The king of singing about his double-wide trailer queen, aka Sammy Kershaw, has officially spurred a full-blown internet riot after he called out the CMAs for supposedly not allowing him to walk on the red carpet.
Just two weeks before the 60th annual country music extravaganza is set to kick off at Bridgestone Arena, Kershaw took to social media last night to report in a very lengthy message that his request to walk the red carpet was denied. The ’90s icon shared that he was “pretty sad about it” after he and his wife, Mendy, were anxious in anticipation of finally having a night out on the town together, “celebrating country music.”
Lo and behold, after booking their flights and hotels, Kershaw apparently received the news from CMA that he would not be able to attend this year. He went on to emphasize that, along with a 50-year-long career, more than two dozen Billboard hits, being a lifetime CMA member AND playing at CMA fest numerous times, “I would hope I’ve earned the opportunity to walk the red carpet alongside my wife, as we’ve done before.”
Despite his disappointment and noting the disregard was “extremely hurtful” and “embarrassing,” he’s in turn started a revolution online, rallying a number of outraged fans and fellow country music stars equally appalled. Notably, Riley Green piped in underneath the post, saying, “If you haven’t earned the right to be there then nobody has… disappointing to say the least.”
In addition to Carly Pearce, Jake Owen, Kylie Morgan, Meghan Patrick, Trey Lewis, Greylan James, and more, the latest artist to come to his side is none other than fellow ’90s staple, Mark Chesnutt. The “Bubba Shot The Jukebox” singer also took to social media to post a similar lengthy caption alongside a photo of his friend Sammy writing, “So Sammy Kershaw won’t be allowed to walk the red carpet at the big CMA Awards. Well that’s about right.”
He went on to call out the association blatantly, writing, “The CMA doesn’t care about us old 90s guys any more.” Adding, “It’s a shame they don’t respect the stars that dominated the charts in the past thirty years or before that, but they sure roll out the welcome mat for pop stars and Hollywood movie stars and even hip hop artists.”
The statement is one many echoed in Kershaw’s comment section, noting the number of influencers and rising artists who’ve become the new wave of carpet stars. He continued this thought, stating, “Anything but country music gets the performance spots on the show. Rock n Roll honors its history and respects its legends, while country music industry executives seem to ignore its rich history and its legends.”
Ending his message on a positive note, he shouted out the fans who continue to support the staple voices of ’90s radio who helped build such an iconic era in country music: “Thank God there’s still a lot of people that love traditional country music. They keep coming to our shows and showing their love and respect for the music we’ve made for nearly forty years now, and we’ll keep working for them and not for those who don’t matter to US!
Considering the Country Music Association did announce they were aiming to hone in on celebrating ’90s legends in light of this being their big 60th anniversary, the exclusion of artists like Sammy (and seemingly Mark) comes as quite the shock to many. Much like the end to Kershaw’s disheartening post, where he noted, “I guess the next time I attend the CMAs it will be in tribute after I’m gone, If I’m lucky,” somebody better put some respect on this man’s name ASAP.