On August 8th, 2023, Oliver Anthony’s life changed forever. The blue-collar man recorded a video for RadioWV, a YouTube account covering American country and folk music. The next 3 minutes would inspire a conversation not only in the music world but would reach the struggling members of society everywhere. The song “Rich Men North of Richmond” would throw Anthony into the spotlight because it covered issues such as wage gaps, political controversy, and welfare. But who is Oliver Anthony, and why has his seemingly simple message caused an uproar among people across the world?
Christopher Anthony Lunsford, (or as the world knows him, Oliver Anthony) was born and raised in Farmville, Virginia, about an hour south of Richmond and with a population of less than 8,000. Unlike many artists who rise to the top of the charts, Anthony was not at all focused on being a musician. Before going viral this month, Anthony lived in a $750 camper in the woods with the hopes of living off the grid. A high school dropout and longtime manufacturing worker, the Virginian is a lot like many other men who help hold the economy of the U.S. together. However, these facts may be the very reason his song “Rich Men North of Richmond” has become an anthem in the eyes of the American working class.
The song was the first time an artist who had never had a song on the Billboard charts had a song go No. 1 in its first week. Anthony attributed his success to the universality of the lyrics of the song, per his social media. Not only was his song popular in the charts, but it also gained enough attention to be discussed during the first 2024 presidential debate, a display of the impact of the song on a population tired of the “Rich Men North of Richmond.” Many of the song’s complaints center around the disillusionment with the government’s attempts to “know what you think, and know what you do” and “tax to no end.” In the year before the election,
Anthony’s message could determine whether the working class of America could have an impact on the outcome.
Anthony was quick to act on his newfound popularity. Performing before thousands at a free concert in Barco, North Carolina, the Virginian read the Bible and discussed how when he gave his life to God “miracles happened for him.” However, Anthony was quick to dispel any concerns over him pushing a specific agenda. “I sit pretty dead center down the aisle on politics and always have,” Anthony said on his YouTube channel.
Anthony’s success is only the surfacing of a movement that has been in the works in independent country music for over a decade now. The success of artists like Tyler Childers, Jason Isbell, and most recently Zach Bryan has only displayed the popularity of discussion about working-class issues. Not only is this a good thing for our country, but it gives the people in this nation the ability to speak out about the problems that surround their lives, something that politicians in recent times are refusing to solve. Now only time will tell whether or not Anthony’s anthem will prove successful at providing change.
