‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ singer says he doesn’t want $8M record deal, reveals real name
Farmville singer Oliver Anthony says he’s no in hurry to sign $8 million record deals and revealed more information about himself in a lengthy Facebook post.
After becoming a viral sensation for his song “Rich Men North of Richmond,” the singer has not responded to interview requests from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, or any other media outlet yet.
But he did post a lengthy personal response on Thursday for the first time since his song “Rich Men North of Richmond” racked up over 18 million views on YouTube.
YouTube
Oliver Anthony
“People in the music industry give me blank stares when I brush off 8 million dollar offers. I don’t want 6 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,” Anthony posted to Facebook. “I wrote the music I wrote because I was suffering with mental health and 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.”
His real name is Christopher Anthony Lunsford. His stage name, Oliver Anthony, comes from his grandfather who grew up in Appalachia in the 1930’s, he wrote.
Anthony owns land in North Dinwiddie and is 31 years old.
According to the post, Anthony dropped out of high school and got a GED from Spruce Pine, NC
“I worked multiple plant jobs in Western NC, my last being at the paper mill in McDowell county. I worked 3rd shift, 6 days a week for $14.50 an hour in a living hell. In 2013, I had a bad fall at work and fractured my skull. It forced me to move back home to Virginia. Due to complications from the injury, it took me 6 months or so before I could work again,” he wrote.
Up until very recently, he worked in outside sales in industrial manufacturing, traveling around Virginia and North Carolina and South Carolina, “getting to know tens of thousands of other blue collar workers on job sites and in factories. I’ve spent all day, everyday, for the last 10 years hearing the same story. People are SO damn tired of being neglected, divided and manipulated,” he posted.
Tickets to an Oliver Anthony concert in Farmville on Aug. 23 sold out in three minutes earlier this week. Organizers said that fans will be driving as far away as Ohio and New Hampshire to see the show.
Anthony posted that another free show had been added on Saturday at Eagle Creek Golf Club and Grill in Moyock, North Carolina.
As for a record deal, Anthony posted earlier that “Everyone in the ‘industry’ is rushing me into signing something, but we just want to take things slow right now. I appreciate your patience.”
While many are wondering if Anthony’s overnight sensation status could be a flash in the pan, Variety writes that “Rich Men” could have staying power.
“It’s a strong bet to make No. 1 on the next Hot 100, according to Billboard, even with almost no radio play. As of Thursday, it sits at No. 3 on the Spotify Top 50 for the U.S. — not too far behind Taylor Swift’s No. 1 ‘Cruel Summer’ in daily streams — after reaching the top spot the day before. On YouTube, the original music video was up to 18 million views as of Thursday afternoon, after being out for eight days. At the iTunes store, Anthony’s songs continue to command four of the top 10 spots, including No. 1,” Variety writes.
Read the full Facebook post from Oliver Anthony below:
