Within the week following the release of singer/songwriter Oliver Anthony’s song “Rich Men North of Richmond,” the Virginia native’s viral hit had already soared to No. 1. The track leads the iTunes Top Entries and the iTunes Country charts, bumping songs by Jason Aldean and Taylor Swift, down several notches.
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Along with his song “Rich Men North of Richmond,” Anthony is also holding two other two spots in the top three with his songs “Ain’t Got a Dollar” at No. 2 and “I’ve Got to Get Sober” in the third slot. His chart position has pushed Aldean’s controversial single “Try That In a Small Town” down to No. 4 on the country chart and Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” to the same position on the Top Entries chart.
Anthony, who has been releasing his own music since 2022 under Oliver Anthony Music, currently holds 18 of the 40 slots on the iTunes Country chart. Rounding out the top 10 are several of Anthony’s other original songs — “I Want to Go Home,” “Virginia” and “Rich Man’s Gold.” These songs sit alongside country hits like Luke Combs’ recent cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” Jelly Roll’s “Need a Favor,” and Morgan Wallen‘s “Last Night.”
The singer and songwriter also holds 17 more spots on the Top Entries spot with his same three songs in the top three. In addition to consuming the iTunes charts, “Rich Men North of Richmond” is currently at No. 9 on the Spotify Top 50 USA chart.
[RELATED: Jamey Johnson Joins Oliver Anthony for Surprise Rendition of “In Color”]
Anthony, a farmer from Farmville, Virginia, who lives with his three dogs, recently went viral on social media for his performance of his original song “Rich Men North Of Richmond.” The track already gained more than 11 million views on YouTube.
Writing since 2021, Anthony revealed that he has struggled with mental health issues and got sober from alcohol. When he was 30 days sober, radiowv, a YouTube channel that highlights musicians within West Virginia, asked Anthony to record “Rich Men North Of Richmond” to share on their page.
Drawing crowds of hundreds to his local shows at farmer’s markets, Anthony was recently joined by Jamey Johnson for a rendition of Johnson’s 2008 hit “In Color.” He joined Anthony during his free show at the Morris Farm Market in Barco, North Carolina, on Sunday (August 13).
“I’m not sure I’ll ever top this moment where Jamey Johnson surprised me to sing his all-time classic with me on stage,” shared Anthony. “What a legend.”
Correction: We mistakenly wrote that Luke Bryan covered Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Cars,” it has been corrected to reflect that Luke Combs covered the song. AS regrets the error.
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