Singer-songwriter couple Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires have withdrawn from the Country Music Association.
Isbell announced he and his wife decided to permanently withdraw from CMA after the association's award show failed to mention John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker and Billy Joe Shaver during its in memoriam segment honoring several country music icons who passed since last year's award show.
“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,” Isbell tweeted along with photos showing their lifetime CMA memberships. “I doubt anybody will care, but we cared a lot about our heroes.”
Fellow singer-songwriter Sturgill Simpson also criticized the Country Music Association for its exclusion of Prine during its ceremony."
"Two seconds," Simpson said in a since-deleted Instagram video ripping into the award show. “That’s all it would’ve took. Two seconds. Literally, two syllables. John. Prine. That’s it… nope.”
Prine died earlier this year after testing positive for COVID-19. The singer's record label, Oh Boy Records, also expressed its disappointment in the singer's exclusion on Twitter.
“We’re disappointed John won’t be a part of the CMA award show tonight,” the tweet read. “Country music was both the inspiration and foundation for his songwriting and performing. While there may be a number of artists who have had more commercial success than John, there are very few who achieved more artistically.”
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