Dunbar High, Lynchburg (1965)

Carlton Earl Anderson (1945-2004) was a 1965 graduate of VIA Group 1, Dunbar High School in Lynchburg VA. “Carl” was memorialized at the time of his death as "a renaissance man” who moved skillfully between music, television, theatre, film, nightclubs and concert halls in the U.S., the Americas, Europe and Asia. In his hometown, he achieved near-iconic status as one of its most accomplished native sons. Carlton was best known for his portrayal of Judas Iscariot in the Broadway and film versions of the rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar” produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.

Following high school, Anderson sang at military bases across the United States as part of the World Wide Air Force Talent Contest and often returned to Lynchburg to tutor aspiring young artists at the Lynchburg Academy of Music. Anderson was cast in the film adaptation of “Jesus Christ Superstar” released in 1973 by director Norman Jewison, which catapulted his career with two Golden Globe nominations as "Most Promising Newcomer" and "Best Musical Actor. He was also nominated for the NAACP Image award. Some notable achievements of Carl’s, Grammy nomination for the song “Forbidden Lover” a duet with Nancy Wilson, appeared in the TV show “Hill Street Blues” and the movie “The Color Purple” (1985) as‘ Rev. Samuel’. He also had TV appearances as ‘King Monroe’ on the Soap Opera "Another World" and guest appearances on shows such as "The Rockford Files," "Magnum P.I." and "Starsky & Hutch." Anderson and singer-actress Gloria Loring performed the duet "Friends and Lovers," which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1986. Carlton Earl "Carl" Anderson was a multifaceted entertainer and performer. On May 15, 2004, the Dunbar High School Auditorium in Lynchburg, Virginia, was officially renamed the “Carl Anderson Performing Arts Auditorium.”