Oliver Anthony’s inclusion on the bill at ‘America’s Biggest Rock Festival’ is about as unlikely as his recent ascent to the top of the Billboard country music charts.
However, judging by the shoulder-to-shoulder and packed crowds inside the Kroger Big Bourbon Bar during both of his 30-minute sets, the Loudmouths in attendance were thrilled to catch a glimpse of the overnight country music sensation.
His viral hit ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart at the end of August, making him the first artist in history to propel to the top of the list, with no prior chart history of any kind.
As a late addition to the Louder Than Life lineup, Anthony performed a set on the opening day of the festival on Thursday, September 21, 2023 and another on the following day.
Chants of “USA, USA” filled the packed tent, as the Virginia native walked onto the stage for the first time.
Before strumming a note, Anthony read some scripture to the crowd, which was met with cheers and excited applause.
Anthony was joined on stage both days by fellow musician Joey Davis, who plays guitar alongside him.
“They had us down for a 30-minute set, but I asked them if we could drag that on a little longer,” Anthony told the crowd.
“The more we celebrate our differences instead of being pissed off at each other… the more we can sit back and laugh.”
The organizers with Louder Than Life said they were “beyond excited” to add Anthony to their bill.
“Oliver Anthony is a blazing force consuming the music world like wildfire,” Louder Than Life officials posted on social media.
“You’ve likely heard “Rich Men North of Richmond” by now, and if you did, you know with your heart. The achingly haunting tale of working-class angst is as stark as the red in Oliver’s beard, and difficult to get through without a lump in your throat.”
Louder Than Life officials added: “Striking a deep nerve within our aggravated political culture these days, Oliver’s earnest, soulful frustrations come through in a way that everyone from record labels to politicians on both sides are eager to claim as their own. Oliver Anthony wants none of it, opting instead for the purity of his own path, and the voice of universal struggle we’re all experiencing as a modern society in trying times.”
Here are some photos from his Day #1 set at Louder Than Life by Nathan Zucker:
Also, here are some photos from his Day #2 set at Louder Than Life by Lexie Alley:
Following his recent meteoric rise in the charts, Anthony penned a heartfelt letter on his website, which gives some background on his life and insight into his music.
“It’s been difficult as I browse through the 50,000+ messages and emails I’ve received in the last week,” Anthony wrote.
“The stories that have been shared paint a brutally honest picture. Suicide, addiction, unemployment, anxiety and depression, hopelessness and the list goes on. I’m sitting in such a weird place in my life right now. I never wanted to be a full time musician, much less sit at the top of the iTunes charts. Draven from RadioWv and I filmed these tunes on my land with the hope that it may hit 300k views. I still don’t quite believe what has went on since we uploaded that. It’s just strange to me.”
Anthony added: “People in the music industry give me blank stares when I brush off $8-million dollar offers. 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. 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. No editing, no agent, no bullshit. 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 has never taken the time to tell everyone who he “actually” is, so he provided a formal introduction.
“My legal name is Christopher Anthony Lunsford,” he wrote.
“My grandfather was Oliver Anthony, and “Oliver Anthony Music” is a dedication not only to him, but 1930’s Appalachia where he was born and raised. Dirt floors, seven kids, hard times. At this point, I’ll gladly go by Oliver because everyone knows me as such. But my friends and family still call me Chris. You can decide for yourself, either is fine.”
Anthony added: “In 2010, I dropped out of high school at age 17. I have 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, six 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 six months or so before I could work again.”
From 2014 until recently, he worked outside sales in the industrial manufacturing world.
“My job has taken me all over Virginia and into the Carolinas, getting to know tens of thousands of other blue collar workers on job sites and in factories,” he wrote.
“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. In 2019, I paid $97,500 for the property and still owe about $60,000 on it. I am living in a 27′ camper with a tarp on the roof that I got off of craigslist for $750.”
Anthony added: “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.”
He says he hates the way the Internet “has divided all of us.
“The Internet is a parasite, that infects the minds of humans and has their way with them. Hours wasted, goals forgotten, loved ones sitting in houses with each other distracted all day by technology made by the hands of other poor souls in sweat shops in a foreign land,” he wrote.
“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. Just like those once wandering in the desert, we have lost our way from God and have let false idols distract us and divide us. It’s a damn shame.”
Learn more on his official website https://oliveranthonymusic.com/.