John Anderson Plays New Mexico's Spencer Theater, 8/11

People love John Anderson’s jaw-dropping baritone voice, which helped make his million-selling Swingin’ the biggest-selling country single in the history of Warner Bros Records. He is undisputedly a singer-songwriter-musician puts heart and soul into his pure country songs like no one else. With four decades and 24+ albums worth of hits under his belt, Anderson’s charted more than 40 singles on the Billboard country music charts and 5 number one hits for his laid-back, traditionally-styled tunes like “Straight Tequila Night,” “Swingin’,” “Seminole Wind,” “I’m Just an Old Chuck of Coal (But I’m Gonna Be a Diamond Someday).” Along the way, he’s won several CMA awards and top industry honors like Male Vocalist of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year nominations.

Now he comes to the Spencer for two shows on Saturday August 11 at 2 p.m. & 8 p.m., ready to play all his classic hits and then some, together with his awesome fiddler Joe Spivey, steel guitarist Glenn Rieuf, percussionist Tommy Rivelli, bassist Rocky Thacker and guitarist Coleman Murphy.

Excellent seats are available for $63-$69. Call the Spencer Box Office at 575.336.4800 or go online to www.spencertheater.com for tickets and information.

A native Floridian born in 1955, Anderson kicked-off his career in Nashville in his early 20s, where he scored a contract for Warner Bros., and released his first single in 1978. His self-titled debut album appeared in 1980 and helped signal the rise of the new traditionalist movement, drawing critical praise and a series of hits including: “She Just Started Liking Cheating Songs,” “1959” and “Chicken Truck” which became his first country Top Tens, and his “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal, “which went Top Five. A couple of years later, his Wild and Blue became a chart-topper, a feat he duplicated twice with “Black Sheep” and the mega-hit “Swingin’.”

The easy-going vocalist returned to the Top Ten several times over the next few years, most notably with 1984’s “She Sure Got Away with My Heart.” He became a major force again in the ‘90s, starting with 1992’s Seminole Wind. Its title track went to number two, and the follow-up, “Straight Tequila Night,” went all the way to number one; “When It Comes to You” also made the Top Five. Anderson scored another number one with the neo-honky tonk “Money in the Bank” and hit the Top Five three times in the mid-90s with “I Wish I Could Have Been There,” “I’ve Got It Made,” and “Bend Until It Breaks.” His latest albums, Easy Money, Big & Rich and Bigger Hands also charted hot, keeping him on regular play lists every since.

His Spencer concerts open with the rising young star Morgan Frazier, an immensely gifted 17-year-old singer and songwriter from the oilfields of Texas whose journey to Nashville’s Music Row has turned heads throughout the industry. Having signed with Curb Records. she’s been writing songs with Nashville’s top tunesmiths singing rich new songs in country, folk, Christian and alternative music.

Morgan will play about 30 minutes for the crowds. Following intermission, Anderson will crank out his roaster of hits for a night of pure country.

Prior to the evening performance, a pre-show barbecue buffet is available in the lobby at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 and are available in the Box Office.

To purchase tickets, go to the box office at the theater at 108 Spencer Road, 108 Spencer Road, Airport Highway 220, Alto, New Mexico. Business hours are 9 a.m-5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For tickets or information call (575) 336-4800 or toll free at 888.818.7872. Tickets can also be purchased by fax—series and single tickets can be ordered at (575) 336-0055—or single tickets may be ordered at boxoffice@spencertheater.com. Go online to buy at www.spencertheater.com, or finally, order by mail via Box Office Manager, Spencer Theater, 108 Spencer Road, Alto, NM 88312.

Spencer Theater is a world-class performance hall located in the Sacramento Mountain settlement of Alto, about 12 miles north of downtown Ruidoso. Unique architecture, outstanding acoustics, intimate seating, and excellent artistry are the Spencer’s celebrated features. The elegant, award-winning hall, which first raised its curtains in 1997, seats 514, with no seats farther than 67 feet from the 4,770 square-foot stage. The Spencer also has a 964 square-foot outdoor stage that can seat 1,500. From its Spanish mica-flecked limestone face to the crystal lobby, the building itself is a work of art. Free public tours are offered at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the year.