Last year was a pretty huge one for Sturgill Simpson, whose sophomore LP Metamodern Sounds In Country Music was received by critics and cult followers as a much-needed shot in the arm for country music, landing on many end-of-year best-of lists (
including the Scene’s). Now, 2015 looks like it’s going to be an even bigger one for the singer, who confirmed via Facebook last night that he’s joined the Atlantic Records roster.
In the last week or so alone, Simpson’s been announced to appear on at least five of the nation’s biggest music festivals — Coachella, Stagecoach, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Governors Ball and Bonnaroo. He’ll also open for The Avett Brothers at Red Rocks in July. Oh, and Metamodern Sounds is currently up for Best Americana Album at the Grammys next month.
But even those aren’t the biggest developments on the horizon for the rising trad-country star.
Hats off to Saving Country Music, which reports that Simpson has signed to Warner Music Group subsidiary Atlantic Records. As the blog points out, the label quietly (or accidentally) announced the signing in a post on its website, noting all the Atlantic artists, including Simpson, slated to play Coachella 2015.
Simpson cryptically confirmed the news last night on his Facebook page, where he posted the image above. It depicts his name (in the company of legends like Otis Redding, Willie Nelson and The Rolling Stones) scrolled across an Atlantic Records label on a mock-up 45.
Hopefully you’ll be able to hold a real plate of Sturgill Simpson wax courtesy of Atlantic soon. The singer is currently in the studio (Nashville’s own Sound Emporium, to be exact) with longtime producer Dave Cobb, working on his much-anticipated (now major label) follow-up to Metamodern sounds. That album, along with its predecessor, High Top Mountain, Simpson’s debut, came out on the singer’s own High Top Mountain Records, via Nashville’s own Thirty Tigers. Go team!
