Oliver Anthony’s song, “Rich Men North of Richmond” blew up big time in August. His song is now number-one not just on iTunes, but also Spotify and Apple. It’s climbing the Billboard Hot 100 chart as well. It’s gotten 25 million views on RadioWV on YouTube as of Friday. It’s being shared all over social media.
His song has touched people around the country, and it’s even earned him attacks from progressives and the GOP establishment for daring to speak a little truth. As my colleague Streiff wrote in the above article, you know that he must be doing something right then.
The songwriter was astonished as to what happened. He’s now talking more about it in a Facebook post, explaining he was hoping to maybe reach 300K views on YouTube. But he’s also showing how real he is with his response.
First, while he posted his songs under the stage name “Oliver Anthony,” his real name is Christopher Anthony Lansford. “Oliver Anthony” is his grandfather’s name. He chose that to recognize his grandfather and where he was born — 1930s Appalachia — “Dirt floors, seven kids, hard times,” he explained.
Anthony explained he didn’t want all the trappings of fame. He said he’s turned down $8 million offers after his song took off, and he’s still living in his trailer with a tarp in Farmville, Virginia, on his land with his three dogs
“I don’t want six tour buses, 15 tractor trailers, and a jet. I don’t want to play stadium shows, I don’t want to be in the spotlight,” Lunsford continued, adding that he wrote the song because he had been struggling with depression.
“These songs have connected with millions of people on such a deep level because they’re being sung by someone feeling the words in the very moment they were being sung,” he wrote. “No editing, no agent, no bulls**t. Just some idiot and his guitar. The style of music that we should have never gotten away from in the first place.”
Anthony said he worked multiple plant jobs across Virginia and the Carolinas until he fell at work and fractured his skull in 2013. Then he returned home to recover and worked in sales. But because of working in all those plants, he said he got a good sense of what the people felt, and that he heard a lot of the same story. “People are SO damn tired of being neglected, divided and manipulated,” he said.
There’s nothing special about me. I’m not a good musician, I’m not a very good person. I’ve spent the last 5 years struggling with mental health and using alcohol to drown it. I am sad to see the world in the state it’s in, with everyone fighting with each other. I have spent many nights feeling hopeless, that the greatest country on Earth is quickly fading away. [….]
When is enough, enough? When are we going to fight for what is right again? MILLIONS have died protecting the liberties we have. Freedom of speech is such a precious gift. Never in world history has the world had the freedom it currently does. Don’t let them take it away from you.
I think I would beg to differ. I don’t know what kind of a man he is, but he is most certainly a good musician whose music touches the soul. If you want to hear more of his music. you can check out his YouTube. Here’s another good one:
This song “I want to go Home” by Oliver Anthony @AintGottaDollar grabs my soul as well. I pray that the Good Lord protects him. pic.twitter.com/jTswu81KsF
— ⚔Dennis⚔ (@clovis1931) August 19, 2023
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