Carl Anderson

Carl Anderson, born February 27, 1945 in Virginia, utilized his military service in order to sing in Air Force talent contests. He co-founded and became the lead singer for The Second Eagle in 1969, and with them recorded tracks from the rock musical Jesus Christ Superstar. He ended up understudying Ben Vereen for the part of Judas when the show came to Broadway. He got rave reviews when he took over the part after Vereen fell ill, and he was then cast in the 1973 film adaptation of the stage show. His acting gigs kept him from releasing a proper his solo album until 1982’s Absence Without Love. His particular mix of jazz and soul would reach its commercial height on “Friends and Lovers”, a 1986 duet with Gloria Loring that climbed all the way to number 2 on the pop chart. He would release nine solo albums, but also sang on recordings for other musicians including Stevie Wonder, Kenny Loggins, Weather Report, and Nancy Wilson. In the early 90s he returned to the part that made him famous, touring for five years as Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar. He would have another success on stage in 1997 playing Duke Ellington in the biographical musical Play On! He passed away February 23, 2004 from leukemia.