John Sturgill Simpson (born June 8, 1978) is an American country music singer-songwriter and actor. As of September 2019, he has released four albums as a solo artist. He released two albums independently, High Top Mountain in 2013 and Metamodern Sounds in Country Music in 2014. His second album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Americana Album, listed 18th on Rolling Stone's "50 Best Albums of 2014," and named among "NPR's 50 Favorite Albums of 2014." His third studio album, A Sailor's Guide to Earth, was released on Atlantic Records and was Simpson's first major-label release, later earning him Best Country Album at the 59th Grammy Awards while also being nominated for Album of the Year. Simpson's fourth album, Sound & Fury, was released on September 27, 2019.
Born and raised in Kentucky, Sturgill Simpson opted to first pursue a career in the military before becoming a singer-songwriter. After three years of serving in the U.S. Navy, Simpson formed a bluegrass band, Sunday Valley, to appease his love of music. He married his wife, Sarah, in 2010, and with her encouragement, the couple moved to Nashville two years later so that Simpson could become a full-time musician. Pursuing acting interests, he appeared in a television show (2018) and several feature films (2011 and 2018-2020).
