I thought that too for just a moment, but if he's poison no one will want to record his music because then the artist joins the loser's circle. Maybe if it's credited to an alias? For the record I'm not fond of the cancel culture, I'm just predicting the outcome. Maybe he can go to rehab and get another shot, I don't know.
I don't know much about country music, but I remember when the Dixie Chicks made some controversial comment at a show in England and they were banned from radio for I don't know how long. Were they ever able to come back? Of course that was long ago when radio had much more of an effect on sales of product & tickets.
I grew up on country music, &, as a Tennessee girl, I’m also very familiar w/ the type of persona in Wallen’s songs like “Seven Summers Ago” & “Talking Tennessee.”
I had never heard of him until this latest story & just now looked up the lyrics to a few of his songs. Country singers have been singing those type of songs for decades, & many have done it better, in my opinion. For a while there was a trend in country music for the music to be more pop & urban, & ”bro country” became very popular. I think, as someone who isn’t as current on country music as she used to be, Wallen returns to a more traditional country sound w/ his songs- which may sound “new” to people who aren’t as familiar w/ country music over the decades, if that makes sense.
Anyway... in country music, patriotism & love for one’s country is HUGE.
Years ago, the Dixie Chicks were in a foreign country & said to their audience, “Just so y’all know, we’re ashamed that the President is from Texas.”
And the repercussions were instant & incredibly long-lasting.
(In country music, you don’t mess w/ God, the USA, or your momma.)
My brother-in-law was stationed in the Gulf fighting the war at the time they made their statement, & my husband still refuses to listen to any of their music. And there are many like him.
So, no, the Dixie Chicks, so far, haven’t been able to really return to country music radio. Today, the overall climate is different, & they’ve gained some popularity - but not in traditional country. However, that said, country music & its climate *is* changing too, so you never know - case in point how swift the cancellation of Morgan Wallen has been.
But, in the eyes of country music & its fans what Morgan Wallen said is in a completely different ballpark. And, while there will be many who stop listening to him, there will be lots of others who won’t... whereas, w/ the Dixie Chicks, it was universal... it wasn’t just country music radio that cancelled them but every single country music fan as well. People were burning their CDs.
Edited to add - Also, too, the Dixie Chicks made a public statement at one of their concerts. Morgan Wallen was drunk, not in a public venue, & was recorded by a bystander. Morgan Wallen is not the first country music star to get himself in a mess while drunk. For some, it’s just part of the genre & will add to his legend/celebrity.
