Native Hoosier singer Clayton Anderson has been known around Columbus for years as more than a popular country entertainer.
He’s also been a visible supporter of a range of nonprofit organizations and similar groups with benefit concerts here through the years. He’s closing out the Cerafest concert series at 6 p.m. Saturday at Ceraland Park, where he was part of a Make A Wish Foundation show in 2019.
He’s aiming for up two hours of what he terms “Midwestern rock ‘n’ roll.”
“Our following has grown there at Ceraland,” he said during an interview last year.
Ceraland staff calls him the hottest ticket of nearly any act it brings to the park southeast of Columbus.
The independent artist, whose major music push began with winning Kenny Chesney’s Next Big Star competition in 2008 in Cincinnati, has been oh-so-close to record deals more than once.
He has enjoyed his share of the spotlight, including videos such as “In the Dark,” which got significant play on CMT, but the former landscaper still hopes that all things will work in his favor in the long run.
“Waylon Jennings was one of the ones who said you can’t do this for the money,” Anderson said.
Anderson’s online bio mentions that he “kicked off his grassroots fan following playing local bars and parties as a student at Indiana University.”
He released his debut album, “Torn Jeans & Tailgates,” in 2011, followed by “Right Where I Belong” (2014) and “Only to Borrow in 2016. He has opened for artists such as Eric Church, Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Jimmy Buffett, Thomas Rhett, Lee Brice, and Carly Pearce. He once played before 40,000 people in May 2019 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway while opening for the Zac Brown Band.
During the more challenging portion of the COVID-19 pandemic, he was part of launching a socially-distanced boat dock tour.
“Anytime I can be on the water, it’s great,” he said.
