Today we’d like to introduce you to Anthony Crane.
Hi Anthony, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always been around music. My father was a singer / songwriter, and I remember him playing around the house, and writing as far back as I can recall. Dad was a big fan of southern classic rock and great songwriters…James Taylor, Bob Segar, CCR, The Allman Brothers, etc. Mom had a very eclectic taste in music. She liked country and southern classic rock, but she was also a big fan of soul music. It was through her that I found out about Otis Redding, Bill Withers, Percy Sledge, and Sam Cooke. I’ve always been drawn to music, because of the way that I was brought up. But I was more interested in playing ball and finding trouble as a kid, then I was learning to play an instrument. Maybe I just didn’t have the attention span or the self discipline?
It wasn’t until I want to college that I developed a real interest in learning to play the guitar. My dad surprised me with an acoustic guitar Christmas of my freshman year of school out in Athens. He scribbled the tablature for a few major chords on a few pieces of paper he’d torn from a small spiral notebook. His words at the time were “Now, if you don’t know how to play these chords the next time I see you, I’mma kick your ass!” So, I took it to heart. I spent a lot of time alone in my bedroom with those little pieces of paper and my guitar. It was challenging. My fingers bled. But soon enough, I was putting chords together that sounded like a song I recognized. Then, I’d listen to songs I wanted to learn, and would figure out the chords by ear. I never learned how to read music or much about theory. Everything has been mostly self taught and by ear.
I started writing pretty much immediately after learning to play a few chords. My songs, style, and ability have definitely changed over the years. But, the songs and lyrics have always been personal. Stories about people in my life that impacted me in one way or another.
My senior year at UGA, I put an ad out in The Flagpole…an Athens publication (newspaper). I felt I was ready to start performing with other people. Up to then, I’d done some solo performances back home in Conyers. A few local bars and restaurants. But nothing major. I had a lot of responses to the ad, actually. Players all across the spectrum of ability…some really experienced…some not so much. But, I got together with three guys that had been jamming together for a little while, and we formed what became my first band ever…Blue Hiram. I learned so much from those guys…whether they intended for that to happen or not. We rehearsed each week. We wrote songs. We gigged as much as Athens would let us. And we finally got to the point of wanting to record an EP. We ended up working with a new studio and producer / engineer in town…Daniel Collins with PigPen Studios.
Blue Hiram didn’t last too long after that. Everyone was graduating, moving away, and going on to pursue young adulthood out in the real world…myself included. But, during that time recording our EP at PigPen, I became very close with the owner, Daniel Collins. We developed a friendship that would endure a lot of life, and we’re still friends today. Daniel convinced me that I should record a solo EP, and it didn’t take much convincing. This world was still all very new to me. I’d just started playing a few years before, and had only been performing live for about a year at this point. But, the solo EP was exciting. I’d go on to perform solo for a while, but decided it was time to bring some other musicians into the picture. Daniel couldn’t…given his personal situation at the time, but I did link up with a few guys from Conyers who were all familiar with each other, and excited to put a group together.
Around that time, I’d also been invited to do a solo performance at a showcase in Atlanta. I was contacted via Myspace (showing my age), and honestly didn’t think too much of it. I honestly wasn’t planning on showing up. But, something told me to go…so I did. Dozens of performers, and a panel of judges that included Focus (Dr Dre’s producer), and a gentleman that shall remain nameless…who became my first manager. I was the only Caucasian in the room…and I won the whole showcase. My soon to be manager had his camp reach out to me, and before I knew it, the band and I were in music videos, performing in clubs around the city, and I was doing showcases for major record labels…Warner Brothers, Sony, Island Def Jam…it was all very exciting and very surreal. I had people dressing me, driving me around, creating gym routines and diet plans.
A couple of years went on of this, and I was contacted by one of the other artists under my manager’s artist umbrella. He (the other artist) shared some information with me that was heartbreaking. Essentially, I’d been offered deals by several of these major labels, but my manager was trying to establish his own label…so he was trying to get major funding for several of his artists…and refused the individual deals for me. At the time, I didn’t realize how much it would tarnish my impression of the industry…at least the business side of it. Needless to say, that relationship ended.
I did my best to create a domesticated lifestyle…settled down, worked a 9-5…but still played out on the weekends for fun. And yet again…via Myspace…I was contacted by a group looking for a frontman. Once again, this was to become a surreal experience. I was asked to attend a meeting with the band, and their management. I show up to a multi million dollar mansion, and immediately my heart sinks. I’m greeted by the brothers who made up the management company, and the band members. We sat in their home theatre, and they drilled me with questions. They wanted to know how serious I was about making a life of being a performer…but they weren’t talking dive bars around Atlanta. They were talking international level arena tours. They had a direct connection with BabyFace, and they were creating a Pop Rock supergroup. They wrote the music, and we rehearsed daily. Lived together, rehearsed together…and these weren’t just any rehearsals. They rented out a warehouse with exercise equipment and a huge PA system…I rehearsed vocals while running on a treadmill to make sure that I didn’t get winded during my performances. I was coached on how to be a performer…an entertainer. I was kept on a strict diet. I was also in a relationship that was falling apart because of the attention this endeavor was getting. I was given an ultimatum (by her), and I chose the girl. Quite possibly the biggest mistake I’ve ever made. I later learned that she not only was cheating on me at the time, but went on to cheat on me with 3-4 other people that I know of…one of whom was my college roommate, and was in our wedding.
After leaving that band, I put my guitars in their cases, and shoved them in a closet. I thought I’d given up on trying to make a life of writing and performing music. That was, until that relationship actually did fall apart, and all of the infidelity came to light. Still being in touch with my dear friend Daniel Collins, he knew what I was going through…and that I was dying to get back into the music scene. He called me at work one day, and told me that Wrong Way (A Tribute to Sublime) was looking for a frontman. Their current lead singer (who was a friend of mine), Mike Sparrow, was leaving the band, and they needed someone to step in immediately. Long story short, I auditioned for the band, and jumped in the van and traveled most of the Eastern US playing music full time. It wasn’t what I originally set out to do. But at the time, it was a blessing, and a sign that this was where I was supposed to be.
My time with Wrong Way was so incredibly insightful to the touring life, and the life of a full time musician. It’s not an easy life to live. It takes focus, discipline, a willingness to grow, and a lot of time in the van. I learned so much from those guys. A couple of years in, our guitar player, Joel, left the band for an opportunity to tech for Widespread Panic. I was asked to learn all of the songs on guitar…and this changed everything for me. I was never a lead guitar player, by any means. Just chords and rhythm. But these songs had parts, riffs, leads, unique rhythms…and I dug in. I didn’t catch on as quickly as they would’ve liked…but I got there. And I learned so much. I became a student of reggae, punk, rock, blues, and soul. I learned so much…and I’m forever grateful.
One at a time, the members of Wrong Way went on to pursue other endeavors. As that started happening, I got back into writing, and put together a few EP’s released as ‘Crane.’ The first group was with Daniel Collins. He assembled a group of badasses that had come through the studio for various projects, and we had a band. We wrote a 5 song EP in no time, and released ‘That’s The Boogie, Vol 1’ out of PigPen. The band fell apart pretty quickly after that, due to personal differences, and we went through a roster of musicians that stepped in either temporarily, or permanently, to try to keep this thing afloat. We traveled some, had some fun, but the focus became about making money, rather than making music. And we lost our way.
A few more years down the road…I’d been playing solo all over town just to make ends meet. I was very fortunate, in that I could perform 7-8 times a week, if I wanted to. It really was a blessing. I met some really incredible players around Atlanta during that time, and grew a lot as a musician. I learned to sit in with other people. To write with other people. What it took to stay busy on the road. How to make money. How to survive. So, I decided to record another 5 songs I’d written during this time, and hire some of the really talented players I’d met around town to work on and perform on the album with me. This was the “I Love Women” EP…named ironically after a song written by Mike Sparrow, the former frontman for Wrong Way. Mike had passed away by this time, and I wanted to give him a nod by putting one of his tunes on the album. I didn’t realize it’d be the most popular one.
By about 2015, I’d been playing with so many different players from the area, and performing so often each week (I averaged over 250 performances a year), that I was burnt out. I decided to regroup, and I put together a group of musicians that could pull off both the Wrong Way sets, and the Crane sets. This was fun. Crane would open for Wrong Way, and got exposure to markets and venues that we’d never have been welcomed in, otherwise. It was working. We were busy. We had an agent. I was at the helm handling the day to day, but it was all coming together. We started working on another album. And by about 2019, I thought I was finally on to something. Then, I got a call from our booking agent…the agency wanted to drop both of the acts because of the association with a tribute band…even though we were making them 10X the money their other acts were. The conversation flipped a switch for me…and I sort of tapped out. I started looking for work still involved in the music industry, but not traveling and performing as often. I didn’t really have any luck…regardless of the countless connections I’d made in my time as a performer. I went back to a 9-5, and really started focusing on a professional career.
Fast forward through some manic depression, suicidal tendencies, battling demons, and losing the most important person in my life….Mama Bear…and here we are today. 2025. 45 years old. Still sitting on an album I started 8 years ago. But writing again. Inspired again. And performing again…every now and then when it feels right.
As more time passes, more grey hair appears, more wrinkles, more weight, less pride…I really want to focus on a new experience with music. In the past, I’ve really missed the mark with social media. I grew to resent it…and still do for many different reasons. I dealt with imposter syndrome. I wrote songs for the wrong reasons. But, music has always been, and will always be engrained into the fiber of my being. And I want to embrace that. I want to create an honest album. Not for anyone or anything…but for me. A ‘time stamp’ of sorts…so that my son can relive my journey, if he chooses.
What I’ve come to terms with over the past 25 years, is that music will always be a part of who I am. It’s in my bones. I don’t just listen to music. I feel it. It’s very personal, and it’s very powerful. Maybe I’ll die as an insurance agent, realtor, salesperson…but father and musician will always be the most important titles I’ve ever held.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s not been a smooth road, by any stretch of the imagination. There’s been real struggle, compromise, loss, and heartache. The tortured soul of an artist is one to be admired from afar. It’s dangerously intriguing, but seldom understood or embraced in the ways that it needs to be.
If I could quote Hunter S Thompson about the music industry:
“The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.”
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a singer songwriter from Atlanta, GA…by way of Conyers, GA. My music is a cross genre mix of soul, rock, folk, reggea, blues, and hip hop. That all sounds confusing…and a bit terrifying…but you’d have to hear it to understand. At the core, I’m a songwriter, and a fan of all types of music. It all makes it’s way into my writing and performances in one way or another.
What am I known for…wow…what a question. Probably best answered by others. But, I know what I’d like to be known for. Let’s hope that makes it’s way to the Eulogy.
I’m most proud of my son. That has very little to do with music…other than music being a special bond for us that we’ve had countless conversations over. In regard to things I’m proud of in my career as a musician…I’ve accomplished some pretty special things, only left to memory…and maybe a few photos. I’ve played Ameris Bank Amphitheater (it was Verizon at the time), I’ve toured the Virgin Islands performing music, I’ve performed on a giant cruise ship out in the middle of the ocean, I’ve written with Grammy Award winners, I’ve been managed by, written with, and produced by a multi platinum producer, I’ve played weddings, I’ve played funerals. No awards on the mantle. No big deposits in the bank. But, a lot of special people and beautiful places that will live with me forever. An old band mate of mine put it very profoundly and simply once…”We did 80% of the things that 100% of musicians dream about doing…”
I’d say what sets me apart from others is my writing and performance style. My style is created by and relevant to my history. All of the stories and experiences of this poor kid from the trailer park are channeled and released as notes and melodies…energy and passion. It’s truly the only unique thing about me…my history. The only thing that no one else has. The only thing that is unique to me and only me. While I wouldn’t wish a lot of it on anyone, it’s also made me who I am…for better or for worse.
More about me and my music can be found at www.cranemusic.net.
What’s next?
My biggest plans for the future include learning to find compassion for myself. As a poor kid from the trailer park, I’ve been hell bent on proving to myself and to the world that I can be something…somebody. A lot of people would probably say that I have. But the truth is, I’ve not consistently been the person I want to be. As a matter of fact, I’ve spent time as someone that I really dislike…someone that isn’t me at all. So, I’ll be working on getting to know myself. Shedding layers. Clearing out the debris that is blocking me from the power that lies within. Then, I think I might have a chance at being the man I want to be…a better father, partner, friend, writer, and creator.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cranemusic.net
- Instagram: @anthonycranemusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anthonycranemusic
- Twitter: @anthonycranemus
- Youtube: anthonycranemusic
Image Credits
Stephanie Heath Photography
Lulu Gyoury Photography
Kennesaw State University MEBUS Student Photography
Grace Kelly Photography via Bullet Music
