''High Top Mountain'' is the debut studio album by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer-songwriter

Sturgill Simpson John Sturgill Simpson (born June 8, 1978) is an American country music singer-songwriter and actor. As of February 2022, he has released seven albums as a solo artist. His first two albums, '' High Top Mountain'' and '' Metamodern Sounds in Cou ...

. The album was produced by Dave Cobb and was released on June 11, 2013. Simpson self-funded the album. The record is named after a cemetery near Jackson, Kentucky where many of his family are buried.

Reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

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".

Track listing

Chart performance

The album did not receive much attention on its release and debuted at No. 47 on the Top Country Albums chart. 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. The album has sold 105,600 copies in the United States as of January 2017.

Personnel

Musicians and contributors

*Sturgill Simpson - vocals, acoustic guitar, Telecaster * Hargus "Pig" Robbins - piano *Chris Powell - drums *

Robby Turner Robby Turner is an American pedal steel guitarist, best known for his work with Waylon Jennings and his contributions to recordings by many other artists. Biography Early years Turner grew up in a musical family; his parents Doyle and Bernice ...

- 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 Richard Dodd (born April 25, 1965) is an English cellist, recording artist and musician. He has appeared on numerous records beginning from The Three O'Clock's Album Sixteen Tambourines, and spanning different musical genres in Pop, with acts l ...

References

{{Authority control Sturgill Simpson albums 2013 debut albums Albums produced by Dave Cobb Loose Music albums