from the Academy of Country Music, Country Music Association, Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Early life Anderson was born James William Anderson III to Elizabeth and James William Anderson Jr. in Columbia, South Carolina. He was the oldest of two children. His sister, Elizabeth Anderson, was born two years after. Anderson's father was an insurance agent while his mother was a homemaker. He spent his early childhood with his family in Columbia. The family moved to his grandparents' home in Griffin, Georgia, while Anderson was in the third grade. Shortly afterward, the family relocated into their own home in Decatur, Georgia, where he spent the remainder of his childhood. In Decatur, his father opened his own insurance agency firm, which he continued to own until his retirement. In his 2016 autobiography, Anderson described his childhood as "average", recalling that he "never went to bed hungry" even though the family did not have many material possessions. In school, Anderson was active in 4-H organizations and played both baseball and football. However, he was most interested in music, having been inspired by his grandparents who played instruments. His interest grew further after watching country musicians perform on a radio station, located directly above his father's insurance company. Anderson soon saved enough money to purchase his own guitar. At age ten, he wrote his first song called "Carry Me Home Texas". In high school, Anderson and his friends formed their own band and won a school talent contest. The band began performing around the local area, eventually performing on local radio as "The Avondale Playboys". Anderson's strong interest in baseball continued through high school as well. He became his high school team's pitcher and was scouted to go to the Chicago Cubs training camp. However, Anderson declined the offer after realizing that his family would be upset if he did not attend college. Upon graduating high school, he enrolled at the University of Georgia and majored in journalism. Anderson had dabbled with journalism before enrolling in university. While still in high school, he wrote for his school's newspaper and also obtained a job covering sports events for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In his freshman year, he pledged the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He and several students formed a country band called the "Classic City Playboys" and began playing local events. He also became interested in radio station work after