Anthony Burger
A virtuoso pianist who brought fiery, rock-and-roll energy to Southern gospel music, thrilling audiences with his lightning-fast keyboard runs.
1961–2006 (age 45)·American pianist and singer·Birthday: June 5·Baby Boomers
Biography
Anthony Burger performed 'The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power' with such force that his hands often bruised. A child prodigy from Cleveland, Tennessee, he played by ear at age two and gave public performances by five. He joined the Kingsmen Quartet as a teenager, his fingers flying across the keys becoming central to their show. For a decade, he served as featured pianist for the Gaither Homecoming video series and tours, where his solos were the explosive highlight of the evening. His style merged classical precision with raw gospel power. Burger finished performances with visible hand bruises from his intensity. He was a front-stage performer whose instrumentals became anthems. His life ended abruptly during a Gaither cruise performance in 2006, but he fundamentally changed how the piano is heard in American gospel music.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Anthony was born in 1961, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Anthony Was Born
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
Anthony's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1961Born
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1966Started school
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1974Became a teenager
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Could drive
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1979Could vote
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Turned 21
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1991Turned 30
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 40
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2006Died at 45
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
Key Achievements
- Served as the featured pianist for the Gaither Homecoming video and tour series for over a decade, reaching a global audience.
- Recorded over 30 solo albums, showcasing his virtuosic piano instrumentals within the gospel genre.
- Received multiple Dove Awards, including the 2002 Instrumental Album of the Year for 'A New Hallelujah.'
- Began his professional career as a teenager with the prominent Kingsmen Quartet.
Did You Know?
He taught himself to play piano by ear after a childhood accident with a lawnmower severed several fingers, which were reattached.
He was known for playing at incredible speeds, often cited at over 1,000 notes per minute during his famous 'piano fireworks.'
He was inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2012, posthumously.
Bill Gaither once described his playing as 'a combination of Mozart and Jerry Lee Lewis.'
“I just sit down and play the piano, and let the Lord take over from there.”
