Keith Anderson: 'C'mon' to fair

Many people may not have heard of singer/songwriter Keith Anderson but country and western fans have likely heard his songs.

But Mr. Anderson is out to make a name for himself with his sophomore album, "C'mon." He performs at 8 p.m. Friday at the grandstand at the Lewis County Fair.

Mr. Anderson, a self-described "songwriting junkie," has written hits for other artists, most notably "Lost In This Moment," a number one hit for Big & Rich. It also garnered Mr. Anderson Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music song of the year nominations.

Other popular songs he co-wrote: the Grammy-nominated "Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?)" for Garth Brooks and George Jones; "The Bed" for Gretchen Wilson; and "Barn Burner" for newcomer Jason Michael Carroll.

However, the Oklahoma native enjoyed some help from noted Nashville tunesmiths on his newest CD. He co-wrote 10 of the "C'mon's" 11 tracks.

"I wrote by myself for so long that it's fun to co-write," Mr. Anderson says on his online biography. "I'm just such a social person that I love people and working together with them. "

He said it's hard to let go of some of his songs for other artists.

"At times it's really hard because there are some songs you let go and in the back of your mind you're still thinking, 'Man, if that becomes a big hit, it could've been for me!'" he said in his biography.

Mr. Anderson played baseball while pursuing a degree in engineering from Oklahoma State. He excelled in sports and academics, graduating top in his class with a 3.9 grade point average and playing baseball well enough to catch the attention of scouts for the Kansas City Royals. A shoulder injury dashed any dreams of a career in the majors.

But fitness is still important to Mr. Anderson. He has placed second in the Mr. Oklahoma bodybuilding competition and has earned certification as a personal trainer from the Cooper Institute in Dallas.

Upon graduating from Oklahoma State, Mr. Anderson accepted a job with a construction engineering firm in Dallas. He quit that job to focus on his music, performing as a regular at the Grapevine Opry in Grapevine, Texas, and Six Flags Over Texas. Other quick money fixes included modeling and even singing telegrams for the Romeo Cowboys, a company he started, before moving to Nashville.

General admission tickets for Mr. Anderson's concert are $15 and $20 for front row trackside seats.