

Most recently, Anderson released his album Made In The USA. The twelve-song project is the most personal project to date for the singer, featuring songs about heartbreak, love, our country, and his journey over the last several years. “The songs just seem to fit together. When you’re putting an album together, I still like to have a common thread between all the songs,” shared the singer. Adding, “to me, this is the deepest I’ve ever gone in my songwriting.”

On “Is It Too Late,” Anderson grapples with the fears and struggles associated with chasing a dream, while the title track is a true love letter to the American Flag and its people. “We can rally around each other. Rally around our flag. We’re all Americans. No matter where we come from and I just have so much respect for the men and women who serve our country here and overseas, and I just wanted to have a more positive light about it.”

Fans can catch Anderson playing these songs and many more at his next live show. Check-out his full schedule here.

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