Sturgill Simpson served his country, and he’ll always love the United States of America and what it stands for.
The artist also known as Johnny Blue Skies is a proud, Navy veteran. After graduating from Woodford County High School in Versailles, Kentucky, Simpson enlisted in the Navy, and during his first three years in the service, he worked in the Combat Information Center of a frigate.
Sturgill also went overseas and spent some time in Japan prior to making a career change and becoming the musician we all know him as today. He even touched on some of his experiences in the Navy in his 2016 song “Sea Stories,” which is a part of his very much beloved A Sailor’s Guide to Earth album.
And he recently gave more insight as to why he joined the Navy when he sat down with… Playboy for an interview. In it, he answered 20 questions, and one of them was about what motivated him to enlist. Here’s what he had to say:
“When I joined the Navy, my understanding was that I have to get the f*** out of this town, any way I can. I didn’t have any money. I knew I wasn’t going to college. I read all these books, and I wanted to see all these places that I didn’t know how I was going to see otherwise.
But, honestly, I love my country, man. I was a wild kid, and I might not have been the most squared-away sailor. But if it came down to it, I would have absolutely died on a shop in the middle of the ocean for the United States of America. I am a patriot.”
Salute to Stu… a patriot through and through.
Johnny Blue Skies didn’t stop there. Despite some of the anarchist energy in the new album, he went on to say that America is worth fighting for and dying for, he did suggest that the country has lost its way in certain aspects (primarily the power and influence big corporations have):
“It’s an idea, in conception, that is worth believing in and worth dying for. People all over the f***ing world are dying because they wish they could have that idea. You go other places, and you see how spoiled and entitled and fortunate and privileged we really are. You feel like this place was born for a reason, and it could be gone very easily for an even lesser reason.
Somewhere along the line, that arm of tyranny, that sword of colonial oppression, being the good guys and the world police got a little misconstrued and exploited and manipulated by arms manufacturers and petroleum companies – people making money.”
Sturgill Simpson has never been afraid to stand up against those powers through song. Ever listened to “Call to Arms?”
If you haven’t, might I suggest going out and seeing it performed live? You should probably try to see JBS and the Dark Clouds soon. He recently shared that, after this tour, they are gonna go away for a while.
Mutiny For The Masses Tour Dates
Sep 23 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
Sep 26 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
Sep 27 – St. Paul, MN – Grand Casino Arena
Sep 29 -Chicago, IL – United Center
Oct 2 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
Oct 3 – Indianapolis, IN – Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Oct 6 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
Oct 7 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena
Oct 9 – Pittsburgh, PA – Petersen Events Center
Oct 10 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
Oct 13 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Oct 15 – Philadelphia, PA – Xfinity Mobile Arena
Oct 16 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
Oct 18 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
Oct 21 – Raleigh, NC – Lenovo Center
Oct 23 – Charleston, SC – Credit One Stadium
Oct 25 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
Oct 27 – New Orleans, LA – Lakefront Arena
Oct 30 – Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena
