Here is a trivia question. What was the first American band to tour the former Soviet Union?
That distinction belongs to, of all things, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band — a folk/rock ensemble best remembered for the sentimental tune “Mr. Bojangles.” In 1977, the U.S. State Department arranged for a Soviet tour — probably the first time the Kremlin authorized any musician to play any variety of rock music. John McEuen and his fellow band members were greeted with enormous enthusiasm during 28 sold-out shows. But the most poignant moment may have occurred off-stage when the band reached Riga. There, McEuen managed to evade his Soviet handlers and travel into the countryside to meet with a man who had devoted his life to vintage rock and roll, despite repeated, arrests, interrogations, and beatings. That man — Pete Anderson (aka Pitts Andersons) — reportedly gave up doing underground shows only after the KGB threatened to kill his daughter.
Beginning in the late 1980’s, Pete Anderson — not to be confused with the American guitar player of the same name — was able to resume his career. Here he is with his band, the Swamp Shakers, giving a rendition of the classic 1954 song, “Baby, Let’s Play House.”
While not widely known in America, Anderson was so acclaimed that
the government of Latvia honored him with a postage stamp and gave him its highest civilian award. His story is among those featured in “Free to Rock,” a new documentary.
After Anderson was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, fans contributed over $20,000 to pay for his medical treatment in Germany. Following a three year struggle, he passed away on January 20, 2016. Among his survivors is his wife “Hurricane Slappin’ Annie,” who plays the double bass in the clip above.
Many years ago, rock music exploded onto the scene with the implied promise to make the world anew through passion, courage, and rebellion. Pete Anderson’s life exemplified those qualities. And some maintain that the popularity of rock music actually contributed to the collapse of the Soviet empire. What about in the West — was the promise of rock fulfilled or did it fizzle out? What do you think?
The Dog Wants to Know
That’s. Nice clip. Did he ever get to tour the USA?
As far as I’m aware, Anderson never went on a formal performing tour of the United States. But he did visit America several times. In 1997, he recorded in San Diego; in 2002, he recorded in Texas; and in 2011, he made a cameo appearance at a reunion concert of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in Emporia, Kansas. If someone out there has additional information about Anderson’s time in America, I’d like to hear from you.
Was sad to hear of Mr. Anderson’s passing. My condolences to his family and friends. Been a rockabilly fan since the early 1980s when it enjoyed a mini-revival in the UK. Let the rockabilly play on and let us raise a salute to Mr. Pete Anderson, who dedicated so much of his life to music and especially to rockabilly. The album, “Enjoy The Ride!” , is very difficult to get hold of nowadays and some sellers on Amazon are taking advantage of fans by selling copies for as much as US$55. I was blessed to be able to find a copy for US$15 on eBay. I hope it will arrive soon and I can play it very loud while dancing like a crazy cat!