Interview: John Anderson Returns to Country Music With ‘Goldmine’

After a nine-year hiatus from releasing new music, John Anderson is getting ready to release Goldmine, a 13-track record of brand-new tunes.

"We did have a record, actually a couple records, but they never got released, so therefore, our fans have been wondering, ‘Are you all going to make any more music?’ or ‘Do you still sing?’" Anderson explains to The Boot. "This particular record, after those kind of dismal attempts of our last few, I wanted to try and be sure we could at least be set up where the fans would know about it when we did make a record."

So, Anderson formed his own company, the Bayou Boys Music Group, to release Goldmine, in response to high fan demand.

"[I want to] at least get the record out so the fans know that it’s out there," he explains. "About this point, I feel like that’s about all I can do. The rest is up to the fans."

The Florida native wrote or co-wrote 12 of the record's 13 songs with hit writers like John Rich, Josh Turner, Buddy Cannon and others. Each track, from "Freedom Isn't Free" and "Don't Forget to Thank the Lord" to the Merle Haggard-penned "Magic Mama" and Anderson's new single, "I Work a Lot Better" (which you can hear below), is reminiscent of the classic Anderson sound that has made America fall in love with his voice over the past 35 years.

"These are just buddies that I’ve written with through the years, through the past couple of years," he explains of his co-writers. "Actually, Buddy and I, we had never sat down to write a song until a couple, three years ago. What a joy it was to work with Buddy. He and I wondered how come we didn’t get together quicker ...

"And Josh, he’s a great guy. He’s one of my favorites of all," Anderson continues. "He and I, not only have we written songs together, and performed, but we’re hunting buddies, too, and we’re good friends. Josh is a wonderful man with a beautiful family, and I really admire him a lot. He’s very well grounded to be in this business. One of the most I’ve ever seen. There again, he’s been that way since the first day I met him, and I admire him a whole lot for it."

Anderson also included a song at the end of the album, "You All Are Beautiful," that was inspired by the loyalty his fans have shown him over the years.

"That was especially for those folks that have stood by us all this time we haven’t had new records out," Anderson explains. "I feel like we just hung in there and were able to keep playing our stuff. And, maybe it bridged some of the gap.

"I’ve had a lot of people tell me, ‘Man, you’re the guy that turned me on to country music,'" he adds. "And a lot of those people, that are my age, would have probably been rockers all their life if they hadn’t gotten turned on to some real good country music, so maybe we helped a little bit."

The 60-year-old has released more than two dozen records, with several chart-topping hits to his name, including "Straight Tequila Night," "Swingin'" and "Money in the Bank," but he insists that he has plenty of other goals he wants to accomplish.

"I just want to do more," Anderson maintains. "I don’t know if we’ll ever get to where we really want to be. I don’t know who does, except maybe Elvis [Presley] or Taylor Swift or someone. But at this point, I’m really happy to have done as well as we’ve done by just kind of doing our thing. I’m real happy about that. And as far as the future, I only hope to do more of that."

Goldmine will be released on May 26. It's currently available for pre-order on Anderson's website; a track listing is available below.

John Anderson, Goldmine Track Listing:

1. "Freedom Isn't Free / Magic Mama"
2. "Back Home / Gold Mine"
3. "Happily Ever After"
4. "I Work a Lot Better"
5. "I Will Cross Over the River"
6. "Louisiana Son of a Beast"
7. "Holdin' On"
8. "Song the Mountain Sings"
9. "On and On and On ..."
10. "Don't Forget to Thank the Lord"
11. "You All Are Beautiful"

Listen to John Anderson, "I Work a Lot Better":