Sam Hunt? Yep, He’s A Sturgill Simpson Fan.

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Sam Hunt

Sam Hunt is a Sturgill Simpson fan now, so says Sam Hunt in a tweet he fired off on Wednesday (5-13). Apparently the rising “country” music superstar was vacationing at Weiss Lake in northeastern Alabama this week, and Sturgill Simpson was a significant part of his soundtrack. “Sun burnt, dehydrated, ready for summer, and a Sturgill Simpson fan. Successful lake trip…” Sam Hunt tweeted out Wednesday afternoon. Hunt’s hometown of Cedartown, Georgia is just over the Alabama border, and a short jaunt from Weiss Lake.

Incidentally, Wednesday the 13th is also the one year anniversary of the release of Sturgill Simpson’s Metamodern Sounds in Country Music—the record that set the Kentucky-born singer and songwriter on his meteoric rise. The album was a big hit with critics and has sold over 118,000 copies at last count. Meanwhile Sam Hunt remains the hottest commodity in country music with his last two singles peaking at #1, and his album Montevallo proving to be a perennial Top 5 since its release in October of 2014.

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Sturgill Simpson

Sam Hunt is certainly not the first mainstream country artist to show Sturgill Simpson some love. In late July of 2014, Keith Urban professed his Sturgill Simpson fandom by saying “Metamodern Sounds in Country Music would “knock your #%^∉ in the dirt – SERIOUSLY!” The Australian star was apparently turned on to Sturgill by another major label star, Jake Owen. Then in late March, Keith Urban wore a Sturgill Simpson T-shirt during a two-hour episode of American Idol. John Mayer also said he was “listening jealously” to Sturgill in January.

Here shortly, we may be talking about who Sturgill Simpson is touting instead of vice versa. Simpson recently signed to Atlantic Records and is expected to release a new Dave Cobb-produced record later this year. Meanwhile with so many major label country artists listening to his music, it will be interesting to see if it translates into influence or covers of Simpson songs in the coming years.

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