John Anderson – Honky Tonk Crowd

About The Song

“Honky Tonk Crowd” is a song written by Larry Cordle and Lionel Delmore. It was recorded by American country music artist John Anderson and released on August 4, 1986, as the first single from his eighth studio album Countrified. The album was issued by Warner Bros. Nashville on October 6, 1986. John Anderson and Jim Ed Norman co-produced the recording. The track runs 3 minutes and 42 seconds.

The single was issued under Warner Bros. catalog number 28639, with “If I Could Have My Way” as the B-side. On the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, the song debuted at number 65 for the week of August 16, 1986, and reached a peak of number 10. It also peaked at number 7 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. The peak date on the Billboard chart was November 15, 1986. This was Anderson’s last Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart until “Straight Tequila Night” in late 1991–early 1992.

Recording sessions for the parent album took place at Digital Recorders, The Loft, The Music Mill, and Sound Stage studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Session credits associated with the project include contributions from musicians such as Billy Sanford, Reggie Young, Fred Carter Jr., and Vernon Pilder on guitar; Sonny Garrish, Buddy Emmons, and Buck Reid on steel; Joe Allen and Michael Rhodes on bass; Roy Yeager and Milton Sledge on drums; Hargus “Pig” Robbins and Mitch Humphries on keyboards; Mark O’Connor on fiddle; and Bobby Thompson on banjo. Background vocals were provided by Donna Anderson. Arrangements were handled by Bergen White.

Larry Cordle and Lionel Delmore are the sole songwriters credited. The track appears on the Countrified album, which peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Other singles from the same album included “Countrified” (number 44) and “What’s So Different About You” (number 55). The album marked Anderson’s final studio release for Warner Bros. Records before he moved to MCA Nashville.

Countrified followed Tokyo, Oklahoma (1985) in Anderson’s Warner Bros. catalog. The project has been reissued on later collections, including Black Sheep: The Complete Warner Albums. Official audio is available through the John Anderson YouTube channel and Warner catalog reissues under Rhino/Warner Records.

Primary sources document consistent songwriting credits to Larry Cordle and Lionel Delmore, production by John Anderson and Jim Ed Norman, the August 4, 1986 single release date, the number 10 Billboard Hot Country Songs peak, the number 7 Canadian peak, and the album context. These details place the recording within Anderson’s mid-1980s Warner Bros. period.

Video

Lyric

Hey buddy bring me a beer
Somebody’s playing my song
That’s why I like it in here
I feel I really belong
And the waitresses always treat me right
When I get a little too loud
I like hangin’ around in a honky tonk crowd

I like the places they go and the things that they do
The way they cotton-eyed Joe and do the boogaloo
And the breakfast they eat after closing time
Would make their mamas proud
I like hangin’ around in a honky tonk crowd

You can find anything you want in a honky tonk crowd
The music really turns me on when it’s turned up loud
Sometimes it makes you feel so good
You wanna jump and shout
Yeah I sure like hangin’ around in a honky tonk crowd

Hey buddy bring me a brew
My honey walked through the door
In fact you better bring two
When we get back off the floor
‘Cause the moves my baby’s gonna put on me
Are more than the law will allow
I like hangin’ around in a honky tonk crowd

You can find anything you want in a honky tonk crowd
The music really turns me on when it’s turned up loud
Sometimes it makes you feel so good
You wanna jump and shout
Yeah I like hangin’ around in a honky tonk crowd
I sure like hangin’ around in a honky tonk crowd