#469 – Oliver Anthony: Country Music, Blue-Collar America, Fame, Money, and Pain

The following is a conversation with Oliver Anthony, singer songwriter from Virginia, who first gained worldwide fame with his viral hit Rich Men North of Richmond. He became a voice for many who are voiceless, with his songs speaking to the struggle of the working class. in modern American life. His legal name is Christopher Anthony Lunsford. Oliver Anthony was his grandfather's name, and so Chris used this name as a dedication to his grandfather and to nineteen thirties Appalachia, where his grandfather was born and raised.

Dirt floors, seven kids, hard times, as Chris says. He's happy to be called either one, by the way. I've gotten to know Chris more since the recording of this conversation. He truly is, as he appears online and in his songs, down to earth, humble, and a good man who deeply feels the pain of the downtrodden. And now a quick few second mention of each sponsor.

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