Last year in August, Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Men North of Richmond,” became a chart sensation.
Anthony’s backwater redneck songs — all released independently — became an overnight sensation, especially among country music fans.
Suddenly, everyone wanted to know who Oliver Anthony was — and to exploit him. Even Donald Trump tried to co-opt Anthony, but the singer shied away eventually.
(Anthony had said yet if he still supports the convicted 34 time felon.)Anthony went on to sell millions of records in 2023.
This year alone, to date, “Rich Men” has sold the streaming equivalent of 660,000 copies.But like any fad, Oliver Anthony went the way of all things. He refused to play ball with record companies, and eventually the spotlight turned away from him.
Now Anthony is spoofing himself with an Instagram post. He says he’s signed with a major label in a video. The camera pulls away to reveal it’s all a joke, and that his new label chief is his very cute dog, dressed in a suit.
All joking aside, however, Anthony will have to live on last year’s sales forever. His current album, his only album, called “Hymnal of a Troubled Man’s Mind,” has been a dud. Luminate reports that the album, released in March, has sold just 2,777 copies in hard sales. Including streaming, the number bulks up to 105K. Anthony is a contrarian, and obviously doesn’t care. He just plays his gigs to his fans and he’s happy with that result. In a way, it sounds like a good life. His staff is composed of his dog, and he looks happy.
