With the CMA Awards around the corner, the celebration has been making headlines. When planning one of the biggest nights in country music, the producers had to make some sacrifices for time. One of those sacrifices came when legend Sammy Kershaw wanted to walk the red carpet with his wife. As it’s been well documented, Kershaw’s request to walk the carpet was denied. That single decision caused a mountain of backlash and criticism. Now, even after the CMA Awards responded, the famous songwriter behind “Choices,” Billy Yates, advised the organization to take a hard look at itself.
Just last week, Kershaw shared his disappointment with the CMA Awards for not agreeing to his simple request. After they denied the singer, he posted on social media. “After more than 50 years in this business, many millions of records and singles streamed and sold, more than two dozen Billboard charted hits, a CMA Horizon Award nomination, being a lifetime CMA member, that they presented to me in 1992, and being asked to donate my time to play CMA Fest, I would hope I’ve earned the opportunity to walk the red carpet alongside my wife, as we’ve done before.”
More than just fans agreed with Kershaw as stars like Riley Green and Carly Pearce offered their support. And when the CMA Awards suggested that the event had limited space, Yates reminded them what happened the time they tried to cut George Jones’ time short. “Lame press release! Haha Back in the day, I wrote a little song called ‘Choices’. CMA stepped in it back then by not allowing George Jones to sing the song in its entirety on the show. There was much ‘pushback’, but the CMA stood their ground. Alan Jackson stood up and did what needed to be done.”
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While calling the excuse “lame,” Yates took fans back to the late 1990s when Jones planned to sing “Choices” at the CMA Awards. Although Yates wrote and recorded the song, Jones eventually turned it into a hit and won a Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. Still, the CMA Awards opted to cut his performance time to a single minute.
Hearing the news, Jones made the simple decision not to show up. However, when Alan Jackson filled the spot, he covered “Choices.”
Having spent decades in country music, Yates insisted, “He stole the show and made history by bucking the system and doing what had to be done. CMA needs to step back and think long and hard about this. Unfortunately, fans are seeing a pattern. This is not a good look for an organization that has much at stake.”
As for the CMA Awards, the organization announced that it was in contact with Kershaw’s team. With the awards kicking off on November 18, at 8:00 p.m. on ABC and Disney+, fans will definitely have their eyes on the red carpet.
(Photo by John Anderson/The Austin Chronicle/Getty Images)
The post 27 Years After Alan Jackson Defended George Jones at the CMA Awards, the Songwriter Behind “Choices” Weighs In on Sammy Kershaw Debate appeared first on American Songwriter.