He got involved in the music scene in Atlanta in the late 1990s, meeting a then-unknown singer-songwriter India.Arie; they became friends and collaborators, with Anthony co-writing songs on her first three albums, which spawned a number of Grammy nominations, singing back-up for her on tour and eventually opening for her. This visibility led to the release of Anthony's debut album Three Chords & The Truth released in 2004 on the Atlanta independent Brash Records, carving out a unique lane with his personalised brand of acoustic soul.

Extensive touring revealed Anthony to be a free-wheeling, engaging performer, able to hold a crowd with just the sound of his voice and an acoustic guitar. A second independent album, The Red Clay Chronicles, led to a deal with Universal Records, which released Acey Duecy, a compilation of the best tracks from his first two albums, yielding a hit duet with India.Arie and a Grammy nomination. Thanks to the release of his albums by labels in the UK and Japan, Anthony toured extensively abroad, building an international audience. His star continued to rise as he signed a deal with Purpose Records/eOne Entertainment which led to the release of his fourth album As Above, So Below in 2011, which featured guest vocalists Algebra, Phonte of Little Brother and Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men; his duet with Algebra, "4Evermore," became a #1 hit at adult urban radio while the reggae/Latin-tinged "Body Language" tore up dance floors in the UK.