The Story Behind This “New” Self-Titled John Anderson Album

As you probably know, Country Music Hall of Famer John Anderson passed away on October 21st. He leaves behind a catalog of incredible albums and songs that went on to entertain multiple generations of country fans, and will continue to entertain well into the future. Despite The New York Times obituary very strangely portraying Anderson’s vocals as “gravelly” and “warbled,” it was his notoriously smooth and soulful delivery that made him a country star, and one that will not be quickly forgotten.

But it took only 48 hours for somebody to attempt to exploit John Anderson’s passing for commercial gain. On October 23rd, an album simply titled John Anderson was uploaded to all streaming services under Anderson’s official, verified accounts. Though some of the music sort of sounded like John Anderson, it wasn’t the John Anderson we were accustomed to.

Combined with a clearly AI-generated album cover, the original concern is if this was a completely AI-generated album uploaded to deceive grieving fans like we’ve seen with Don Williams and other deceased country legends. Or perhaps it was previously-unheard material never meant to be released that was being uploaded against the John Anderson estate’s wishes to try and capitalize off his death. No press release or explanation was publicly given for the new music.

After doing some research, the answer is sort of a combination of both. Yes, the cover art is AI, and there’s still a possibility the tracks were uploaded surreptitiously. But the music is actually very real, and comes from very early in John Anderson’s career.

“So…..   that sucks….and is legit to a degree,” says a representative of the John Anderson camp to Saving Country Music. “Long story and unsure if it can be stopped. Probably not. Many of those songs were ‘work for hire’ stuff John did arriving in Nashville. Demos essentially. A day job in music. Before he had an actual career or record out. Some are so young he hasn’t even found his vocal identity yet.”

Saving Country Music was able to verify that on April 6th, 1999, an album of the same songs called Backtracks was released on CD by Renaissance Records, which is a company that specializes in rare and out-of-print re-pressings. At some point Backtracks was actually uploaded to Spotify, though it appears like few if anyone found it, and the tracks have few if any spins. The album went out-of-print again, and then was released in 2002 by Orpheus Records under the title Somehow, Someway, Someday—one of the songs from the record.

Interesting to note, these previous two albums included eleven tracks, where the most recent release only includes ten. The song “Bad Morning for Leaving” is left off. But the thing that makes the new album exceptional and arguably exploitative is how they put the release date as October 23rd, 2026, even though the material is from the early ’80s if not before, and the album was released previously in 1999, and in 2002, only under different titles.

This makes this supposed “new” album the first thing people see whenever they pull up John Anderson’s music, and want to remember the country legend in the wake of his passing. We see this happening from the significant streams the album is already garnering.

It’s currently inconclusive if the John Anderson estate will see any financial benefit from the release, or if whoever uploaded the tracks did so in an authorize manner. Sometimes fraudsters have found previously-unreleased material, deleted songs, or stuff only found on physical format, and uploaded it unauthorized to DSPs.

“This saddens me but par for the course in terms of the vulture size of the biz,” says the John Anderson representative. “I became aware of these 20-25 years ago. It’s nothing new. It’s opportunistic like a termite finding fresh wood.”

If there is a silver lining, the new album happens to be ten John Anderson songs that are new to many of his fans, and they may find something in there that resonates with them. The opening song “Country Comfort” was written by Anderson himself, as was “If There Were No Memories.” Anderson also co-wrote “Swoop Down Sweet Jesus.” The song “Stop in Nevada” is a Billy Joel song from 1973.

Don’t be surprised if the title disappears on streaming services at some point. To do it right, this album should have been released properly, and in a way that would benefit the John Anderson legacy and estate, not exploit it in the aftermath of his death.

TRACK LIST:

1. Country Comfort (John Anderson)

2. I’m Just Here To Love You (Joseph Allen)

3. If Love Could Find Us Now (Rondald McCown)

4. If There Were No Memories (John Anderson)

5. Just at Dawn (Terry Hamilton, William E. Emerson)

6. Mississippi Rain Storm (Bobby Adamson, Woody Murray)

7. Somehow Someway and Someday (Bobby Adamson, Woody Murray)

8. Stop in Nevada (Billy Joel)

9. Swoop Down Sweet Jesus (Wild Bill Emerson, John Anderson, James Bohon)

10. What Did I Promise Her Last Night (Ronald McCown, Wayne Walker)

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