Hit Songwriter Bryan Simpson Celebrates Transcendent Debut Solo Album, “The Oldest” with an Album Release Show Tonight at The Blind Barber (4/11)
Nashville, Tenn., April 11: Black River Publishing songwriter, musician, and artist Bryan Simpson proves he is a triple threat with the release of his debut solo album, The Oldest, out now (4/5). Simpson is set to ring in the newly released project tonight (4/11) with a free album release show at Nashville's Blind Barber.
While The Oldest may be Simpson's first release under his own name, the renowned songwriter has had a hand in chart-topping tunes by Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, George Strait, Kenny Chesney, and Joe Nichols, marking his latest chart riser with Hailey Whitters' "Everything She Ain't."
Beyond his impressive songwriting abilities, Simpson has also acted as a bandleader for his genre-bending bluegrass band, Cadillac Sky, frontman of The Whistles & the Bells, and half of the shortlived but loved duo, The Golden Age.
Produced by Simpson's long-time friend and GRAMMY-winning engineer/producer Eddie Spear (Zach Bryan, Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton), The Oldest is the product of three years of artistry and dedication from Simpson and Spear.
The eleven-song project allows listeners to converse with a man deeply concerned with his own humanity, the state of the world's despair, and the collective role to simply be the arm around each other's slumped shoulders.
Simpson has an uncanny way of storytelling where he often creates unexpected characters to be the ones to teach the most valuable of lessons. Whether it is a shoplifting senior and a tipsy teenager who offers up a subtle, unconventional take on grace and understanding in the title track "The Oldest," or an Oklahoma aspiring artist who ends up finding his crowd "singing George Strait songs downtown at the Ten Gallon Cowboy gay bar" in "People Are Funny That Way," Simpson's addictive songwriting speaks for itself.
"Most of these tunes were written after a batch of considerably competitive staring contests with God. Nine times out of ten, I blinked first," shares Simpson of the project. "The Oldest stands as a record of the consistent humbling. May it serve as an antenna to help me find others sharing a similar frequency."
The Oldest Track List:
(All songs are produced by Eddie Spear)
- "Nothing At All"
- "The Oldest"
- "Wildflowers" *
- "L.A. Earthquakes"
- "Who Hurt You"
- "Brave" **
- "Get Lucky"
- "Unhappy As They Ever Were"
- "Out of Sorts"
- "End Of The World"
- "People Are Funny That Way"
All songs are written by Bryan Simpson.
*Written by Bryan Simpson, Jeff Hyde, Brent Rupard, and Anthony Olympia
**Written by Bryan Simpson and Iain Archer
With The Oldest, Bryan Simpson offers his most transcendent studio album to date, marking a significant milestone in his musical journey. A testament to his growth as an artist and his unwavering commitment to authenticity, The Oldest is available on all streaming platforms and vinyl now HERE.
For more information, please visit bryansimpsonmusic.com and follow him on socials.
ABOUT BRYAN SIMPSON
Modern American eclectic singer-songwriter Bryan Simpson is an artist whose sound unnervingly explores an evocative amalgamation of southern folk, bluegrass, classic country and indie eclecticism, with the playful swagger, relatable storytelling, and thoughtful introspection of his heroes which include John Hartford, Tom T Hall, Jeff Tweedy, and of course Bob Dylan.
The Black River Publishing songwriter's songs have netted praise from all corners: The Huffington Post wrote “Bryan’s original undertakings are reminiscent of the whimsical and whip-smart work by David Byrne and Jim James." While SeattlePi claims Simpson’s music echoes “Bowie, and Beck in the melodies, moods, and arrangements. The quest is entertaining and thought-provoking.” His genre-spanning career has included making records and touring as a singer/songwriter with luminaries as diverse as The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, bluegrass giant Ricky Skaggs, and Mumford and Sons. Since leaving his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas with only a fiddle, guitar, mandolin and a box fan to his name, Simpson has had many of his original songs recorded by country music stand outs like Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, Hailey Whitters, Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Brandy Clark, Old Dominion, Stephen Wilson Jr., with several of them ending up with a number 1 beside their name on the Billboard and Music Row charts. He has also been awarded NSAI’s prestigious award of “10 Songs I Wish I’d Written." His songs have surpossed more than 500 million streams to date.
On April 5, Simpson released his first record under his own name. The Oldest is a concise 11 songs in length, produced by Eddie Spear (Zach Bryan/Brandi Carlile), and takes Simpson’s shade tree kaleidoscopic storytelling center stage.
ABOUT BLACK RIVER PUBLISHING
Black River Publishing is home to many talented songwriters and artists and has received numerous awards and accolades in the twelve years since its inception. These accolades include 36 No. 1 songs, six of which are certified gold, ten certified platinum, six double platinum, four triple platinum, one certified six-times platinum, and two GRAMMY awards: Best Country Song with Kacey Musgraves' "Merry Go 'Round" (2013) and Best Contemporary Christian Performance/Song with for KING & COUNTRY's "God Only Knows" (2019). Black River Publishing's roster includes Black River recording artists: Pryor Baird and MaRynn Taylor; Artist-Writers: Hannah Kerr and Bryan Simpson; songwriter McCall Chapin; songwriter/producers: Dan Wilson and Jason Earley; songwriter/producer/artist Blake Ruby; and the GRAMMY-winning songwriter/producer/artist Josh Kerr. Additionally, Black River's catalogs include hit-songwriter/Black River recording artist Kelsea Ballerini; artist-writers Abby Anderson, Josh Wilson, and Anna Vaus; hit songwriters Doug Johnson, Forest Glen Whitehead, Jacob Davis, and GRAMMY-winning songwriter Josh Osborne. For more information about Black River Publishing, please visit blackriverent.com/publishing and follow them on socials.
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