Who Is Oliver Anthony? All About The Controversial ‘Rich Men North Of Richmond’ Singer Topping The Billboard Charts
22.08.2023 - 22:39
/ etcanada.com
It’s not hyperbole to describe Oliver Anthony as an overnight sensation, thanks to the out-of-the-blue success of his hit song “Rich Men North of Richmond”.
After the video was posted to YouTube, it’s racked up more than 33 million views in just 13 days. Meanwhile, the song — which Anthony wrote, sang and produced — has climbed to No. 1 on the iTunes charts, and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts.
Clearly, the song — a country protest tune decrying an America in which people slave away for “bulls**t pay” while the wealthy one per cent and the politicians they control don’t care that “your dollar ain’t shit / And it’s taxed to no end” — has connected with listeners, making Anthony the first-ever artist to debut at the top of Billboard‘s Hot 100 without any prior chart history.
Who Is Oliver Anthony?
While his exact age isn’t known — it’s been estimated at being somewhere between 29 and 31 — Olivers life hasn’t been an easy one.
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“In 2010, I dropped out of high school at age 17. I have a GED from Spruce Pine, NC,” he wrote in a lengthy Facebook post that, so far, remains the most comprehensive details about his backstory.
“I worked multiple plant jobs in Western NC, my last being at the paper mill in McDowell County,” he continued. “I worked the 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.”
Oliver Anthony isn’t his real name
“My legal name is Christopher Anthony Lunsford,” he wrote in that Facebook post.
M”y grandfather was Oliver