Sturgill Simpson Confirms Vocal Chord Rupture & Hemorrhage
It appears Sturgill Simpson will not be singing or returning to the stage for quite a while. After first losing his voice on September 19th right before a show at the PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte, NC as part of the Willie Nelson-led Outlaw Festival, Sturgill Simpson subsequently cancelled a string of shows, telling fans he couldn’t sing, and hoping it was nothing serious. Now we know that unfortunately it is.
“Turns out I did in fact unfortunately hemorrhage / rupture my vocal chords after all. I am currently getting the best treatment available and should fully recover, but its gonna be a long hot minute before I can return to stage,” Sturgill said in an Instagram post late Wednesday night (9/29), accompanied by a videostroboscopy image of a classic ruptured vocal chord.
The vocal issue forced Sturgill to call off appearances on September 22nd in Alpharetta, GA, and September 24th in Columbia, MD, both part of Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Fest. He also cancelled his appearance at 2021’s Farm Aid in Hartford, CT on September 25th. Tyler Childers filled in on the later Outlaw Fest dates.
Then as Sturgill’s voice issue did not improve, he was forced to cancel a high anticipated five-night residency at Webster Hall in New York September 28th to October 2nd, as well as a three-night run at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville November 18th to 20th.
Vocal chords are made up of multi-layer folds of flesh that contain very fine blood vessels. Sometimes when the voice is used to forcefully or too often, the delicate blood vessels in the vocal cord burst open, and leak blood into the vocal cord. Sometimes surgery is necessary, and sometimes extended vocal rest can heal the injury naturally.
“I just wanted to turn this thing back on for about 15 seconds to say I’m sorry to everyone that had tickets to the remaining shows and to thank everyone that has supported me over the years,” Sturgill Simpson said on Instagram, which he posts on and then deletes afterwards. “It’s been an incredibly fun, rewarding, and educational journey. I played all the venues I dreamed about playing as a kid, met all my heroes, even became friends with most of them, and got to work and play with some of the finest musicians on the planet over the years.”
Sturgill took a reflective note in his missive, and has confirmed that his most recent album The Ballad of Dood & Juanita would be his final solo album after a five-album career. But it’s unlikely Sturgill Simpson will stay away forever, either in the studio or on the stage. He’s implied that at some point he will start a band, as well as continue his duties as a producer. And perhaps, he might also delve into other extra curricular activities.
“Now I can finally really focus on other pursuits and areas of passionate interest..like becoming the best hitman I can be.”
September 29, 2021 @ 8:58 pm
Well damn. This makes me think of Bob Dylan’s “motorcycle accident” and how it resulted in him taking an extended break from touring for several years. Only got to see Sturgill once during the ASGTE tour. Here’s hoping for a healthy recovery and that he’ll tour again in a couple of years.
September 29, 2021 @ 10:30 pm
He could just play guitar in his bluegrass band. There’s some cool licks on the bluegrass albums.
Singing is overrated
September 30, 2021 @ 6:12 am
Sturgill is a heck of a picker. Love watching his solo acoustic performances on YouTube. Glad I got to see him and Tyler in Atlanta right before Covid times.
September 30, 2021 @ 3:26 am
Perfect time to retire like he claimed he would anyways.
September 30, 2021 @ 7:32 am
Yup. That 6th paragraph sure makes it seem like he’s done done.
September 30, 2021 @ 8:06 am
Sturgill loves to play up the idea that he may never record/play/sing again. I remember when he announced his retirement from the stage in Kentucky shortly before “Metamodern” came out. He likes to keep us all on our toes. He’ll be back. These injuries can be serious, but they’re almost always recoverable.
September 30, 2021 @ 10:36 am
Agreed. Just the way in which he switched up his sound & aesthetic from album to album tells us that he has more ideas, in the realm of music, than simply bringing a 5-album concept to completion.
September 30, 2021 @ 4:28 pm
He’s full of shit
October 4, 2021 @ 10:15 am
This is honestly one of the things I love most about him.
September 30, 2021 @ 5:57 am
Big set back. I am sure he was pumped about touring. Hopefully, he will fully recover and in the mean time work with some other artist. He is a good producer.
September 30, 2021 @ 6:44 am
Take all the time you need praying for you and yours. Love your stuff from the heart and at the end of the day isn’t thats what it’s all about. From E,Tennessee. But live in Gackle,ND. And here I Am King of Shit mountain. If yall only new… God Bless Hank Marcum
September 30, 2021 @ 6:58 am
Looking forward to Childers and Isbell working to fill the role of “sanctimonious, condescending country artist who hates any of his fans that aren’t 16 year old girls but tatkes their money anyway,” left in Simpson’s absence.
That said, The Ballad of Dood and Juanita was pretty damned good.
September 30, 2021 @ 8:08 am
As opposed to cattily acting like an aggrieved 16-year old girl like you’re doing here? If you’re so triggered by a musician believing something different than you that you have to attack them in a post about ruptured vocal chords, perhaps turn off whatever white grievance news channel you watch and disconnect for a bit.
September 30, 2021 @ 11:15 am
I don’t care that people believe differently than I do because I’m an adult. I expect most country artists are just like every other entertainer: a mindless consumer and regurgitator of boilerplate progressive pablum and platitudes. I just don’t go to concerts to get preached to.
Simpson can believe whatever distorted garbage he wants, he just doesn’t get to wander into a venue in the the deep south and take umbrage with the fact that aside from gen z white girls who discovered him while googling John Green novels, most of his audience doesn’t think like he does – and then have the audacity to disgustedly call them “fucking rednecks.”
September 30, 2021 @ 11:49 am
What in God’s name are you going on about?
When did any of that happen, and on what planet?
September 30, 2021 @ 5:46 pm
Sounds like you’re more upset with the message being preached than the preaching itself. If he believed what you believe, you wouldn’t have one single issue.
But he doesn’t, so here you are claiming moral superiority and stereotyping a crowd that you’d like to hope believes what you do because of the part of the country the show was in. Plenty of progressives in the South, they decided the presidency and the Senate.
October 1, 2021 @ 6:15 am
Assuming those votes were real. But it is a common notion in the South for people to betray their states. See the Tories during the American Revolution.
Too many transplanted Yankees ruining everything.
October 5, 2021 @ 4:09 am
(Says the Yankee cosplaying as a Lost Causer, so he can blame his inability to get a date on “muh beliefs.”)
October 2, 2021 @ 5:40 pm
I agree with your comment. I had money saved up to get tickets to see him, then after hearing him on you tube bashing the very administration that was restoring economic freedom and getting everyone back to work made me miss Merle Haggard more than ever. These artists have no clue how blessed they are not just with their talent, but with the people who actually give their own hard earned dollars to support them… but not me anymore.
October 4, 2021 @ 10:20 am
Tell me you’ve paid attention to a Sturgill audience or been to a concert without telling me.
Sturgill’s audience is pretty evenly split between an NPR crowd and a redneck crowd.
I personally fall in the middle of that Venn Diagram by wearing boots and drinking Coors while listening to All Things Considered.
September 30, 2021 @ 11:35 am
“White grievance news”? Seek help.
September 30, 2021 @ 8:56 am
I don’t get it.
September 30, 2021 @ 7:08 am
Civil War medicine will fix him up. Like they did, amputate everything!
September 30, 2021 @ 7:13 am
shit happens. hope for a speed recovery.
September 30, 2021 @ 8:38 am
It’s all fun and games until he disappears from the limelight for two decades before being arrested in a high-profile takedown and its revealed he actually did become a hitman.
September 30, 2021 @ 8:55 am
He has been called in for a secret operation and mission.
September 30, 2021 @ 10:08 am
Say, that’s oddly specific…
September 30, 2021 @ 11:33 am
He sounded great at Merlefest… hope he has a full recovery
September 30, 2021 @ 7:29 pm
Can’t stand him. However, I hate to see this as it is his main livelihood, his tool of vocation. That should make anyone sad. Hopefully this will not dictate his career going forward.
September 30, 2021 @ 9:16 pm
May-day!!! May-day!!! Man down! Better pick it up. It’s all on you now Childers!!! Believe that.
October 1, 2021 @ 5:17 am
Hope he doesn’t pull a ‘Willis Alan Ramsey’
October 1, 2021 @ 1:07 pm
Welp, at least we can all look forward to a tag team with Bret Hart
October 2, 2021 @ 5:25 pm
His voice is the best since Haggard. But he was unabashedly out spoken, ugly and vile about Trump and people who voted for him. He was inexcusable in the manner how he trashed the previous years that this country knew economic freedom and safety.
I wonder how great he thinks our country is now with the Taliban at the helm, inflation, gas prices & food sky rocket ing… I think his vile spewing infected his own throat????Sorry dude, but your own hatred may be your down fall…you insulted a large portion of your fan base that works hard to save money to see you in concert, but no more from this fan. But I hope you heal… and not just your throat.
October 3, 2021 @ 7:22 pm
I’ve been reading articles on SCM for a couple years now. Rarely do I venture to the comment section. Any chance SCM can delete off topic political posts (feel free to delete mine too)? It’s really unsettling that some people have to turn everything into politics. I get it, you don’t like anyone with a different viewpoint. Are you sure you wouldn’t be happier reading about FGL or an article about the most patriotic country artists? Pretty sure Taste of Country has you covered. Toodles…
October 3, 2021 @ 7:40 pm
Believe it or not, there have been comments deleted on this thread and others for being completely off topic, and nothing more than political tangents. I have requested on numerous occasions folks respect these comments sections and avoid divisive subjects, but they just blow right through the stop sign, determined to get their licks in, completely disrespecting my wishes and requests. That said, I also absolutely hate to delete or edit comments, and sometimes, if not often, it makes the situation worse, because commenters only see their comments being deleted, not the others, so they think they’re being singled out. It is really up to everyone to respect this is a music website, and to try and respect everyone’s values and viewpoints.
October 4, 2021 @ 12:10 pm
What a bitch. I could see if he was singing metal, yelling, holding notes, etc. I mean Adele did it a few years back..but she goes at it..pretty hard.
Sturgill sings country music.
It’s not like ‘Oh Sarah’ or ‘Long White Line’ is exactly opera….
October 4, 2021 @ 12:21 pm
Sturgill Simpson has a tear in his vocal chord. He shared the image of it. I’m not sure how that makes him a “bitch.” Is he just supposed to sing through it and potentially make it worse until he loses the thing he makes a living with?
Totally understand Sturgill Simpson is not for everyone. But to use an injury to tee off on the dude seems quite callous.
October 4, 2021 @ 1:19 pm
All I’m saying is that this guy seems to have cancelled a fair amount of shows over his career. I hear about it thru your website and other resources too. Also, his performances don’t seem consistent either. One show is great, the next he’s just phoning it in…
Too bad he hurt himself, but like my last comment said..it’s not like he’s Freddy Mercury or Robert Plante out there
October 5, 2021 @ 4:10 am
“Tell me you’ve never seen a Sturgill Simpson show without saying you’ve never seen a Sturgill Simpson show.”
December 22, 2021 @ 1:00 pm
I have seen him and it was a country music show with some rock elements..to blow out your vocals at a bluegrass concert?!?!