Well-known as composer of “Beer Run,” the 2002 duet featuring George Jones and Garth Brooks, as well as “The Bed” from Gretchen Wilson’s hit album, Keith Anderson was born in Miami, Oklahoma in 1968. He began writing songs in junior high, primarily inspired by his brother who taught Keith to play guitar, and who constantly played Willie Nelson’s Greatest Hits for the younger Anderson.
Keith’s early musical influences represented a cross-section of the music industry, including Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers, The Eagles, Restless Heart, John Cougar Mellencamp, and Southern rock such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, whose band members Steve and Cassie Gaines Gaines were raised in his hometown of Miami.
During his high school days, Steve competed in football, baseball, and bodybuilding. He was selected for the all-state team in football, finished second in the Mr. Oklahoma bodybuilding contest, and was drafted by the Kansas City Royals baseball organization. A shoulder injury, however, halted his pursuit of a major league baseball career, so it was off to school at Oklahoma State University where he earned an engineering degree with a 3.9 GPA. After tiring of work in the engineering field in Dallas, Keith took off for Nashville in 1998 to pursue his dream of becoming a professional songwriter. The decision has paid off big time.
After his two hits for Garth, George, and Gretchen, Keith landed his own album deal with ARISTA that produced Three Chord Country and American Rock and Roll. The album has produced a current Top 10 country hit, “Every Time I Hear Your Name,” and a video for the song that is in the Great American Country video channel’s Top 20.