Sturgill Simpson Delivers Rare Opry Show With ‘Pretty Polly’ + More Bluegrass Standards [WATCH]
Sturgill Simpson shows are rare these days, and performances at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry are even rarer. However, Thursday evening's (May 28) Opry crowd was treated to a special bluegrass performance from the singer, who called on ace musicians such as mandolinist Sierra Hull and fiddle player Stuart Duncan during his set.
According to Rolling Stone, Simpson performed a smattering of tracks off his own 2014 album Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, but the spotlight was on standards. In keeping with his own Kentucky roots, he reached back into the bluegrass archives for the traditional murder ballad "Pretty Polly" during his show. Press play above to watch.
A rendition of the Stanley Brothers' "Sharecropper's Son" was also on the menu during the Thursday night set, as well as the old standard, "Long Journey Home." Backed by a lineup of bluegrass heavyweights, even the songs that came from Simpson's own catalogue took on a rootsier feel during the live set.
Back in January, Simpson took Nashville's Bridgestone Arena stage as part of a tribute to honor Willie Nelson. There, he performed Merle Haggard's "Red Headed Rounder" -- one of the last tracks Haggard recorded before he died.
That performance aside, tour dates from Sturgill have been relatively scarce lately. However, he recently announced that he had written a song that will be included in the upcoming film, The Dead Don't Die.
That project isn't Simpson's first foyer into the world of film. He also stars in the CBS All Access original series One Dollar. Furthermore, in early 2019, the singer revealed that he planned to step back in front of the cameras for a role in Queen & Slim, a romantic drama that follows a black couple as they face a life-threatening situation on their first date and have no choice but to go on the run. That film is set for release in November of 2019.