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Country music star John Rich took to social media to lash out over Oliver Anthony’s viral hit. Plus, the former member of Big & Rich celebrates a major solo milestone. Keep reading for all the details.
Half of Big & Rich Duo Celebrates Solo Milestone
You’ve likely heard the phrase “Save a horse, ride a cowboy.” The catchy phrase first gained attention as part of the song from the country duo Big & Rich, AKA “Big” Kenny Alphin, and John Rich. “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” was a massive hit in 2004.
Big & Rich took a break for several years around 2009 but are still together. Their last joint album release was 2017’s Did It for the Party.
However, John Rich continues to release solo albums. He took to social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) to promote his latest album, The Country Truth.
The album dropped on August 18th, and the very next day, it reached an astounding milestone. John Rich shared that his new record is the #1 album in the country. In the social media post, he notes that he texted Oliver Anthony his congratulations for having the #1 song in America.
Oliver Anthony has the #1 song in America, and I have the #1 record, and neither of us have record deals. I texted Oliver to congratulate him and he responded “God is good!” Yes He is my friend, yes He is❤️ Thank you to all the supporters of our music, it’s truly humbling 🙏 pic.twitter.com/VYyKikA6MP
— John Rich🇺🇸 (@johnrich) August 20, 2023
Who is Oliver Anthony?
Who is Oliver Anthony, and how does he have the #1 song in the country? Before his song, “Rich Men North of Richmond,” went viral earlier this month, Oliver Anthony was virtually unknown. What do we know about the lowkey singer?
His real name is Christopher Anthony Lunsford, but he uses Oliver Anthony as a stage name. He was born in Virginia, and Music Mayhem reports that the former factory worker moved back to his home state in 2013 after an injury.
By his own account, Anthony has no aspiration to be a famous musician and is quite shocked by the overnight success.
Before his song took over the charts, Jason Aldean was enjoying the #1 spot with his controversial song “Try That in a Small Town.”
Similarly, Oliver Anthony’s song discusses small-town living with lyrics like “I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day / Overtime hours for bulls**t pay.”
However, it takes aim at the government and politicians, AKA the “rich men north of Richmond.”
Many people found the sound relatable, and it has over 20 million views on YouTube already. So why is John Rich lashing out?
John Rich Lashes Out at Viral Hit
John Rich isn’t upset with Oliver Anthony. As we mentioned above, he congratulated him on his success. Interestingly, Rich noted that neither singer currently have a record deal. However, Oliver Anthony shared on social media recently that labels were offering him millions of dollars to sign with them.
And that’s where John Rich finds offense. He took to X to vent about greedy Nashville record labels trying to “lure” Oliver Anthony into signing a deal.
According to the former Celebrity Apprentice contestant, the viral hit never would have happened under a label.
“The irony is, if he would’ve been signed to a label when he wrote this song, none of us would have EVER heard it!” – John Rich, X
John Rich further vented that the labels are putting their greed over their “wokeness.”
Fellow country singer Travis Tritt co-signed the sentiment, calling it “100% truth!” in the replies.
100% truth!
— Travis Tritt (@Travistritt) August 17, 2023
Do you agree with him? Was John Rich telling the truth about the record labels in Nashville? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
I 100% agree with John Rich. This Oliver guy made it on his own without the help of the Label makers. I hope he can continue with more successful songs, and take the advice from John RIch. John could offer him a label and help Oliver become rich!