Anderson was born in Laurens, South Carolina, and raised in nearby Greenville and Spartanburg.

[2] During this time Anderson occasionally worked with Blind Simmie Dooley in the Spartanburg area, recording with him in 1928 for the Columbia label.

[3] In the 1950s, Anderson toured with Leo "Chief Thundercloud" Kahdot of the Potawatomi tribal nation[4] and his medicine show,[3] often with the harmonica player Arthur "Peg Leg Sam" Jackson, who was based in Jonesville, South Carolina.

[6] Attempts by the folklorist Peter B. Lowry to record Anderson in 1970 were not successful, although apparently he could occasionally summon up some of his past abilities.

A final tour took place in the early 1970s with the aid of Roy Book Binder, one of his students, taking him to Boston and New York City.