Sturgill Simpson is an American country music singer-songwriter. He has released
two albums independently. Simpson's songs are represented by Downtown Music
Publishing. Early life
Simpson was born in Jackson, Kentucky, a small town in Breathitt County in
southeast Kentucky. He was the son of a secretary and a state policeman who
formerly worked undercover narcotics. Due to his father's work, Simpson's
family moved to Versailles, outside Lexington, where Simpson graduated from
Woodford County High School. Simpson's mother's family were coal miners.
After three years in the United States Navy, Simpson spent time in Japan and
then moved back to Lexington. Career
He formed the bluegrass band Sunday Valley in 2004, which played at the
Pickathon festival in Portland, Oregon. Simpson took a break from music and
worked a job in a Salt Lake City railroad freight-shipping yard for Union
Pacific Railroad. After playing local open mics and gigs, Simpson returned to
Sunday Valley. They toured and made an album. He and his wife moved to
Nashville when the group disbanded in 2012.
After going solo, Simpson released his debut album High Top Mountain in 2013
which he self-funded and self-released. The album was produced by Dave Cobb.
Among the session musicians were Hargus "Pig" Robbins and Robby Turner, a former
guitarist for Waylon Jennings. The record is named after a cemetery near
Jackson where many of his family are buried.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated High Top Mountain 4 stars out of
5, comparing its sound favorably to Waylon Jennings. Erik Ernst of the
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel also compared it to Jennings, saying that it had "rich
vintage sounds, heartbreaking ballads and juke-joint ramblers".
In 2014, Simpson released his second album produced by Dave Cobb, Metamodern
Sounds in Country Music to positive reviews. The album's lead single is
"Living the Dream". The record is described as a "deep and unconventional
relationship between traditionalism and new ways of thinking," and deviates from
Simpson's more traditional hard country debut. Simpson said that "recording and
mixing was done in five and a half days for about $4,000. I was pretty proud
about that." Simpson made his television network
debut on July 14, 2014, on the Late Show with David Letterman, playing "Life of
Sin". He has also played the Grand Ole Opry and has opened for artists like
Dwight Yoakam, Willie Nelson, and the Zac Brown Band.
His cover of "The Promise" by 80's band When In Rome was featured in the Season
2 Episode 9 of the HBO series The Leftovers.
= Band= Current members of Simpson's band:
Laur Joamets – electric & slide guitar Kevin Black – bass guitar
Jeff Crow – keyboards Miles Miller – drums, percussion,
backing vocals Musical style
Simpson is often compared to Waylon Jennings and the Outlaw Country genre of
country music. Shooter Jennings says, "Sturgill isn't imitating at all, and he
sounds like my favorite era of my dad, the Seventies, when he would sing
quieter and more conversational. That's what struck me about Sturgill from Day
One. And still does." Personal life
Simpson is married, and has lived with his wife and dog in Nashville, Tennessee
since 2010. They have a son who was born in June 2014.
Simpson has talked about his struggles with alcohol; he has been sober since he
was 28. Discography
= Albums= = Singles=
= Music videos= Notes and references
External links SturgillSimpson.com
@SturgillSimpson on Twitter