A Sturgill Simpson song by any other name would sound just as sweet. While it’s not exactly Shakespeare, that’s what fans of the quasi-retired country singer-songwriter are saying after he contributed a song to the new season of HBO‘s The Righteous Gemstones, albeit under a different name.
During this past Sunday’s episode of the Danny McBride-helmed dark comedy about Southern megachurch preachers, Simpson—who plays militiaman Brother Marshall throughout the series—covers Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers Band‘s “All the Gold in California”. Following the episode’s premiere, a recording of “All the Gold in California” attributed to Brother Marshall & The Choir of Fire appeared on streaming services.
Brother Marshall And The Choir Of Fire – “All The Gold In California” (Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers Band)
This development comes two years after Simpson released his fifth and allegedly final solo album, The Ballad of Dood and Juanita. Throughout his meteoric rise to becoming a poster boy for the alt-country movement, Simpson was steadfast in his assertion that he would only release five albums under his own name. Since The Ballad of Dood and Juanita, he has held true to that assertion. However, that hasn’t stopped him from collaborating with other artists, including Angel Olsen on a “Big Time” duet last year and a track with DJ-turned-country-lover Diplo, “Use Me (Brutal Hearts)”, or evidently releasing music under somebody else’s name.
There is, of course, plenty of precedent for artists releasing music under other names. See Prince‘s female alter-ego Camille, rapper MF Doom‘s myriad personalities and projects, Damon Albarn becoming an entire band of 2D rockers (including 2D himself), and—perhaps the most applicable in this situation—Garth Brooks becoming the fictional character Chris Gaines for the soundtrack to the 1999 film, The Lamb.
So, is this new Sturgill Simpson music? Technically, no. He didn’t write it, and he didn’t put his name on it. But it’s as close as we’ve gotten in some time. For now, it appears that Simpson is content with pursuing minor acting roles. In addition to a recurring part in The Righteous Gemstones, he also has a bit part in Martin Scorsese‘s upcoming historical blockbuster Killers of the Flower Moon alongside fellow alt-country star Jason Isbell and garage rocker Jack White. Hopefully, there’s some campfire singing between the trio of Nashville heavy hitters somewhere in Scorsese’s three-and-a-half-hour epic.