High Top Mountain Explained

High Top Mountain
Type:	studio
Artist:	Sturgill Simpson
Cover:	HighTopMountain.jpg
Recorded:	2012–13
Studio:	Falling Arms (Nashville, Tennessee) Hillbilly Central (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre:	Neotraditional country
Label:	High Top Mountain Loose
Producer:	Dave Cobb
Next Title:	Metamodern Sounds in Country Music
Next Year:	2014

High Top Mountain is the debut studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Sturgill Simpson. The album was produced by Dave Cobb and was released on June 11, 2013. Simpson self-funded the album.^[1] The record is named after a cemetery near Jackson, Kentucky where many of his family are buried.^[2]

Reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated High Top Mountain 3 1/2 stars out of 5, comparing its sound favorably to Waylon Jennings. Erik Ernst of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel also compared it to Jennings, saying that it had "rich vintage sounds, heartbreaking ballads and juke-joint ramblers".^[3]

Chart performance

The album did not receive much attention on its release and debuted at No. 47 on the Top Country Albums chart.^[4] It re-entered the chart after the release of Simpson's second album Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, eventually reaching No. 31 on Top Country Albums for the chart dated November 8, 2014.^[5] The album has sold 105,600 copies in the United States as of January 2017.^[6]

Personnel

Musicians and contributors

• Sturgill Simpson - vocals, acoustic guitar, Telecaster
• Hargus "Pig" Robbins - piano
• Chris Powell - drums
• Robby Turner - steel guitar, bass (tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10)
• Brian "Freedom Eagle Bear" Allen - bass (tracks 4, 6, 9, 11, 12)
• Bobby "Diamond Bob" Emmett - organ, Mellotron
• Leroy Powell - steel guitar (tracks 6, 9), backing vocals (track 6)
• Dave Cobb - 12 string electric guitar (track 7)

Technical personnel

• Produced by Dave Cobb
  • Engineered by Vance Powell Assistant Engineered by Jason Mott
• Mixed by Vance Powell at Sputnik Sound - Nashville, TN
• Mastering by Richard Dodd

Notes and References

1. Web site: Sturgill Simpson biography. Erlewine. Stephen Thomas. AllMusic. 28 September 2015.
2. Web site: Inman. Davis. Sturgill Simpson: Man Of The Hour. American Songwriter. 28 September 2015. 26 April 2013.
3. Web site: CD reviews: Jason Isbell, Alison Moyet, Walter Trout, Sturgill Simpson. 11 June 2013. . Ernst. Erik . 28 September 2015.
4. June 29, 2013. Top Country Albums. Billboard.
5. November 8, 2014. Top Country Albums. Billboard.
6. News: Bjorke. Matt. January 22, 2017. Top 10 Country Albums Chart: January 23, 2017. Roughstock.