John Sturgill Simpson (born June 8, 1978) is an American country music singer-songwriter and actor. As of August 2021, he has released seven albums as a solo artist. His first two albums, "High Top Mountain" and "Metamodern Sounds in Country Music", were independently released in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The latter was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Americana Album, listed 18th on "Rolling Stone"s "50 Best Albums of 2014," and named among "NPR's 50 Favorite Albums of 2014." His third album, "A Sailor's Guide to Earth", was released on Atlantic Records and was Simpson's first major-label release, later earning him Best Country Album at the 59th Grammy Awards while also being nominated for Album of the Year. Simpson's fourth album, "Sound &amp; Fury", was released on September 27, 2019. He released two albums in 2020 - ' and ' - which feature bluegrass interpretations of songs from across his catalog, and marked his return to independent music. His seventh studio album, "The Ballad of Dood and Juanita", was released in August 2021. Simpson's style has been met with critical favor and frequent comparisons to outlaw country.