Up until about a week ago, Oliver Anthony was a relatively unknown artist. But all of that changed thanks to the invention of the Internet, which makes it possible for people to find overnight success.
Anthony’s blue-collar song, “Rich Men North of Richmond” went viral after the former factory worker – with RadioWV – recorded him singing the song and uploaded it to YouTube.
The tune, which expresses frustrations plaguing the country, such as homelessness, sex trafficking, folks taking advantage of the welfare system, suicide rates, and more, speaks to the working class communities across America. So much so that it has been viewed nearly 20 million times online and found itself in the middle of political conversations.
Now that Anthony’s song and name have been exploding across the Internet, he has gotten bombarded with emails and personal messages and even turned down major deals with record labels, including an $8 million contract.
Meet Viral Sensation Oliver Anthony
Setting the record straight on who he is and what he stands for, Oliver Anthony turned back to social media to introduce himself to folks. In his words, he revealed that despite sharing his songs with the world, he never intended to find fame and didn’t plan on pursuing music full-time.
“It’s been difficult as I browse through the 50,000+ messages and emails I’ve received in the last week,” Anthony began a lengthy post on Facebook on Thursday (Aug. 17). “….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.”
“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.”
The talented Farmville, VA, native, who owns three dogs and a plot of land he plans on turning into a small farm to raise livestock, added, “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 bullsh–. Just some idiot and his guitar. The style of music we should have never gotten away from in the first place.”
His Real Name Is Christopher Anthony Lunsford
As a way to formally introduce himself, Anthony disclosed his real birth name, telling others that it’s not ‘Oliver Anthony,’ but ‘Christopher Anthony Lunsford,’ and he dedicated his stage name and “Oliver Anthony Music” page to his grandfather, who was born and raised in 1930’s Appalachia.
“Dirt floors, seven kids, hard times,” Anthony said of how his grandpa lived out his days before sharing his own life journey with fans and followers. “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.”
Discovered Music After A Scary Injury
Anthony also divulged that he suffered a “fractured skull” due to a “bad fall” in 2013, which “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.”
After recovering from his scary injury, Anthony worked in outside sales in the industrial manufacturing world – a position that allowed him to travel and meet “blue-collar workers on job sites and in factories.” He goes on to say that he got used to hearing people share similar stories and came to realize that “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,” Anthony revealed. “I am living in a 27′ camper with a tarp on the roof that I got off of Craigslist for $750.”
Struggled With Mental Health And Alcoholism
And while people everywhere have resonated with his song, Anthony insists, “There’s nothing special about me. I’m not a good musician. I’m not a very good person. I’ve spent the last five years struggling with mental health and using alcohol to drown it.”
Despite his lack of confidence and self-proclaimed status as “not a very good person,” Anthony’s song seems to tell a different story with people rallying for him through the sharing of their personal stories and concert attendance.
No. 1 Song On iTunes
Three days after posting the “Rich Men North of Richmond” to streaming platforms and five days after uploading the tune to YouTube, Anthony reached No. 1 on iTunes’s all-genre streaming charts, edging out Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town.”
The song also shot to the top of the U.S. Apple Music Country charts. Now the song is predicted as a contender to soar to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, alongside names like Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs.
Uses Platform To Share Feelings About The Divisive Nature Of The Internet
Regardless, Anthony remains unassuming in character, with no wish to draw attention to his talent. He rather chooses to use his platform to share his feelings about the divisive nature of the Internet and fighting for freedom.
“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,” he writes before closing his message with. “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.”
For more information and to stay up-to-date with Oliver Anthony, follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
