Check ’em out. At this point in his career, Sturgill Simpson has reached God-like status in country music. Arguably being the forefather of the independent/alternative country renaissance, along with the likes of Tyler Childers, Cody Jinks and more, the Kentucky native has probably influenced your favorite artist in some capacity or another in the past decade. The “Long White Line” singer, for lack of a better term, has nearly gone in every direction possible. Delivering an atmospheric journey on the Grammy-winning A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, a full-blown rock adventure in SOUND & FURY, a bluegrass double album on Cuttin’ Grass, the narrative-driven concept record, The Ballad of Dood & Jaunita, and finally being rebirthed as Johnny Blue Skies on Passage Du Desir and his latest album, the dance and protest-inspired Mutiny After Midnight. Of course, this doesn’t even mention his first two albums, High Top Mountain and Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, which are all but standards in the genre at this point. Thanks to the buzzy release of Mutiny After Midnight back in March, which was highlighted by Simpson himself “leaking” the album on YouTube before releasing the album on physical media (vinyl, CDs, cassettes) only, he’s arguably the most popular he’s ever been right now. Not only did Mutiny After Midnight debut at #3 on the all-genre Billboard 200 without being released to streaming services, but Simpson also readied an arena tour (the largest venue-wise of his career thus far) behind the record, aptly titled Mutiny For The Masses. Given how eclectic the Kentucky native’s discography is from release-to-release, essentially going in every direction humanly possible outside of rap and metal, constructing an artist-recommendation list is about as hard as possible for the Grammy winner. With that being said, I’ll essentially be making recommendations from album-to-album here, depending on which era of Stu is your favorite. Without further ado, here are 10 artists to check out if you love Sturgill Simpson. 1. Charles Wesley Godwin If you love loved Simpson’s gritty, early records, look no further than Charles Wesley Godwin. Hailing from Morgantown, West Virginia, Godwin’s vocals sound like they were born to be echoed in the beautiful mountains of Appalachia. Though it’s hard to ignore his wholly unique vocals, it’s his writing ability, similar to Childers’, that is one of Godwin’s defining characteristics. From murder ballads such as “Cranes Of Potter” and “Blood Feud” to gorgeous tributes to his family on “Gabriel,” “Dance in the Rain” and “It’s The Little Things,” there’s truly not a song the West Virginian can’t write. Of course, these stellar songs are all backed by some killer production that draw upon traditional country, Appalachian folk and Americana stylings. If you were a fan of the sound of early records like High Top Mountain and the narrative-focused nature of The Ballad of Dood & Jaunita, give Godwin’s 2021 record, How The Mighty Fall, a spin. Key Tracks: “Hardwood Floors,” “Strawberry Queen,” “Cranes Of Potter” 2. Colby Acuff Undoubtedly one of the most underrated artists in the genre today, Colby Acuff has been nothing short of a musical powerhouse since his debut in 2020. Releasing an album each and every year since then, the “If I Were the Devil” singer has somehow just gotten better with time. Though Acuff operated predominantly in a rootsy, Americana-inspired sound, his latest release last month, HANDMADE HORSEPOWER, took direct inspiration from Simpson. In turn, he dropped a gritty, rockin’ project that served as a giant middle finger to the current state of the music industry — something the “Make America Fuk Again” singer has been doing at nearly every turn throughout his career. Like Godwin, if you’re a fan of Sturgill’s early records, give HANDMADE HORSEPOWER a listen then work your way backwards in Acuff’s discography. Key Tracks: “Cherokee Rose,” “If I Were the Devil,” “LONG WAY FROM THE BOTTOM” 3. Shane Smith & the Saints As time passes, it’s become increasingly clear that Shane Smith & the Saints are the most underrated bands not only in the Red Dirt scene but in music in general. Backed by their patented blend of southern rock, stylings from Appalachian country and even some Cajun influences, the Texas band scored early hits with the likes of “All I See Is You,” “Dance the Night Away” and “Lord Bury Me in Texas.” Over the past decade, it’s been easy to see that they’ve just gotten better with age. The sound has remained nearly the same, in the best way possible, of course. However, frontman Shane Smith’s voice has simply improved with every subsequent release. In particular, last year’s stellar record, Norther, portrayed this the best, showcasing a more mature, raspy vocal performance from the frontman. Feeling somewhere between late-career Johnny Cash and fellow alt. country star, Charles Wesley Godwin, he’s proven he has one of the most dynamic voices in the genre. Like Sturgill, Smith and Co. have continuously blurred the lines between multiple genres while simultaneously keeping stellar songwriting at the forefront. Additionally, you can find tracks similar to just about every entry in the Kentucky native’s discography — sans Mutiny After Midnight.  Key Tracks: “Fire in the Sky,” “Coast,” “We Were Something” 4. 49 Winchester Between the combination of their perfect blend of southern rock and country, their tight live band and world-class vocals from frontman, Isaac Gibson, it’s become more and more apparent every year that the Virginia group is becoming one of the most overlooked bands in the genre today. Though they debuted back in 2014 with their self-titled album, 49 Winchester has recently caught fire over the past five years with stellar ballads like “Everlasting Lover,” “Anchor” and “Hays, Kansas.” Like Simpson, 49 have flexed their versatility quite a bit as of late. This was put on full display recently with their killer cover of Black Sabbath’s “Changes,” which appeared on their most recent album, Change of Plans. Given 49’s blend of southern rock and country, you’ll most likely be a fan of the Virginia band regardless of which era of Sturgill you prefer. Key Tracks: “Anchor,” “Everlasting Lover,” “Fast Asleep” 5. Sierra Ferrell Despite sweeping all her categories at the 2025 Grammy Awards, taking home four trophies for the likes of Trail of Flowers, “American Dreaming” and “Lighthouse,” it still feels like the fellow Appalachian flies under the radar of many these days. Thanks to her success at both the Grammys and the Americana Awards, the West Virginia native has become a torchbearer for Americana over the past few years. Beyond her incredible music output that flawlessly blends elements of country, folk, bluegrass, Americana and even jazz, her crossover into the mainstream has pushed both her and the genre into the public eye. Notably, she’s appeared on a plethora of different mainstream artists’ albums, including Zach Bryan’s 2023 self-titled album on “Holy Roller,” Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion on “Never Love You Again” and even on Shaboozey’s Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going on “Hail Mary.” If you loved Stu’s venture into bluegrass on the Cuttin’ Grass series, Ferrell is nothing short of a must-listen. Key Tracks: “Lighthouse,” “In Dreams,” “Fox Hunt” 6. Stephen Wilson Jr. Though casual country fans were most likely introduced to him during his stunning cover of “Stand By Me” at the 2025 CMA Awards, many fans of the independent scene have been quite familiar with Stephen Wilson Jr. over the past few years. After delivering his stellar debut on his bon aqua EP, featuring the likes of “American Gothic” and “Year to Be Young 1994,” in June of 2023, Wilson Jr. made himself known in a big way just six months later with his mammoth, 22-track debut album, Søn of Dad. Simply put, the album was nothing short of a stunner, mixing elements of country, grunge, gothic folk, rock and more. It seems a bit lazy to describe an album as one that truly doesn’t sound like anything out there today, but Søn of Dad is just that. Bringing out elements of all the aforementioned genres and subgenres, the Indiana native delivered something truly unique, packing the album full of incredible tracks such as “I’m A Song,” “Grief is Only Love,” “Billy,” the title track and more. Like Simpson, Wilson Jr. effortlessly blends a plethora of different influences and has quickly become one of the most exciting new voices in the genre. Similar to Shane Smith & the Saints and 49 Winchester, there’s a lot to love from the scientist-turned-country-star, regardless of which era of Stu is your favorite. Key Tracks: “I’m A Song,” “the devil,” “Year to Be Young 1994” 7. American Aquarium In an era filled with some of the most talented bands in the genre’s history, American Aquarium has remained one of the most underrated. For two decades now, the band’s catalog has served as a diary for frontman B.J. Barham, documenting each stage in his life and the sentiments he’s carried with an honesty and attention to detail that has made him one of the most important songwriters in country-adjacent music. Pick any record, and you’ll get a real snapshot of what Barham was experiencing at that point in time. Like Simpson, Barham and Co. aren’t afraid to go wherever they want to in terms of sonic styles and lyrical content, oftentimes on themes of politics, addiction, sobriety, grief and then some. Given that their latest release, New Ways to Lose, is arguably their best to date, I’d start there, then visit their 2012 flagship record, Burn.Flicker.Die. Key Tracks: “Losing Side of Twenty-Five,” “Favorite Hello” “Burn Flicker. Die.” 8. Ian Noe There was a time when it felt like Ian Noe was going to be the next big thing flying out of the alternative country scene. This was thanks to his phenomenal debut album, Between the Country, back in 2019. Since then, however, he’s only released one album, River Fools & Mountain Saints. With that being said, despite the lack of consistent releases over the years, Noe has remained one of the premier storytellers in the genre. If you’re a fan of narrative songs, the Kentucky native is absolutely the artist for you. Beyond his signature track, “Letter to Madeline,” which deserves all the flowers it has gained in the alt. country community over the years, he has a plethora of other tracks such as “Burning Down the Prarie,” “Dead on the River (Rolling Down)” and “Meth Head,” all of which showcase his knack for narrative storytelling. Given how stripped-back and raw his production is and how narrative-driven a lot of his songs are, his style is much more in line with Simpson’s early work. Key Tracks: “Letter to Madeline,” “Meth Head,” “Burning Down the Prairie” 9. Cody Jinks Cody Jinks is a lot of things. One part metalhead, one part Texas troubadour, the “Loud and Heavy” singer has both the depth and versatility few artists can ever dream of. Touching on themes of fatherhood, sobriety and his outlaw nature, Jinks has established himself as one of the premier artists in the country-rock scene. Though he may not have reached the heights, popularity-wise, as his contemporaries, there’s no denying that the Jinks is one of the forefathers of today’s independent country renaissance we’ve experienced the last decade, up there with Simpson himself. Key Tracks: “David,” “Hippies and Cowboys,” “Somewhere Between I Love You and I’m Leavin’” 10. Whiskey Myers It should go without saying that Whiskey Myers has been one of the forefathers of this modern southern rock renaissance we’ve seen pop up over the past few years, beginning all the way back in 2011 with their debut album, Firewater, which features their smash hit, “Broken Window Serenade” as well as other career staples such as “Ballad Of A Southern Man” and “Virginia.” Over the years, they’ve cemented themselves as one of the quintessential country-rock bands of this era with stellar records such as 2016’s Mud, their 2019 self-titled album and, most recently, 2025’s heavy-hitting Whomp Whack Thunder. Of course, this is thanks to frontman Cody Cannon’s incredible vocals and the band’s rock-first sound. Like Simpson, the East Texas band has been branching out sonically quite a bit since their debut in 2011. While they always leaned more towards southern rock, they expanded quite a bit recently with the aforementioned Whomp Whack Thunder. If you like Kentucky native’s harder, rock-leaning outings on something like SOUND & FURY, you’ll love Whiskey Myers. Key Tracks: “Broken Window Serenade,” “Stone,” “Break These Chains” The post 10 Artists You MUST Check Out If You Love Sturgill Simpson first appeared on Whiskey Riff.