Carlton Anderson: Cowboy Music in Nashville

Cowboy music has always had a place in Nashville. In the 90’s it seemed like everyone wanted a piece of the cowboy image, following the likes of George Strait’s consistent success, Garth Brook’s superstar status, and Chris LeDoux’s massive underground following. Unfortunately, in the new millennium music city is no longer “Where Cowboys are King”. Mainstream Nashville has largely turned its back on cowboy songs and traditional country music. However, a select few Nashville based artists and songwriters still grind it out, keeping that Cowboy spirit, and the western way of life alive around town. One of those extremely talented artists is Carlton Anderson.

Following a move to Nashville from his hometown of Cypress, Texas. Carlton was able to attend Belmont University, grind out a great following, release his self-titled EP, land a publishing deal, and eventually sign with Sony Nashville. That deal allowed Carlton to release the singles “Drop Everything”, “Country Music Made Me Do It”, and the severely underrated “Keep Abilene Beautiful”.

Some of you may also be familiar with the song “Where Cowboys Are King”, from Cody Johnson’s latest album Ain’t Nothin to It. Co-Written by Carlton Anderson and one of his proudest achievements as a songwriter. I’ve actually had the pleasure of being friends with Carlton for some time now, and we were able to catch up, discussing his experience having a song cut by Cody among other things.

Carlton is a cowboy to the core and his music reflects it. Each song he writes touches on something every cowboy or cowgirl can relate to. Following a split with Sony, Carlton is extremely excited to be working on new material, and independently releasing music. This includes his new single “When Baby Gets a Buzz” which dropped last week. Make sure you give him a follow on socials and download his songs from your favorite music source!