Sturgill Simpson's 'A Sailor's Guide to Earth' Debuts at #1 on Billboard Country Chart

Sturgill Simpson's widely praised new album A Sailor's Guide To Earth sells 55,000 units in its first week (with over 52,000 in pure albums sales) and debuts at #1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart, #1 on the Billboard Current Albums chart, #1 on Billboard Current Digital Albums chart and #3 on the overall Billboard 200 chart. A Sailor's Guide To Earth is also #1 on the Billboard Vinyl Albums chart with over 9,400 copies sold.

Available now on Atlantic Records (purchase here), the album continues to receive overwhelming critical acclaim-Pitchfork proclaims, "A Sailor's Guide to Earth finds Sturgill Simpson weirder and more adventurous than ever, forging a bold new way forward" and goes on to assert, ""It's a deeply personal album that, while establishing Simpson as the defining songwriter of his class, displays an artistic growth that defies any sort of easy label." Additionally, Rolling Stone awarded the album 4-stars calling it, "a spectacular mic drop of a third LP," while The New York Times praises, "Sailor's Guide is rowdier, more emotionally insular and also far more musically surprising, an album of raw country cut with rich and messy Southern soul and sleek orchestral bombast" and Esquire Magazine declares, "It's hard to believe any other record this year will raise as many eyebrows, invite as many questions, or be as instantly beloved." Moreover, NPR Music describes "Brace For Impact (Live A Little)," as "thrilling new music," while Stereogum calls "In Bloom," "transcendent...Simpson turned 'In Bloom' into first a weepy, twangy ballad and then a celebratory blast of brass, his drawl doing justice to Cobain's lyrics all the while."

In celebration of the release, Simpson and his band will tour throughout 2016 including two shows at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium on October 28 and 29, which recently sold- in less than thirty minutes. Other dates include upcoming sold-out shows at Austin's Moody Theater (two nights), Dallas' The Bomb Factory, Houston's White Oak Music Hall, Lexington's Lexington Opera House (two nights), Chattanooga's Tivoli Theater, Knoxville's Tennessee Theater, Indianapolis' Egyptian Room, Louisville's Louisville Palace, Chicago's Riviera Theatre and Minneapolis' First Avenue. An extremely limited amount of tickets remain for the rest of the shows on this leg of the tour. See below for complete details.

Last week, Simpson performed "Brace For Impact (Live A Little)" on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" as well as "In Bloom" and "Call To Arms" on "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah." Moreover, Simpson and his band recently performed the new album-from beginning to end-for KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic. Recorded at L.A.'s legendary Apogee Studios, the complete performance can now be viewed/heard here.

Produced by Simpson, A Sailor's Guide To Earth was written-beginning to end-as a letter to his first child, who arrived during the summer of 2014.

Recorded primarily at Nashville's The Butcher Shoppe, Simpson was joined in the studio by Grammy Award-winning engineer David Ferguson (Johnny Cash, John Prine, "Cowboy" Jack Clement) and assistant engineer Sean Sullivan. Along with members of his touring band, the album features Dave Roe on bass, Dan Dugmore on steel guitar, Dougie Wilkinson on bagpipes, Garo Yellin and Arthur Cook on cello, Jonathan Dinklage and Whitney LaGrange on violin and special guests The Dap-Kings.

A Sailor's Guide To Earth is Simpson's third full-length album and follows his breakthrough, Grammy-nominated 2014 release, Metamodern Sounds In Country Music. Beloved by critics and fans, the record was featured on year-end "best of" lists from The New York Times, Rolling Stone, the Village Voices' Pazz and Jop, Rolling Stone Country, NPR Music, American Songwriter, Stereogum, the Los Angeles Times, KCRW, Pitchfork, The Washington Post and many others.

A SAILOR'S GUIDE TO EARTH TRACK LIST

1. Welcome to Earth (Pollywog)

2. Breakers Roar

3. Keep It Between The Lines

4. Sea Stories

5. In Bloom

6. Brace For Impact (Live A Little)

7. All Around You

8. Oh Sarah

9. Call To Arms

STURGILL SIMPSON TOUR DATES

May 5-Austin, TX-Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater (SOLD OUT)

May 6-Austin, TX-Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater (SOLD OUT)

May 7-Dallas, TX-The Bomb Factory (SOLD OUT)

May 10-Houston, TX-White Oak Music Hall (SOLD OUT)

May 11-Oklahoma City, OK-Criterion Theater (Tickets)

May 16-Lexington, KY-Lexington Opera House (SOLD OUT)

May 17-Lexington, KY- Lexington Opera House (SOLD OUT)

May 18-Chattanooga, TN-Tivoli Theater (SOLD OUT)

May 20-Knoxville, TN-Tennessee Theater (SOLD OUT)

May 21-Indianapolis, IN-Egyptian Room - Old National Centre (SOLD OUT)

May 22-Louisville, KY-Louisville Palace (SOLD OUT)

June 2-Royal Oak, MI-Royal Oak Theatre (Tickets)

June 3-Chicago, IL-Riviera Theatre (SOLD OUT)

June 4-Milwaukee, WI-Riverside Theater (Tickets)

June 5-Minneapolis, MN-First Avenue (SOLD OUT)

October 28-Nashville, TN-Ryman Auditorium (SOLD OUT)

October 29-Nashville, TN-Ryman Auditorium (SOLD OUT)

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