Sturgill Simpson

Sturgill Simpson
Sturgill Simpson
Background information
Birth name John Sturgill Simpson[1]
Born (1978-06-08) June 8, 1978
Jackson, Kentucky U.S.
Genres Country
Alternative country
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Instruments Vocals
Guitar
Years active 2004–present
Labels Atlantic Records
High Top Mountain

Loose (Europe)
Website sturgillsimpson.com

Sturgill Simpson (born June 8, 1978) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He has released two albums independently.[2][3]

Early life

Simpson was born in Jackson, Kentucky, a small town in Breathitt County in southeast Kentucky. He was the son of a secretary and a state policeman who formerly worked undercover narcotics.[1][4] Due to his father's work, Simpson's family moved to Versailles, outside Lexington, where Simpson graduated from Woodford County High School.[4] Simpson's mother's family were coal miners.[5]

After three years in the United States Navy, Simpson spent time in Japan and then moved back to Lexington.[6]

Career

He formed the bluegrass band Sunday Valley in 2004, which played at the Pickathon festival in Portland, Oregon.[7]

Simpson took a break from music and worked a job in a Salt Lake City railroad freight-shipping yard for Union Pacific Railroad.[8] After playing local open mics and gigs, Simpson returned to Sunday Valley. They toured and made an album. He and his wife moved to Nashville when the group disbanded in 2012.[8]

After going solo, Simpson released his debut album High Top Mountain in 2013 which he self-funded and self-released.[7][9] The album was produced by Dave Cobb. Among the session musicians were Hargus "Pig" Robbins and Robby Turner, a former guitarist for Waylon Jennings.[6] The record is named after a cemetery near Jackson where many of his family are buried.[10]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated High Top Mountain 4 stars out of 5, comparing its sound favorably to Waylon Jennings.[11] Erik Ernst of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel also compared it to Jennings, saying that it had "rich vintage sounds, heartbreaking ballads and juke-joint ramblers".[12]

In 2014, Simpson released his second album produced by Dave Cobb, Metamodern Sounds in Country Music to positive reviews.[13][14][15][16][16] The album's lead single is "Living the Dream".[17] The record is described as a "deep and unconventional relationship between traditionalism and new ways of thinking," and deviates from Simpson's more traditional hard country debut.[18] Simpson said that "recording and mixing was done in five and a half days for about $4,000. I was pretty proud about that."[19]

Simpson made his television network debut on July 14, 2014, on the Late Show with David Letterman, playing "Life of Sin".[20] He has also played the Grand Ole Opry[5] and has opened for artists like Dwight Yoakam, Willie Nelson,[21] and the Zac Brown Band.[22]

His cover of "The Promise" by 80's band When In Rome was featured in the Season 2 Episode 9 of the HBO series The Leftovers.

Simpson's songs are represented by Downtown Music Publishing.

Band

Current members of Simpson's band:

Musical style

Simpson is often compared to Waylon Jennings[24] and the Outlaw Country genre of country music.[25] Shooter Jennings says, "Sturgill isn't imitating at all, and he sounds like my favorite era of my dad, the Seventies, when he would sing quieter and more conversational. That's what struck me about Sturgill from Day One. And still does."[26]

Personal life

Simpson is married, and has lived with his wife and dog in Nashville, Tennessee since 2010.[4] They have a son who was born in June 2014.[8][27]

Simpson has talked about his struggles with alcohol; he has been sober since he was 28.[5]

Discography

Albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales
US Country
[28]		 US
[29]		 US Heat US Indie
High Top Mountain
  • Release date: June 11, 2013
  • Labels: High Top Mountain, Loose
  • Format: CD, LP, digital
 31 — 11[30] —
Metamodern Sounds in Country Music
  • Release date: May 13, 2014
  • Labels: High Top Mountain, Loose
  • Format: CD, LP, digital
 8 59 — 6
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

Year Single Album
2012 "Life Ain't Fair and the World Is Mean" High Top Mountain
2014 "Living the Dream" Metamodern Sounds in Country Music
"Turtles All the Way Down"
"The Promise"[33]

Music videos

Year Video Director
2013 "Railroad of Sin"
2014 "Turtles All the Way Down"[34] Graham Uhelski
2014 "The Promise" Graham Uhelski

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 "J Sturgill Simpson, United States Public Records, 1970–2009". FamilySearch. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  2. ↑ Welch, Will (7 January 2016). "Meet Three Country Badasses Who Are Shaking Up the Nashville Establishment". GQ. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  3. ↑ Welch, Will (7 January 2016). "The GQ&A: Sturgill Simpson, Country Music's Psychedelic Warrior-Philosopher". GQ. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Cooper, Duncan (15 July 2014). "Another Country: A Freewheeling Hour with Sturgill Simpson". The Fader. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 Martin, Rachel (25 May 2014). "'I Wanna Make Art': Sturgill Simpson's Twisting Path To Nashville". Weekend Edition Sunday. NPR. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  6. 1 2 Tunis, Walter (30 May 2013). "Kentucky native Sturgill Simpson took long road, and railroad, to Nashville". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  7. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Sturgill Simpson biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 Dougherty, Steve (6 May 2014). "Sturgill Simpson Sings Country Metaphysics". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  9. ↑ Cooper, Duncan (12 May 2014). "GEN F: Sturgill Simpson, the Cosmic Cowboy of the Digital Age Read". The Fader. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  10. ↑ Inman, Davis (26 April 2013). "Sturgill Simpson: Man Of The Hour". American Songwriter. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  11. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "High Top Mountain". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  12. ↑ Ernst, Erik (11 June 2013). "CD reviews: Jason Isbell, Alison Moyet, Walter Trout, Sturgill Simpson". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  13. ↑ Deusner, Stephen M. (16 May 2014). "Sturgill Simpson, Metamodern Sounds in Country Music". Pitchfork. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  14. ↑ Caramanica, Jon (14 May 2014). "A Country Lament Sinks Into Despair: Sturgill Simpson's 'Metamodern Sounds in Country Music'". New York Times. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  15. ↑ Keohane, Joe (1 May 2014). "The Best, Darkest, Weirdest Country Record of the Year". Esquire. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  16. 1 2 Dauphin, Chuck (16 May 2014). "Sturgill Simpson Shuns 'Tailgating and Spring Breaks' on New Album". Billboard. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  17. ↑ Rowland, Sarah (20 February 2014). "Song Premiere: Sturgill Simpson – "Living The Dream"". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  18. ↑ Powers, Ann (17 April 2014). "God, Drugs And Lizard Aliens: Yep, It's Country Music". NPR.
  19. ↑ Trageser, Stephen (23 July 2014). "Mystic Mind: A Q&A with Sturgill Simpson". American Songwriter. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  20. ↑ Hudak, Joseph (15 July 2014). "Sturgill Simpson Makes 'Letterman' Debut: Kentucky singer-songwriter wows Dave with "Life of Sin"". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  21. ↑ "Willie Nelson 2014 - 12/30". Austin City Limits Live. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  22. ↑ Trigger (16 May 2014). "Where Does Sturgill Simpson Go From Here?". Saving Country Music. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  23. ↑ Cooper, Duncan (18 September 2014). "Another Country: An Estonian Guitarist Sets Country Music Ablaze". Fader. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  24. ↑ Lore, Mark (21 May 2014). "Sturgill Simpson: Metamodern Sounds In Country Music Review". Paste. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  25. ↑ Hyden, Steven (30 April 2014). "The New-Age Outlaw Country of Lydia Loveless and Sturgill Simpson". Grantland. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  26. ↑ Hudak, Joseph (3 June 2014). "Is Sturgill Simpson Country Music's Savior? Not If He Can Help It". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  27. ↑ Barker, Brian (July 2014). "Simpson gets metamodern". Country Standard Time. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  28. ↑ "Sturgill Simpson Album & Song Chart History – Country Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  29. ↑ "Sturgill Simpson & Song Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media.
  30. ↑ "High Top Mountain charts and awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  31. ↑ Bjorke, Matt (23 July 2014). "Country Album Sales Report: July 23, 2014". Roughstock. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  32. ↑ Bjorke, Matt (November 9, 2015). "Top 10 Country Albums Chart: November 9, 2015". Roughstock.
  33. ↑ "Future Releases on Triple A (AAA) Radio Stations". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on 4 July 2014.
  34. ↑ "Sturgill Simpson's Interdimensional 'Turtles All the Way Down' Is Psychedelic as Hell [Fresh Vid]". Nashville Scene. 17 April 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2015.

External links

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