Two years ago, an unknown artist named Oliver Anthony topped the Billboard Hot 100 with the viral country-folk tune “Rich Men North of Richmond.”
Whether you loved or hated it, the song was impossible to escape: I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day / Overtime hours for bullshit pay.
The polarizing working-class anthem made Anthony (born Christopher Lunsford) the first artist to hit No. 1 with no prior chart history.
Since then, the 32-year-old Virginian released his debut album, Hymnal of a Troubled Man’s Mind, and then promptly quit the music industry—but apparently not before raking in some serious cash.
SEE MORE [American Songwriter]
Brownie Bytes: He even booked his first ever live performance, 2 months before launching his hit, and was paid $200 to play for 2.5 hours at a farmers market. His hit went viral and 12,000+ showed up at that first live performance.
Brownie Bytes 