George McAnthony (6 April 1966 – 8 July 2011), born Georg Spitaler, was a

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

singer and songwriter. From 1988 he toured around Italy,

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, Germany,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and France. McAnthony was born and raised in

Eppan an der Weinstraße Eppan an der Weinstraße (; it, Appiano sulla Strada del Vino ), often abbreviated to Eppan or Appiano, is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about southwest of the city of Bolzano. Geography As of 30 November ...

South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous province , image_skyline = , image_alt ...

, Italy, where he resided until his death. He recorded fourteen albums, three of them in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

. McAnthony performed as a "Country One Man Band", playing seven acoustic

instruments Instrument may refer to: Science and technology * Flight instruments, the devices used to measure the speed, altitude, and pertinent flight angles of various kinds of aircraft * Laboratory equipment, the measuring tools used in a scientific lab ...

at the same time, live, without backing or support from other musicians. He played 12-string guitar,

dobro Dobro is an American brand of resonator guitars, currently owned by Gibson and manufactured by its subsidiary Epiphone. The term "dobro" is also used as a generic term for any wood-bodied, single-cone resonator guitar. The Dobro was originally ...

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

or electric guitar, harmonica and

kazoo The kazoo is an American musical instrument that adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. It is a type of '' mirliton'' (which itself is a membranophone), one of a class of instruments which modifi ...

. With his feet he played percussion instruments such as bass drum,

snare SNARE proteins – " SNAP REceptor" – are a large protein family consisting of at least 24 members in yeasts, more than 60 members in mammalian cells, and some numbers in plants. The primary role of SNARE proteins is to mediate vesicle fu ...

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...

and

hi-hat A hi-hat (hihat, high-hat, etc.) is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock, pop, jazz, and blues. Hi-hats consist o ...

. At the peak of his career, McAnthony performed a duet with

John Denver Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, activist, and humanitarian whose greatest commercial success was as a solo singe ...

and appeared in many radio and TV broadcasting shows. He won three internationally recognized awards: "Best European Country Artist of the year", "Best European Male Vocalist of the Year", and "Best European Country Song of the Year". Among other things he conducted the weekly program ''Country Time'' on the German speaking Radio Channel RAI Sender Bozen. Outside of his music career, McAnthony was dedicated to charity projects. McAnthony's thirteenth CD, "Bridge To El Dorado", was given airtime on the international radio network by "Comstock Records USA", and came in second place at the European Country Music Awards 2009 in the Category "Best European Album of the Year". In April 2010 George McAnthony recorded his fourteenth album "Dust Off My Boots" in Nashville, Tennessee, with

Brent Mason Brent Mason (born July 13, 1959) is an American, Nashville, Tennessee-based recording studio guitarist and songwriter, performing primarily country music. Guitar World Magazine listed him as one of the "Top Ten Session Guitarists of All Time". ...

, Paul Franklin and

Bryan Sutton Bryan Sutton is an American musician. Primarily known as a flatpicking acoustic guitar player, Sutton also plays mandolin, banjo, ukulele, and electric guitar. He also sings and writes songs. Biography Early career Sutton's grandfather and ...

. McAnthony died of

myocardial infarction A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may ...

on 8 July 2011 in

Terracina Terracina is an Italian city and ''comune'' of the province of Latina, located on the coast southeast of Rome on the Via Appia ( by rail). The site has been continuously occupied since antiquity. History Ancient times Terracina appears in anci ...

, Italy. On Saturday, 30 May 2015, the city of Eppan organized the Second Tribute Concert for George McAnthony which saw the participation of several European country artists against the backdrop of a big festival right in the center of town to which many locals, but also non-locals, attended.

Awards

* European Country Music Award – Best European Country Vocalist of the Year 1998 * European Country Music Award – Best European Country Artist & Song of The Year 2001

Discography

* Country & Western Collection (2011) * Dust Off My Boots (2010) * Bridge To El Dorado (2008) * Trail of Life (2006) * Best of 1997–2005 (2005) * Great Spirit (2004) * Wild Horse Running (2002) * The Vision (2000) * 22 Greatest Hits 1988–97 (2000) * Weekend Cowboy (1998) * Like a Country Boy (1996) * Live on the Road (1994) * Country Way of Life (1992) * Together (1990) * Green is Peace (1989)

References

External links

Official Homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:McAnthony, George 1966 births 2011 deaths Italian country singers Italian male singer-songwriters Tambourine players 20th-century drummers People from Eppan an der Weinstraße