PINK ANDERSON BIOGRAPHY

Pink Anderson (full name Pinkney Anderson, February 12, 1900–October 12, 1974) was a blues singer and guitarist, born in Laurens, South Carolina. After being raised in Spartanburg SC, he joined Dr. Kerr of the Indian Remedy Company in 1914 to sing and dance for crowds while Kerr peddled his patent medicine.

In 1916, Anderson met Simmie Dooley in Spartanburg, from whom Pink learned to be a blues singer. When Anderson was not travelling with Dr. Kerr, he and Dooley would play small gatherings in Spartanburg and neighboring communities.

Pink Anderson later career

After Dr. Kerr retired in 1945, Anderson generally stayed close to home in Spartanburg, keeping his musical talents in tune with a small guitar and harmonica. Heart problems forced Anderson to retire in 1957. Pink’s son, known as Little Pink Anderson, is currently a bluesman in Georgia.

The band Pink Floyd reportedly named themselves on a combination of bluesmen’s names – the Pink portion belonging to this gentleman.

“Syd Barrett created the name on the spur of the moment when he discovered that another band, also called the Tea Set, were to perform at one of their gigs. The name is derived from the given names of two blues musicians whose Piedmont blues records Barrett had in his collection, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.”