Famed country singer John Anderson opened his Aug. 22 set at the New York State Fair’s Midway Music Series with his 1981 hit, “I’m Just An Old Lump of Coal,” a song about dreams and aspirations, promising “I’m gonna be a diamond someday.” That Billy Joe Shaver-penned song proved prophetic as the 59-year-old Anderson has scored 20 top ten singles, won two CMA awards and a 1981 Grammy, will in October be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of fame and certainly merits consideration for the Country Music Hall of Fame.

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So what’s he doing playing before an estimated 300 hard-core country fans on the small stage that hosts the daily talent showcase? What he’s always done, proudly carrying the traditional country torch, crooning such redneck classics as “Wild And Blue,” “Straight Tequila Night” and, of course, “Swingin’.”

Despite sounding a little raspy as the summer touring season winds down, the Florida boy is still dance hall dynamite. Ironically, two of the evening’s highlight were instrumentals as Anderson demonstrated his banjo-picking skill, improvising a riff on “Tokyo, Oklahoma” and unleashed fiddler Joe Spivey and steel player Glen Reef on the classic “Orange Blossom Special.” All told, he and his crack combo covered over a dozen songs in about an hour, capping his set with “Seminole Wind,” his moving requiem for the Everglades.

The audience ate it up and it’s likely that Anderson would have drawn several thousand if he had been booked at Chevy Court. Fans who missed this show missed a dandy performance of great old country music that is played far too rarely in these parts. Perhaps they can console themselves by picking up a new John Anderson CD, due out in six weeks.

Of the two young women who played before Anderson, Morgan Frazier was most impressive, demonstrating some real spunk and fine singing playing solo. Logan Brill was too often overwhelmed by her band, though her one blues song stood out in her country-pop repertoire.