It only makes sense.
It seems like we’ve lost so many country music legends this year, with the passing of David Allan Coe back in April, along with Dolly Parton in August, and not even to mention Hall of Fame songwriters like Don Schlitz and Jim McBride.
And last night, we unfortunately lost another legend when it was announced that John Anderson passed away yesterday at the age of 71.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and best friend.
To the world, he was a gifted country music singer whose voice and songs touched countless lives. To us, he was so much more. He was the heart of our family, the one who made us laugh, loved us fiercely, and made every ordinary moment feel special.
We are completely heartbroken. His music will live on, but for us, his greatest legacy will always be the love he gave his family and the memories we will carry with us forever. Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers as we grieve this unimaginable loss.”
A press release from his family said that Anderson died peacefully in his sleep, but otherwise no cause of death has been given. His last public appearance came just three days ago when he attended the Country Music Hall of Fame induction for Tim McGraw, Paul Overstreet and the Stanley Brothers.
Of course Anderson was maybe best known for his hit “Straight Tequila Night,” which was released in 1992 and led to a major career resurgence following his success in the early ’80s with songs like “Swingin’,” “1959,” “Wild and Blue,” “I Just Came Home To Count the Memories,” and “Would You Catch A Falling Star.”
And after the success of “Straight Tequila Night,” Anderson again followed it up with another string of hits including “Money In the Bank,” “When It Comes To You,” “I’ve Got It Made,” and of course, “Seminole Wind.”
The title track to his 1992 album, “Seminole Wind” was written by Anderson and released as a single later that same year, eventually hitting #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
The song was a personal one for the Florida native, lamenting the destruction of the Everglades and the displacement of the native Seminole tribe.
The song was embraced by the Native Americans, who granted Anderson permission to film their land for the music video and even appeared alongside him in the video themselves. And now, country singer John Rich is calling on the state of Florida to officially recognize Anderson’s classic.
In a post on X, Rich called on Governor Ron DeSantis to officially recognize “Seminole Wind” as the state song of Florida:
“Ron DeSantis should consider making “Seminole Wind” the official state song of Florida. John Anderson captured the spirit of this state in his song, and was a native born Floridian. Gov DeSantis, would you consider making that happen? A bunch of us would fly down if you would.”
Florida’s state song is currently “The Swanee River (Old Folks At Home)” an 1851 song by Stephen Foster that was adopted as the official state song in 1935. The state also adopted a new state anthem, “Florida, Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky,” in 2008.
Now, I don’t live in Florida so I don’t really have a dog in the fight. But it’s hard to argue that “Seminole Wind” is more nationally known than either of these two songs, and would be a fitting state song for the Sunshine State.
Let’s make it happen, Governor.
