Sturgill Simpson is back with a new name, new album, and new tour – one that will make a stop in Mississippi.
The Kentucky-born country artist who occasionally offers a psychedelic twist announced on Wednesday that he will now be going by Johnny Blue Skies after previously vowing to only release five albums under his birthname.
Johnny Blue Skies’ first album, Passage Du Desire, will be released on July 12 under Simpson’s independent label, High Top Mountain Records. Passage Du Desire, which will feature eight songs, is Simpson’s first album since the 2021 release of The Ballad of Dood & Juanita. It’s worth noting that Simpson tested out the Johnny Blue Skies moniker last year on a song with Diplo and Dove Cameron, “Use Me (Brutal Hearts).”
An accompanying tour will kick off on Aug. 11 in San Francisco before finding its way to Mississippi on Oct. 4 at the Brandon Amphitheater. The 30-stop Why Not? Tour will wrap up at Fenway Park in Boston on Nov. 23. Tickets for the Brandon show go on sale on Friday, June 14 at 10 a.m. CT.
🛸 JUST ANNOUNCED! 🛸
Sturgill Simpson’s Why Not? Tour, coming to Brandon Amphitheater on Friday, October 4. Register for first access to tickets at https://t.co/hUqky946d4!
🎟️ Public Onsale: Friday, 6/14 at 10am pic.twitter.com/FBpPLJDKB1
— Brandon Amphitheater (@BrandonAmpMS) June 5, 2024
Last month, Simpson reissued a tenth-anniversary release of his Gammy-nominated and landmark album, Metamodern Sounds in Country Music. Other than that, the singer-songwriter has been mostly absent from the music landscape – that is until now.
