Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires Exit Country Music Association After 2020 CMAs Didn’t Honor John Prine

[ZiprHead]

They've returned their membership cards after Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Billy Joe Shaver were snubbed. Sturgill Simpson and Margo Price offered scathing criticisms, as well.

Some country icons who died this year were honored during the 2020 CMAs last night (including Kenny Rogers, Charlie Daniels, and Mac Davis), but three icons went unmentioned during the broadcast: John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Billy Joe Shaver. For this reason, Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires have announced that they’re returning their lifetime membership cards to the Country Music Association. “I doubt anybody will care, but we cared a lot about our heroes,” Isbell wrote.

This year’s CMAs has been at the receiving end of criticism by multiple artists. On Instagram, Sturgill Simpson joined Isbell in calling out the show for not mentioning Prine. “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 wrote, in a post viewed by Pitchfork that has since been deleted. “I just wanted to see if they would say his name but nope.” The video includes his reaction to one of the night’s performances. Simpson, who has called out the CMAs before, discussed his friendship with Prine on Colbert on the night of the CMAs.

 

[ronburgundy]

"tacky ass glitter and botox cake & cock pony show" is such a beautifully apt way to describe the CMAs and most commercial country music. I'll have to listen to some of Sturghill Simpson. I love John Prine, and coincidentally the Master's golf tournament has played his stuff a couple times while showing shots tranquil autumn course (which has been so much better w/o ahole fratboy fans yelling "get it in the hole" every shot).
My minimal exposure to Jerry Jeff Walker is his iconic song "Mr. Bojangles", which David Bromberg did a great version of.

Generally, my tastes in country include almost nothing after 1980. My tastes are for the old timey stuff like the Carter Family, bluegrass and it's black roots, Cash, Willie, Parton, Patsy, and Loretta, and that ilk.