Oliver Anthony, singer-songwriter of the viral hit Rich Men North of Richmond, shared his thoughts in a Facebook post on Thursday saying the song was never about making money.
The song has been viewed more than 17 million times on YouTube.
According to Fox News, “Anthony noted his real name is Christopher Anthony Lunsford; Oliver Anthony was his grandfather and ‘Oliver Anthony Music’ is a tribute to him and the Appalachia community he was born and raised in. He added that he dropped out of high school in 2010 at age 17.”
“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,” he wrote.
NEW: Amid endless speculation and division, @AintGottaDollar just "introduced" himself to the world on his Facebook page.
"Just like those once wandering in the desert, we have lost our way from God and let false idols distract us and divide us." pic.twitter.com/8mXH8CQH5y
— Jason Howerton (@jason_howerton) August 17, 2023
“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,” he wrote.
“People in the music industry give me blank stares when I brush off 8 million dollar offers. I don’t want 6 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 bulls–t. Just some idiot and his guitar. The style of music that we should have never gotten away from in the first place.”
“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,” he wrote. “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. 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.
“That being said, I HATE 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.”
“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,” he wrote.
Read the full story over at Fox News:
This kind of integrity and honesty counter the entire music industry…but connects with us 'real folk' living in the real world. Awesome.https://t.co/aPDMtsdOQd
— Robin T. (@RealRobinToupin) August 17, 2023
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