Thomas Anderson (musician)

Thomas Anderson is an American singer-songwriter.[1][2]

Thomas Anderson
BornOklahoma
OriginAustin, Texas
GenresRock music
Years active1989–present
LabelsOut There, Blue Million Miles, Red River, Dutch East India Trading

Early life

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Anderson was born in Miami, Oklahoma.[3][4][5] He graduated from Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in 1981 with an English degree.[3][5][6]

Musical career

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Anderson recorded his debut album, Alright, It was Frank... and He's Risen From the Dead and Gone Off With His Truck, in Norman, Oklahoma in the late 1980s.[6] The album was released in 1989,[7] originally on vinyl on the Out There label.[8] He moved to Austin, Texas in 1992[9] but returned to Oklahoma some years later. In 1993, Alright, It Was Frank... was re-released on CD by the Dutch East India Trading label.[8]

His second album, Blues for the Flying Dutchman, was originally released by a small German label before being picked up by Dutch East India.[6] His third album, Moon Going Down, was released on the Marilyn label, which has been described as "slightly higher profile" than the labels he released his previous albums on.[7] In 1998, he released Bolide, a seven-track mini-album, on Red River Records.[10] In 2003, Anderson released another album, Norman, Oklahoma, also on Red River Records.[4] In 2012, he released The Moon in Transit, a collection of 12 four-track recordings of previously unreleased songs taken from his 13-year archives, on the Out There label.[11] He followed this the following year with another compilation album drawn from these archives, titled On Becoming Human.[11][12]

Reception

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In 1996, Tulsa World wrote that Anderson was "one of the most critically lauded yet efficiently obscure songwriters of the last decade."[7] Rolling Stone reviewed "Blues for the Flying Dutchman" favorably, giving it three and a half stars. The magazine said that the album "should find a place with everyone who believes that rock 'n' roll can still reflect and interpret the world in an original way - from the margins."[6] Robert Christgau has also given Anderson's albums multiple A grades.[9]

Discography

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  • Alright, It was Frank... and He's Risen From the Dead and Gone Off With His Truck (Out There, 1989)
  • Blues for the Flying Dutchman (Blue Million Miles, 1993)
  • Moon Going Down (Marilyn, 1995)
  • Bolide (Red River, 1998)
  • Norman, Oklahoma (Red River, 2003)
  • The Moon in Transit (Out There compilation, 2012)
  • On Becoming Human (Out There compilation, 2013)
  • Heaven (Out There, 2016)
  • My Songs Are the House I Live In (Out There, 2017)
  • Beyond That Point (2018)
  • Analog Summer (2020)
  • Ladies And Germs (2021)
  • Hello, I'm From The Future (2024)

References

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  1. ^ Mills, Fred (2016-03-08). "The College Rock Chronicles, Pt. 7: Thomas Anderson". Blurt Magazine. Retrieved 2017-10-29.
  2. ^ Himes, Geoffrey (1991-03-08). "Rock Troubadours Sing New Ballads". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2017-10-29.
  3. ^ a b "Songsmith Combines Rock With Legend". NewsOK.com. 1992-09-20. Retrieved 2017-10-29.
  4. ^ a b "Thomas Anderson - Norman, Oklahoma". No Depression. 29 February 2004. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  5. ^ a b Smith, R.J. (29 December 1998). "Flying Saucer Rock & Roll". Village Voice. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d Brown, Mark (14 December 1993). "Austin's Potential Lures Oklahoma Songwriter". Tulsa World. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  7. ^ a b c Conner, Thomas (14 July 1996). "Thomas Anderson". Tulsa World. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  8. ^ a b "Alright It Was Frank". Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  9. ^ a b "Thomas Anderson - Angry Young Grad Student". No Depression. 31 December 1996. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  10. ^ Conner, Thomas (12 March 1999). "What a drag! Cast album brings groundbreaking show to the masses". Tulsa World. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  11. ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide: Thomas Anderson". Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  12. ^ "On Becoming Human". Blurt. 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
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