Facebook/Twitter (Oliver Anthony) Oliver Anthony
Oliver Anthony is a Farmville, Virginia, singer, songwriter, and former factory worker who has gone viral with his blue-collar anthem called “Rich Men North of Richmond.”
According to an introductory video that he uploaded to YouTube on August 7, 2023, the viral hit was the first song he did not record on his cell phone. Anthony said in the video that he hopes to capture the voice of blue collar workers who feel like they can’t get ahead and help those who suffer from mental health and depression. The song also discusses politicians, people on welfare, and taxes.
Radiowv first posted Anthony’s song “Rich Men North of Richmond” on August 8, 2023, and it’s already had more than 5 million views. “When I first came across Oliver Anthony and his music, I was blown away to say the least,” Radiowv wrote. According to Billboard, “Rich Men North of Richmond” has “surged to No. 1 on the iTunes Country chart, outpacing the former chart leader, Jason Aldean’s controversial track ‘Try That in a Small Town.’”
“I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day. Overtime hours for bull**** pay, so I can sit out here and waste my life away,” the lyrics for “Rich Men North of Richmond” begin.
His YouTube channel Oliver Anthony Music now has 96,000 subscribers. He has more than 76,000 followers on Facebook. “Your emails and messages are touching me in a major way. So much love. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. See you soon,” he wrote on August 12, 2023. His page contains his songs and pictures of his dog. Anthony already has more than 200,000 followers on his newly created page on X, formerly Twitter. Heavy has reached out to Anthony for an interview.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Oliver Anthony, Who Says Music Gave Him a Purpose, Revealed That ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ Was the 1st Song He Recorded With a ‘Real Microphone & a Real Camera’
On August 7, 2023, Anthony uploaded an introduction video to his YouTube channel, revealing that a radio station was going to upload his debut song the following day.
“It’s going to be the first song to get out there that’s been recorded on a real microphone and a real camera and not just on my cell phone. Lord willing, it’s going to get some traffic,” he said in the video, which had 259,000 views in four days.
He said that he had been “playing a long time” and singing, but only started writing his own music back in 2021 when “things were obviously not good for a lot of people. In some respects, I was one of those people. I had wasted a lot of nights getting high and getting drunk.”
Anthony said he had “sort of gotten to a point in my life where even things I did care about didn’t mean anything to me anymore.” He clarified that the introduction was “certainly no ‘Dr. Phil’ episode,” saying that he “found an outlet in this music.”
He started uploading about a dozen original songs off his cell phone. According to Anthony, he started getting messages from people who said the music was helping them. “It really gave me a purpose,” he indicated. Last year, he decided that “this is going to be what I do. At all costs, no matter what.”
His goal is to write and create as much “authentic music as I can,” he said.
Billboard reported that “country music singer-songwriter and outspoken conservative John Rich has offered to produce Oliver’s album.” Anthony’s song has been boosted by conservative influencers with large audiences like Joe Rogan.
Oliver Anthony – Rich Men North Of Richmond t.co/i2c0Y0bb6o via @YouTube
Rich wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “I’ve had the pleasure of a getting to know Oliver Anthony @AintGottaDollar on a couple of long phone calls and let me tell you, he’s the REAL DEAL on every level. This man is going to be a force to reckon with! A new voice for The People.”
2. Oliver Anthony Once Worked 3rd Shift in a Factory
Anthony said in the introduction video that he previously worked third-shift in a factory, 12 hours a day, “six days a week,” so he sang about selling your soul.
He now spends a lot of time on job sites, he said. He said he hears from a lot of people who “can’t just quite get ahead” no matter how hard they work.
According to Anthony, the “dollar’s not worth enough; it’s being overtaxed.”
“People are sick and tired of being sick and tired. I want to be a voice for those people,” he said, although he says he sings positive songs too.
His song, “Rich Men North of Richmond” touches on his time in North Carolina working in a factory, he said, and it “touches on human trafficking.”
He said that the last part of the song touches on suicide rates, mental health and depression, which he called “symptoms of a bigger universal problem.” He added, “As long as you’re above the dirt, you’ve got a fighting chance.”
The “Rich Men North of Richmond” song skewers politicians. “Livin’ in the new world With an old soul. These rich men north of Richmond, Lord knows they all just wanna have total control,” the lyrics say.
The song also references “minors on an island somewhere,” which many believe refers to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The song lyrics also refer to “the obese milkin’ welfare” and continues:
Well, God, if you’re 5-foot-3 and you’re 300 pounds
Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds
Young men are puttin’ themselves six feet in the ground
‘Cause all this damn country does is keep on kickin’ them down
The song lyrics continue, “‘Cause your dollar ain’t sh** and it’s taxed to no end. ‘Cause of rich men north of Richmond.”
3. Oliver Anthony, Who Is a Father, Describes His Politics as ‘Pretty Center Down the Aisle’
In his introduction video, Anthony said, “I sit pretty center down the aisle on politics and always have.”
As a kid, he remembers “conservatives wanting more and me not understanding that,” but he also remembers “controversies when the left took office.”
According to Anthony, “both sides serve the same master, and that master is not someone of any good to the people of this country.”
Anthony said he spent a long time “being an angry little agnostic punk” and he used to be angry about the concept of God.
Jason Howerton wrote on X that he had interviewed Anthony. “In the past, Oliver was struggling with mental health & coping with alcohol. In depths of despair, just about a month ago, Oliver got to his knees & broke down in tears,” he wrote. “Though he’s wasn’t a religious man, that night he promised God to get sober if he helped him follow his dream.”
He added: “Oliver was about 30 days sober when someone reached out & asked him to come record a song for his YouTube channel. That song was ‘Rich Men North of Richmond.’ Within days, the song was going VIRAL on social media.”
Howerton continued, “As Oliver told me this story, the hair on the back of my neck stood up. Goosebumps covered my body. Here is a man who broke down & surrendered everything to God & within 30 days, he became an overnight sensation with an offer from @johnrich to produce his record.”
Howerton added: “He’s a songwriter, a father, and a genuinely good human being. I’m blessed to know him.” As for his family, it’s not clear whether Anthony has a wife or girlfriend or how many kids he has.
4. Oliver Anthony Lives in Farmville, Virginia, With 3 Dogs on a Plot of Land He Wants to Turn Into a Farm
August 13th
Morris Farm Market
Currituck NC
Free Admission
Food and drinks available
1:30pm-2:30pm
Many more shows to follow. Don’t stress it if it’s a long drive for you. I’ll be coming to your town soon.
Radiowv gave some bio information on Anthony along with the “Rich Men North of Richmond” song.
“He had a whole collection of songs that I could listen to for hours. Oliver resides in Farmville, VA with his 3 dogs and a plot of land he plans on turning into a small farm to raise livestock,” the caption says.
“We have a whole mess of songs set to release of Oliver for your viewing and listening pleasure, he is truly special and notes his biggest influence as Hank Williams Jr. Oliver wants to give hope to the working class and your average hard working young man who may have lost hope in the grind of trying to get by.”
5. People Wrote, ‘Your Song Is Something Special to Me’ & ‘Keep Lifting People Up, Brother’
People filled Anthony’s YouTube channel with well-wishes.
“I’m a blue collar worker and a pastor. Your song is something special to me. I’ll be praying for you,” wrote one person on his YouTube thread.
“Your voice, song writing, and overall life message is truly something to admire. From a blue collar worker in Southern California, I’m wishing you nothing but the best in life. Keep lifting people up brother…..we all need it,” wrote another.
“I thought there wasn’t honest, sincere, and humble people out there. I heard your song on a local talk radio program in NOVA and was blown away with your song (lyrics),” another person wrote.
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