John Anderson Overcame A Mysterious Case Of Hearing Loss To Record His Final Album
on
On Wednesday, Oct. 21, country artist John Anderson died at the age of 71.
“I’m Still Hangin’ On” was the opening track of his final album, the 2020 release Years, and it’s a fitting sentiment for understanding the artist leading up to his unexpected passing.
Speaking with CBS Sunday Morning in 2022, Anderson opened up about losing his hearing from a mysterious illness. He also shared what it meant to be able to return to the studio to record a new album after that experience.
Anderson’s influence on other country artists was profound, with Blake Shelton paying tribute to his “hero” who he grew to know as a friend and a collaborator.
RELATED: John Foster Remembers The Late John Anderson, Singing “Seminole Wind” In His Honor
John Anderson Opens Up About Returning To Music After Losing His Hearing
During his interview in 2022 with Anthony Mason of CBS Sunday Morning, John Anderson shared that the illness he got in 2016 was mysterious, adding, “They never really figured out just what it was.”
This illness took away Anderson’s hearing in a significant way, and he recalled that he almost died from it three times.
“The first part of the illness was just severe, terrible headaches,” Anderson shared, adding, “They started in about 2016. What resulted from that, I mean, my hair fell out. My hearing, I lost my hearing, almost completely.”
Looking back on that moment, Anderson said that when he first lost his hearing, he could still hear inside his head, recalling, “At that time, when I lost it, I could hear things in my head: noises, some horrendous noises.”
Through all of that, Anderson “was weak and had lost probably 70 pounds,” but an opportunity arose for him to return to music.
Working with Dan Auerbach, of The Black Keys, Anderson was given the chance to rise above his illness in a profound way.
“We just started a writing session, and I was thinking, ‘Do I really need to try?'” Anderson said. “Some of the hearing had come back at that point … I told [Auerbach and producer David Ferguson], ‘I think I can hear well enough to sit and write, you know?'”
As the writing process began, Anderson recalled that Auerbach told him, “‘You need to make a record,'” to which Anderson expressed uncertainty.
Ultimately, Auerbach and Ferguson had faith in Anderson’s abilities, and assured him that they believed he could make a new record, which Anderson shared on CBS Sunday Morning as a moment “that meant an awful lot back then.”
Pressed for as to why that meant so much, Anderson replied, “‘Cause I wasn’t sure that I would ever make another one. In fact, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t.”
The album that resulted from that, titled Years, found Anderson at his most vulnerable.
“The ‘Years’ album was definitely a healing process for me,” Anderson said. “It helped me heal. It helped me get, you know, the music back in my soul.”
Watch Anderson discuss overcoming his hearing loss, here:
One of the album’s most notable tracks is a duet with Blake Shelton, titled “Tuesday I’ll Be Gone.”
This song was not their first time working together though, as Shelton featured Anderson on a song alongside George Jones, titled “The Last Country Song,” which was the closing track of Shelton’s 2007 album Pure BS.
Shelton also featured Anderson on his 2019 Friends and Heroes Tour, which helped pave the way for Anderson recording Years.
In a 2024 interview with American Songwriter, Shelton spoke about John Anderson’s return to recording music, “I know how hard it is to have a career that long and to have a resurgence and the work that goes into that. And for John, when you hear him sing, you’re like, ‘Oh, those are the good old days, and they’re back again, and everything is going to be OK.’”
Saying he was “sick and stunned” to learn of the passing of John Anderson on Oct. 21, Blake wrote on social media that he is “a very lucky man,” and he expounded on why, writing:
“I got the opportunity to find out that my hero wasn’t just the guy I hoped he’d be. He was so much more than that. John was my friend. I got to see him last Sunday and I don’t even know why but I told him I loved him. That is what fills my heart in this moment. My love and prayers go out to John’s family. This one really hurts.”
A day later, on Oct. 22, Shelton shared a snippet of the music video for his 2020 duet with Anderson, “Tuesday I’ll Be Gone,” writing, “One of the great honors of my life. This songs hits different today.”
Stream John Anderson’s final album, Years, at your preferred streaming service, here.
Watch the music video for John Anderson’s duet with Blake Shelton, “Tuesday I’ll Be Gone,” here:
Dan Auerbach’s record label, Easy Eye Sound, shared a heartfelt post in light of Anderson’s death, stating that Auerbach and the label are “deeply grateful for the memories and to be a chapter in the life of John Anderson.”
Powerfully, Easy Eye Sound concluded its post, writing, “John’s music has, and will, stand the test of time. As the world around us changes, John’s songs will remain a constant, resonating through every chapter of our lives.”
See rare images of Anderson, as shared by Easy Eye Sound, here:
RELATED: John Anderson Made His Last Public Appearance Just 3 Days Before His Death & Posed For Photos
