Nashville, TN (SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT) - Even as year-end tallies from music trades Billboard and
Radio & Records celebrated Arista Nashville sensation
Keith Anderson as the No 1 new male country artist of 2005, the New Year was ready to unfold in a big way with a new single, a coveted performance on the upcoming Country
Radio Seminar New Faces Show, and an ever-expanding tour schedule - including joining
Rascal Flatts on their "Me & My Gang Tour' for dates in February and March.
In a year that saw Keith hit the Top 10 with his debut single, "Pickin' Wildflowers,' and find himself everywhere from NBC's Today show to the People "50 Hottest Bachelors' list, it only seemed fitting that 2005 ended on yet another great note. Home with family for the holidays in Oklahoma, Keith got a surprise call from a nearby casino he'd worked with in the past and found himself joining Cheers star George Wendt ("Norm'), as part of a New Year's Eve show in which Keith stepped in for Cheers co-star John Ratzenberger, who'd been forced to cancel his appearance. Anderson joined Wendt in re-creating some classic Cheers and Saturday Night Live moments from Wendt's time on both shows.
And as 2006 gets underway, Keith is gearing up for a year in which - to borrow the Cheers line, "everybody knows your name' - with this month's launch of his new single, "Every Time I Hear Your Name,' from his dynamic debut album, Three Chord Country and American Rock & Roll. Radio listeners may be getting their first taste of the new single as Keith fills in for the vacationing Jeff Foxworthy to host this weekend's edition of Premiere Radio Networks' The Foxworthy Countdown, airing on more than 100 stations nationwide.
Anderson also performs this Saturday, joining Montgomery Gentry and LeAnn Rimes at the finale concert of the inaugural Sprint Sound and Speed - Presented by SunTrust - A Music and Motorsports Celebration. The two-day event brings together country stars and celebrity drivers from the world of racing for a fun-filled festival, with proceeds to benefit the Victory Junction Gang Camp for chronically ill children and the Country Music Hall of Fame charities. In addition to his performance, Anderson will be on-hand Saturday afternoon for an autograph session with racing hero, Sterling Marlin. More information on tickets and schedules can be found at www.soundandspeed2006.com.
Keith begins a string of West Coast concerts on Sunday that will find him touring through California, Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado before later joining the Rascal Flatts "Me & My Gang Tour' for selected dates in February and March.
