Daniel Antopolsky was born in Augusta, Georgia in 1948 and is hailed as “the missing man of country” (BBC News) in its Outlaw Era. After saving Van Zandt’s life during a heroin overdose, he rejected the industry’s darkness, seeking “something more spiritual” (B-Sides & Badlands). For decades, he wrote hundreds of songs while raising chickens, vegetables, and twin daughters on a Bordeaux farm with his wife, Sylvia. His music remained in notebooks until his 2012 discovery sparked a renaissance.
The Ballad of the Stable Boy (2025) is Antopolsky’s magnum opus, a testament to his life of resilience and redemption – produced by Paul Magne of France’s celebrated folk band Cocoon and recorded in Bordeaux. The album weaves a rich tapestry of folk, country, blues, and gospel that captures the human condition with unflinching honesty and heart. Each song is a chapter in the life of the Stable Boy, a character whose moral compass guides him through a lifetime of trials.
The album is poised to be a defining moment in Americana. Daniel Antopolsky, once a hidden gem, now shines as a testament to the power of perseverance, proving that the most compelling voices can emerge at any age. The Guardian praised his “fragile naivety”, Rolling Stone lauded his “undeniable optimism”. “This album is my life poured into song,” Antopolsky says. “It’s about doing right, even when it breaks you, and finding peace in the end. Paul Magne’s production gave these stories wings. I’ve been very blessed… it’s never too late to do anything.”
The title track introduces a young man sharing his last scraps with his horse, Duke, and sacrificing a race to save a stranger, setting the tone for a journey of selflessness. “Lost at Sea Odyssey” paints his early adulthood as a mythic struggle, with vivid imagery of piracy, captivity, and an albatross lifting him from despair, driven by unyielding optimism. “Bring on the Fire Brigade” & “Clinging For Love” delve into his chaos, grappling with love and loss, while “Floating in the Belly” offers a tender glimpse of his settling down to a farm life with his pregnant wife.
“Old Friend Charley,” is a gut-wrenching standout, written in response to the 2015 Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris shortly after it, and now marking its 10th anniversary in 2025. Inspired by the personal weight of his daughter being in Paris during the attacks, Antopolsky crafts a universal lament. Set in the Stable Boy’s 60s, the song finds him reflecting on memories of a lost friend. Its haunting melody and introspective lyrics make it a powerful meditation on loss and unity, poised to strike a chord with listeners navigating today’s turbulent world.
“Broken-Hearted Lover” finds the Stable Boy desperate at the loss of love late in life, while “My Friends Born in ‘95” mourns a mentor’s death. The closing “The Cap’n of Clapham Common” is a masterful reflection of an old man on a bench in London’s Clapham Common, revealing scenes of his life—youth, love, fights, and family—culminating in a salute to his younger self, at peace with his legacy.
More on Daniel’s life: Film “The Sheriff of Mars” (Trailer Here)
