The mystery singer/songwriter of the moment, Sturgill Simpson, just won a Grammy for “Best Country Album” despite the fact that he’s not really Country, and hardly anyone has ever heard of him.
Difficult as it is to pinpoint his style, we’re going with Americana meets Country meets Rock. It’s all those woven into an amazing sound.
Listen to his “Saturday Night Live Performance” of “A Call To Arms” and you’ll flashback on The Who and Jimi Hendrix for sheer outlandish showmanship and high-energy excitement: the horns, the big sound, the long guitar solo.
And if you didn’t know “Call to Arms” was just released, it could pass for a 70s Barry McGuire “Eve of Destruction” style anti-war proclamation.
I done Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran
North Korea tell me where does it end
Well the bodies keep piling up with every day
How many more of em they gonna send
About Sturgill Simpson
- He’s 38-yeas old
- Born and raised in Lexington, KY area.
- Lives in Nashville with his wife and two-year old son.
- Influenced by Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson.
- Served in the U.S. Navy for three years.
In 2014 his 2nd album was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Americana Album, and it was also listed at #18 on Rolling Stone’s “50 Best Albums of 2014” and named on of NPR’s “50 Favorite Albums of 2014.”
Simpson’s been on my radar screen for two years—I sent his music to friends, and despite the fact that, to a person, none of us “got” him, he did win that Grammy last Sunday night, and it’s been a game changer for him. In the past several days his album sales have increased a whopping 600%!