by
Mary Spearman
One of my first jobs was selling records, tapes, and compact discs in a small town record store in the great decade of the 1980s. I worked for Poco Records, a small town locally owned record store for about three years. I even stayed on after high school and managed a new store they opened in Seneca, S.C. That job taught me a lot about music and business. When you run a small business, you have to know how to sell, manage inventory and keep up with the money. I did all of this before computers were widely used in small businesses. Keeping up with the inventory involved an index card system with lots of tally marks. That system was pure genius and something I could do today in my sleep. Life was simpler back then, in some ways.
We listened to all kinds of music on the Fisher High-Fi systems throughout the store that we sold. Even in the 80s, I remember selling Stereo systems for thousands of dollars. We were known for loud music and would put a stereo on the sidewalk to lure in music lovers of all genres. Whatever was popular we played it and played it loud! There was always a buzz in the store when new releases were dropped. Regulars dropping by to pick something up and listen to the latest cuts. I almost feel sorry for kids today, their music is piped right into their eardrums through earbuds.There is no discussion, no buzz. Listening to music is not commonly shared unless you attend an in person concert and even then, there is little discussion, just dancing, drinking and singing along.
Recently, a new release by Oliver Anthony has united lots of listeners in a unique way. Rich Men North of Richmond went to number one right out of the gate on the Billboard Hot 100. It went viral. It has stayed number one for a second week. The lyrics have tapped into a feeling and a mood that is shared by so many today. As an educator for the past seventeen years, I have taught students how to write simple poems in elementary school. Many of them would write great creative poems. I always knew the importance of the arts in education, but that song is proof positive. When people think creatively, the best or the truth comes out. As a teacher, I stressed over all the tests we were required to give students. These tests measure skills and growth and then we have to implement measures or special instruction to teach where skills are weak. We spend so much time testing students and trying to figure out what they know, we don’t often stop and listen to see what they can create, which is the true measure of an educated person.
On his Facebook page, Oliver Anthony introduces himself:
“My legal name is Christopher Anthony Lunsford. My grandfather was Oliver Anthony, and “Oliver Anthony Music” is a dedication not only to him, but 1930’s Appalachia where he was born and raised. Dirt floors, seven kids, hard times. At this point, I’ll gladly go by Oliver because everyone knows me as such. But my friends and family still call me Chris. You can decide for yourself, either is fine. In 2010, I dropped out of high school at age 17. I have a GED from Spruce Pine, NC. I worked multiple plant jobs in Western NC, my last being at the paper mill in McDowell county. I worked 3rd shift, 6 days a week for $14.50 an hour in a living hell. In 2013, I had a bad fall at work and fractured my skull. It forced me to move back home to Virginia. Due to complications from the injury, it took me 6 months or so before I could work again. From 2014 until just a few days ago, I’ve worked outside sales in the industrial manufacturing world. My job has taken me all over Virginia and into the Carolinas, getting to know tens of thousands of other blue collar workers on job sites and in factories. I’ve spent all day, everyday, for the last 10 years hearing the same story. People are SO damn tired of being neglected, divided and manipulated. In 2019, I paid $97,500 for the property and still owe about $60,000 on it. I am living in a 27′ camper with a tarp on the roof that I got off of craigslist for $750. There’s nothing special about me. I’m not a good musician, I’m not a very good person. I’ve spent the last 5 years struggling with mental health and using alcohol to drown it. I am sad to see the world in the state it’s in, with everyone fighting with each other. I have spent many nights feeling hopeless, that the greatest country on Earth is quickly fading away.”
Wow, when I read the above statement by Oliver Anthony I realized that he had so much talent and it must have been missed or not tapped into at a young age. He has been through a lot of hardships, and writing about it, making music, is how he creatively expresses his feelings. To Oliver Anthony I say, there is plenty special about you! You are a deep thinker and we need those today more than ever.
In regards to Oliver Anthony, there is so much buzz on social media about his song and his music. One of the things I noticed right away was that people would make videos of themselves listening and reacting to the music and agreeing with the meaning of the song. I have been on social media for a long time, but I didn’t realize that people did this so much. Then I saw a video posted by a rapper named Dax. He has created a remix of the song, where he answers or adds to Oliver Anthony’s song and calls for Americans to unite against the oppression created by the conditions Anthony speaks of in his song. Dax, in his remix, also shows disgust for the education system that is overly taxed with computer learning, something I learned as a teacher was creating some learning issues for younger learners a few years ago. So, in my classroom, I would try to limit computer use to a minimum and always have what I called hands-on learning for students, but we did need computers for some tasks such as taking tests. I tried to show students how to be creative with computers, not just absorb content all day long. It was a balancing act.
There is so much I could say about what Dax says in his remix, but back to my original thought. Dax and others are doing what we did in the record store all those years ago. They are talking about the art of Oliver’s music in a way that is positive and inspiring. Oliver Anthony has created a work of art. He didn’t need a higher degree. He has taken his life experiences and looked around at the condition of the world and responded. That is what artists do. I think Oliver Anthony has a big career ahead of him. I hope he stays true to his art, and doesn’t get overwhelmed. His song resonates and has sparked a conversation where even on the Presidential debate stage his video was shown and discussed. Although Anthony would point out that they didn’t understand he wrote that song about them as well. Oliver Anthony doesn’t cut the Democrats or Republicans any slack. Anthony doesn’t see himself as on one side or the other of the political spectrum. He is just talking about the everyday challenges of the common man, which is something that has been created by the Rich Men North of Richmond.
Rich Men North of Richmond Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqSA-SY5Hro.
Dax Remix https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYXgxhyAiwk.
Billboard chart https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/.
Oliver Anthony Music website https://oliveranthonymusic.com/.
