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Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires Leave Country Music Association While Sturgill Simpson And Margo Price Criticize The CMAs Following John Prine Snub

November 14th, 2020 - 10:43 PM

Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires Leave Country Music Association While Sturgill Simpson And Margo Price Criticize The CMAs Following John Prine Snub
Photo Credit: Boston Schulz

Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires have turned in their membership to the Country Music Association after the 2020 Country Music Awards refused to honor John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker and Billy Joe Shaver. Both announced that they are returning their lifetime membership cards to the association following the lack of tribute. Other artists, including Sturgill Simpson and Margo Price, have criticized the Country Music Association for not honoring Prine, Walker and Shaver, as well as the CMA’s “no drama” billing.

Prine’s record label, Oh Boy Records, had made a statement about the lack of a tribute on Twitter. The label said that they planned to watch the CMA’s, however they were disappointed Prine would not be able to contribute in spirit.

“We’re disappointed John won’t be a part of the CMA award show tonight,” Oh Boy Records said in the statement. “Country music was both the inspiration and foundation for his songwriting and performing. While there may be a number of artists who had more commercial success than John, there are very few who achieved more artistically.”

According to Pitchfork, Simpson had taken to social media to critique the CMA’s. “Don’t get it twisted… wouldn’t be caught dead at this tacky ass glitter and botox cake & cock pony show even if my chair had a morphine drip,” Simpson allegedly said in a now-deleted Instagram post. “I just wanted to see if they’d say his name but nope.”

Isbell also took to social media to express his frustrations at a lack of tribute for his heroes. He posted his and his Shire’s lifetime membership cards to the Country Music Association, saying how the two plan to exit.

“Due to @CountryMusic’s failure to mention John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Billy Joe Shaver at the CMA’s last night, @amandashires and I have decided to return our membership cards. I doubt anybody will care, but we cared a lot about our heroes.”

Price’s critiques of the CMA’s focused more on the Country Music Association’s lack of diversity. At the beginning of last week, Price created a series of tweets where she commented on the CMA’s lack of diversity, sharing a flyer for the awards show that said “No drama, just music. Price felt the flyer had been in poor taste for a year that has seen an unprecedented number of deaths due to a pandemic, the Black Lives Matter protests that have created a cultural movement throughout the entirety of the United States and the historic election took place last week.

“Once again, the CMA’s are censoring/white washing their show but who’s surprised?” Price said on Twitter. “Anyone still participating is a socially unconscious pawn. Artists pander woke authenticity when it benefits them and then sit in silence as they collect their plastic trophies. Also the music sucks.”

Price went on to share a number of Black artists who have contributed to the sound of country music, alleging that the CMA’s lack of diversity is due to racism. She discussed the diversity that actually exists within country music, critiquing that they have not gotten due recognition.

“The lack of diversity in these organizations is appalling,” Price said. “There are so many artists not recognized simply because of their sex, skin color and age. Country music has many voices, it always has, they just haven’t been recognized.”

Price also critiqued the Country Music Association’s way of handling the awards show, with the event being held indoors during the pandemic. The event had been held at Nashville’s Music City Center earlier this week, on November 11.

“So let me get this straight, covid cases are at an all time high, the CMA’s are holding an event INSIDE where they censor what you talk about if it doesn’t fit their narrative… the dude from Lady Antebellum is performing & bro from Florida Georgia Line tested positive for covid,” Price said on Twitter prior to the show.

A number of artists, including Rascal Flats, Jenee Flower, Lady A and Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard wound up dropping out of the CMA ceremonies following positive tests for COVID-19. Additionally, the Associated Press had been unable to take photos from the awards show due to the in-person event, with the CMA’s refusing to allow the Associated Press to take screenshots of audience members as part of their events coverage.

Despite not having been honored at the CMA’s, a vast number of tributes to John Prine have sparked up since the folk singer’s death due to COVID-19 back in April. Brandi Carlile joined Isbell and Shires to cover Prine as part of a tribute for the Grammy’s back in October.

Walker passed away at the end of last month at the age of 78 following a battle with throat cancer. Shaver had also passed away towards the end of October at the age of 81 after a stroke. Both Walker and Shaver’s deaths had occurred within two days of each other.

Photo credit: Boston Lynn Schulz

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