Remembering Carl Anderson

It’s the birthday of the late, great American vocalist Carl Anderson (1945-2004). He would have been 79 today.

In the past I’ve done whole series of posts celebrating Carl at around this time of the year (see, for example here, here and here). This year I’m keeping it simple by sharing just a single video of Carl doing what he did best – singing with heart and soul.

This particular video shows Carl performing at the 1985 Viña del Mar International Song Festival, an event that been held annually since February 21, 1960 (though in 2021 and 2022 it was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic). Held in the Valparaíso Region of Chile, it’s considered the largest and longest-running music festival in Latin America.

The festival takes place in the city of Viña del Mar’s Quinta Vergara Amphitheater, which has the capacity for 15,000 spectators. It’s broadcast live on radio, television and various online platforms, achieving an estimated audience of around 250 million.

In 1985, Carl represented the United States in the Festival de Viña with the song “We’re On a Roll Now.” (The winning song that year was Australian Lorenzo Toppano’s “Ya No Puedo Más.”)





The Wild Reed’s February 2021 Celebration of Carl Anderson:
• Remembering an Artist and Vocalist Extraordinaire
• An Electrifying Spectrum of Emotions
• “Fare Thee Well, My Nightingale”
• “He Was Bigger Than Life . . . Very Philosophical, Very Warm and Honest”

The Wild Reed’s February 2020 Celebration of Carl Anderson:
• Carl Anderson: On and On
• Carl Anderson and The Black Pearl
• Carl Anderson in The Color Purple
• Carl Anderson: “Let the Music Play!”

The Wild Reed’s February 2019 Celebration of Carl Anderson:
• Remembering and Celebrating Carl Anderson
• Carl Anderson: “Pure Quality”
• Carl Anderson’s Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar: “The Gold Standard”
• Carl Anderson’s Judas: “A Two-Dimensional Popular Villain Turned Into a Complex Human Being”
• Carl Anderson: “Artist and Vocalist Extraordinaire”
• Playbill Remembers Carl
• Remembering the Life of Carl Anderson: “There Was So Much Love”

For more of Carl at The Wild Reed, see:
• Carl Anderson: “Still One of the Greatest Interpretations of Judas on Film”
• Remembering Carl Anderson (2022)
• Carl Anderson: “Like a Song in the Night”
• Carl Anderson: “One of the Most Enjoyable Male Vocalists of His Era”
• With Love Inside
• Carl Anderson
• Acts of Love . . . Carl’s and Mine
• Introducing the Carl Anderson Appreciation Group
• Forbidden Lover
• Revisiting a Groovy Jesus (and a Dysfunctional Theology)

Related Off-site Links:
A Profile of Carl Anderson – Part I: A Broadway Legend with Lynchburg Roots – Holly Phelps (LynchburgMuseum.org, May 12, 2015)
A Profile of Carl Anderson – Part II: The Legend Lives On – Holly Phelps (LynchburgMuseum.org,June 10, 2015)
Carl Anderson – Jazz Legend: The Official Website
Carl Anderson Memorial Page
Carl Anderson at AllMusic.com – Ron Wynn (AllMusic.com)
Carl Anderson Biography – Chris Rizik (Soul Tracks)