Jason Isbell & Others Respond In Depth to Sturgill Simpson’s Comments
Now that some of the dust has settled since Sturgill Simpson made his inflammatory comments about the mistreatment of Merle Haggard on Monday (8-29), many others have taken the opportunity to weigh in on the matters on both sides of the country music cultural divide.
Nathan Poppe of News OK spoke to Jason Isbell on the subject ahead of a show the songwriter and Sturgill Simpson friend will play at the Criterion on September 12th.
“You know Sturgill. He’s fired up. He speaks his mind,” Isbell said. “I mean, he’s not gotten any support from mainstream country, and I haven’t either. I’m happy they seem to care about Chris Stapleton a lot. Any time I see him getting respect from that side of the fence, I think it’s a good thing for everybody. I think Sturgill was mad, and I’ve talked to him since then. What he was fired up about was the fact that they sorta co-opted Merle Haggard’s name and his legacy for business purposes. They’re a business. They’re out to make money. That’s not an excuse, but that’s their only goal. That’s it.”
Isbell went on to say that even though Chris Stapleton is finding a lot of support, it’s primarily driven from the fans, not the industry. “The only reason Chris is a success is because people enjoy the music that he’s making and they’re willing to buy it. That’s the only thing they care about. If he was somebody else and didn’t have good songs and people were buying those then they would make whoever that was a big deal.”
Others have weighed in on the issue as well, including Nate Rau writing for local Nashville paper The Tennessean, not taking exception as much with what Sturgill said about the disrespect of Merle Haggard, but more how he characterized Nashville.
“Setting aside the fact that the ACM is not based in Nashville, Simpson certainly brought up some valid points about Music Row and its cruel nature toward artists whose profitability begin to decline,” Nate Rau says. “However, if Simpson is truly serious about leaving town, then he is throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Whatever his issues with commercial country music, there is a significant sector of the music industry here that has been supportive of Simpson’s career.”
Country journalist David Cantwell, who wrote a well-received biography on Merle Haggard, responded with his own observations on Slate. Though most of Cantwell’s observations come in the form of reflections on Haggard’s career, he does say about Sturgill and his remarks,
“There was the militant opposition between what gets played on the radio and what Simpson termed ‘actual country music,'” Cantwell says. “There was the condescending claim that country audiences are dupes, the unwitting victims of ‘formulaic cannon fodder bullshit’ that’s been ‘pumped down rural America’s throat for the last 30 years’ (and this about a genre that hasn’t been primarily ‘rural’ since before Merle Haggard started cutting records in the early 1960s). There were the studied sour grapes of complaining you haven’t been embraced by either the mainstream country industry or the mainstream radio audience even while boasting you neither need nor desire such acceptance.”
However what Cantwell’s piece and others seem to miss is that Sturgill’s original post said nothing about being bitter against the industry—it only dealt with his issues about the disrespect of Merle Haggard. Only after his post went viral and folks began to respond did Sturgill mention that he would be “blackballed” from the industry. And even then, it seemed more about an acknowledgement of the facts as opposed to the swallowing of a bitter pill. Nonetheless, Cantwell does a commendable job framing Merle’s career while using Sturgill’s comments as a backdrop.
Two people who had surprisingly measured responses were Jason Aldean, and pop country uber morning host Bobby Bones. Jason Aldean asserts that people in Nashville do respect Merle and are aware of his contributions to country.
“I don’t know Sturgill, never met the guy, but I know he’s a great artist,” said Aldean. “The flip side of [his argument] is I feel like everybody in this town – every artist, every writer, every producer – we all are very much aware of the contribution [Haggard] had to this business.”
But like David Cantwell, Bobby Bones took the leap of faith that some or most of Sturgill’s comments were rooted in a bitterness against the industry for not finding more success, when Sturgill’s career has been a resounding success when measured against his peer group of independent artists. On his August 30th show, Bones discussed the subject extensively, saying that he has invited Sturgill on his show before, and Sturgill has declined.
“I like Sturgill Simpson. I respect him, because he’s been able to do it pretty much independently,” Bobby starts off saying. “I also love it when artists speak their mind. I love the fact that he’s speaking out, even if I disagree with him.”
But then Bones says, “There is no such thing as ‘actual country music.’ … That’s your definition of country music. Don’t put it on me. So I have a problem with that.”
Bones also went on to assert, “If you hold on to your roots, you don’t grow”—-turning around the often-used phrase in roots music, “You can’t grow if you rip your roots out of the ground.”
READ: Sharp-Tongued Criticism Has Always Been Country’s Way of Preserving the Roots
Whether for or against Sturgill Simpson’s comments, in a week that saw the annual ACM Honors gala in Nashville and the announcement of the CMA Awards nominations, it was Sturgill Simpson that dominated the news cycle and had everyone talking, while you now have folks like Jason Aldean going on record saying Sturgill Simpson is a “great artist,” and Bobby Bones saying, “I like Sturgill Simpson.” Like many current events in country, it will be hard to tell just what impact Sturgill Simpson’s words will have on the music until some more time has passed and we can reflect back. But one thing is for sure—the impact will be remembered.
Speedlimit9
September 3, 2016 @ 9:23 am
I thought David Cantwell’s comments were plainly ridiculous. He seemed to equate covering artist’s songs with being influenced by that artist.
Trigger
September 3, 2016 @ 9:54 am
Yeah, his thought that to show respect to Merle you must cover his songs, and here Sturgill is covering Nirvana instead of Merle was kind of a simplifying a deeper issue. Right before “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth” came out, nearly all Sturgill Simpson was doing was playing cover songs because he was bored with so many of his own.
But the thing about an issue like this is it starts broader discussions all over the place, and I appreciate Cantwell’s perspective along with eveyone else’s. Except that one quote from Bones about the “roots.” That’s pretty bad.
Speedlimit9
September 3, 2016 @ 10:00 am
My other issue with it was his equating Merle and Jimmy Rodgers, I feel like Merle has not been forgotten nearly to the extent Jimmy Rodgers was. I’m not sure Merle’s songs need to be updated to make them relevant to today’s listeners, they stand on their own merits as wonderfully written songs and with instrumentation that doesn’t sound dated.
Tom Ghent
December 6, 2023 @ 9:30 am
Traditional country music, which has it’s roots in gospel and other such early musical forms, is a true American art form.. It has NOT evolved naturally, as some might believe… I has been, and is being, manipulated by a greedy industry that puts profit over quality !!!
Andrew
September 3, 2016 @ 9:24 am
I appreciated Isbell’s comments
Jen
September 3, 2016 @ 9:26 am
Like him all you want, but will you stand for him when he does get blackballed? We all know, that if the corporate assholes that head Nashville have heard what he said (and obviously, they have), they will do anything and everything to keep him from getting on mainstream. Fine by me. I don’t listen to mainstream so much, anymore. I prefer the older country music, when country music was actually country music, and not renamed pop/rap/hip hop garbage that wouldn’t be played on those stations because the artists’ voices have a southern accent.
Bill Goodman
September 3, 2016 @ 9:48 am
Since Sturgill made those remarks, I’ve seen a bunch of people who never have heard of him before get interested in his music. So far in the short term, this seems to have helped Sturgill’s career.
Nathan Poppe
September 3, 2016 @ 9:51 am
Thanks for linking to my chat with Jason. Just a small note, my last name is spelled Poppe. Although, it does feel nice to be the Pope once and a while.
Daniel Clarke
September 3, 2016 @ 10:26 am
TO BOBBY BONES (whoever you are) “Music should be allowed to grow and flourish but at the same time hold true to it’s roots and maintain the essence of what makes it that type of music.” Tony Rice
cj
April 22, 2023 @ 12:21 pm
Bobby Bones “roots” statement was stupid. Everyone has a family tree. On that tree there are branches to grow outward and in different directions. They are all connected to the roots. It can’t grow without them.
Arthur Jackson
October 27, 2023 @ 6:55 am
Another example of how mainstream country has lost it’s connection to rural. I think he believed he was making some pithy farming analogy, but it was just dumb as fuck.
Josh
September 3, 2016 @ 10:57 am
F@ck Bobby Bone(r).
DocReed2003
September 3, 2016 @ 12:29 pm
To Bobby Bones…you can take those comments about “holding onto your roots” and go fuck yourself. I will always hold on to my roots as a kid who grew up in a dirt poor family farming tobacco in TN. I’ve worked hard in my life to be successful in my chosen career but I have NEVER forgotten my roots. I cherish my roots and I hold on to them because they are what guide me when life gets rough. Same goes for country music. You know why my grandparents played records by Haggard and Cash and Hank SR and Parton and so many other real country artists when I was a kid in the 70’s/80’s? Because they knew that the artists understood what it meant to be “country”. I may have left that area years ago but I hold on to those roots because in many ways those roots help define me as a person. So fuck your smug ass take. Maybe you came from the same background I did but I doubt it. Carry your shiny Nashville ass up to Macon Co and volunteer to cut tobacco for a day, it’s needed this time of year. Once you’ve done that, maybe you can lecture me on holding on to roots, but I doubt it.
Ryan
September 3, 2016 @ 12:58 pm
Amen, brother.
Truth5
September 3, 2016 @ 1:13 pm
Id like to slap the shit out of Bobby bones
Gary Jackson
September 4, 2016 @ 4:07 am
Your arm would get tired.
Brendan
September 3, 2016 @ 1:37 pm
I read Rau’s piece and went in thinking Sturgill is right, and came out thinking Rau has a good point. Sturgill (and many other successful indies) have made it as far as they have with help from the Row machine. Despite the fact that they aren’t on the radio. And I don’t know whether or not to still claim Sturgill as independent considering he’s on Atlantic.
I hope Sturgill finds bigger success. Selfishly I’d like to see Stapleton take Sturgill and Isbell on the road.
the pistolero
September 3, 2016 @ 2:00 pm
I feel like everybody in this town – every artist, every writer, every producer – we all are very much aware of the contribution [Haggard] had to this business.
Well, being aware of that contribution and giving enough of a shit to acknowledge and honor it in your own music are two completely different things. Also, there is such a thing as “actual country music,” even if Bobby Bones has his head so far up his ass he doesn’t see it.
And Nate Rau may be correct that certain parts of Nashville did lend valuable support to Sturgill. But then, on the other hand, Gary Overton let the cat out of the bag on that with his infamous “If you’re not on country radio, you don’t exist” quote. After all, do you think he’s the only Nashville record executive who thinks that?
Erik North
September 3, 2016 @ 5:26 pm
I would add in response to Aldean: If he and his Bro contemporaries were really that serious about the contributions that Merle made to the business, then they’d set about writing things beside screwing on tailgates down dirt roads, and drinking enough beer to be legally intoxicated within 30 minutes. That would be a BIG help (IMHO).
the pistolero
September 3, 2016 @ 7:46 pm
Yup. That is precisely what I was getting at.
Dawn
December 13, 2020 @ 11:33 pm
Brendan,
I on the other hand would like to see Sturgill Simpson ,Jason Isbell & Chris Stapleton share billing on the same road! 🎵 🤠 🎶
I have had the privilege of seeing all 3 of these gentleman on more than one occasion. Mr. Isbell & his band seriously outdid themselves the last time I saw them at the Kettle house in Montana. (Maybe it’s the smaller venues!?) Chris was amazing but Marty Stewart stole the show!! Sturgill? Absolutely No words. 🙂 It was a rough night though. Some gameshow host had just won the presidential election. The crowd in Missoula Montana, myself & Sturgill felt a dark cloud of doom drop. Turns out we were right.
(All three should play Under the Big Sky or Red Ants Pants!.🐜…..Both Merle & Guy Clark played there right before they died! 😥
Long Live “Live” Music 🌴🌺🌵🌸🌲
John B
September 3, 2016 @ 2:23 pm
“There’s no such thing as actual country music”
I think the fans and artists of country music would disagree. (even fans of the bubblegum pop-tinged Brian Adams/Mellencamp copycat stuff that dominates so-called country radio today.)
What a way to dismiss 100 years country music history.
I wish people like Bobby Bones would remove themselves from any association with the genre and just go over to the fleeting world of pop music radio.
Todf
January 28, 2022 @ 8:36 am
Gotta love the little political dig you felt the need to make🤡 Hope you’re enjoying Bare Shelves Biden.
Lindsey
September 3, 2016 @ 3:01 pm
I still don’t understand the existence of humans such as Bobby Bones. Why, God, why? People who never use their common sense You gave them to absorb knowledge into their brains?!
Matty T
September 3, 2016 @ 3:15 pm
Merle was one of the greatest to ever do it; Chris, Jason & Sturgill deserve nothing but respect and bobby bones still sucks.
seak05
September 3, 2016 @ 3:42 pm
Well I think Sturgill’s comments about Merle get taken in context of some of his other comments about the country music industry. He has a reputation and history. Also in point, Stapleton owes a lot of his current success to his CMA nomination, which led to his CMA performance, and his CMA wins last year. And while CMA’s and ACM’s are different, CMA’s are very much the industry. Also Merle has been honored many times by the ACM’s, including 2 years ago.
Yes music row basically dumped Merle when he was no longer profitable, and yes that sucks. Music is a brutal business, but yes of course it’s a business. Sturgill isn’t out there playing for free, and he’s not paying his band an equal share of show profits. Pretending it’s not a business, and isn’t going to act like a business is silly.
I get that Sturgill and Merle were close, and the fight for country’s soul is a worthy one..but I sort of wish sometimes that Sturgill (and others) would focus more on themselves, than telling others why they’re bad/why what they’re listening to (& like) is bad. With streaming, youtube etc there are lots of ways for consumers to access music & you are seeing a rise in Indy artists, radio is no longer the dominant player it once was. One of the nice things about music is that different people can have different tastes, and I think in many respects this is a golden era for being able to make and listen to the type of music you want.
(sorry for the rambling….it’s a CFB saturday)
Lunchbox
September 3, 2016 @ 4:35 pm
go away Bobby Estell
Nadia Lockheart
September 3, 2016 @ 4:47 pm
I greatly enjoyed Isbell’s response.
Actually am surprised Jason Aldean offered a level-headed, if insubstantial, response as well. He has had a reputation of being thin-skinned in the past like with Zac Brown’s previous remarks pre-“Beautiful Drug”, so it’s oddly refreshing to see him express thoughtful reflection.
Dave Blais
September 3, 2016 @ 6:54 pm
“I will start playing Nashville music when Nashville starts playing my music.” Stoppin Tom Conor
Nate
September 3, 2016 @ 7:12 pm
There’s no such thing as “actual rock music”
There’s no such thing as “actual hip-hop music”
There’s no such thing as “actual classical music”
Sounds ridiculous no matter how you say it.
Lone Wolf
September 3, 2016 @ 7:54 pm
***”Bones also went on to assert, “If you hold on to your roots, you don’t grow”—-turning around the often-used phrase in roots music, “You can’t grow if you rip your roots out of the ground.” *** That’s the biggest bunch of BS I’ve ever heard. That quote is right in par with “Country music must evolve in order to survive.” Just another example of industry talk to try and justify the state of today’s country music. Nadia, I agree with you on the Jason Aldean response. He responded rationally. I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about this subject.
JohnWayneTwitty
September 4, 2016 @ 8:00 am
Tell Johnny Cash that his “boom chicka” sound should’ve evolved and the world will laugh at you then turn their Cash up a little bit louder
indk
September 4, 2016 @ 4:00 am
Bobby Bones is Ryan Seacrest Lite. Just go start a syndicated pop show where you play Sam Hunt every other song and talk about the Real Housewives of Whatever you arrogant douchebag. “Actual Country Music” doesn’t need you.
JohnWayneTwitty
September 4, 2016 @ 7:57 am
Hey guys, of course Jason Aldan likes Merle.
His name rhymes with “hey girl”
And Bobby Bones can still go fuck himself. There may not be defined “actual country music”, but we know what ISN’T country music.
Colt
September 4, 2016 @ 8:09 am
Hitler still had the best response.
Jim Bob
September 4, 2016 @ 8:10 am
I’d be lying if this whole time I haven’t been hoping this wasn’t Sturgill just being pissed off venting one time, but instead it was Sturgill saying “fuck it all, it’s time someone puts these bitches in their place.” I really hope this is the start of something rather than a one-off fuck Nashville.
Trigger
September 4, 2016 @ 8:50 am
Ultimately, if this is a new side of Sturgill that is going to have any long-term effects, it’s going to have to come through the music. He can say whatever he wants. But if he releases a badass true country album that ends up being one for the ages, that’s when the true impact will be felt.
Jim Bob
September 5, 2016 @ 9:38 am
You mean if he does it again, right? Totally agree though, hoping his next one’s hard af country through and through.
Lone Wolf
September 4, 2016 @ 8:18 am
I’m a Johnny Cash fan….but Johnny Cash stayed true to his roots, too. Nobody’s laughing at me, either. They’re too busy laughing at everybody who wants to listen to this mix of urban styles of music with country music and saying it’s country. It’s not an evolution in that sense. It’s a mutation.
BwareDWare94
September 4, 2016 @ 9:21 am
Swing and a miss, David Cantwell.
You don’t have to agree with Sturgill, but in order to disagree with him you should at least have to understand what he said in the first place. Read some books, for christ’s sake.
And then Bobby Bones says, “There’s no such thing as actual country music.” This guy is speaking out of the wrong end. Not that we didn’t know that already, though.
Mike
September 4, 2016 @ 12:24 pm
I actually didn’t think it was possible for me to hate that fucking little birth control glasses-wearing prick we all know as Bobby Bones any more than I already did…
….Obviously, I was wrong!!
Martha
September 4, 2016 @ 6:02 pm
While I really don’t have a problem with the ACM’s naming an award after Merle, I agreed with everything else that Sturgill said. Jason Aldean’s words ring hollow to me because his music is part of the problem. Bobby Bones comment wins the award for the stupidest thing I’ve heard this year.
Dave
July 2, 2020 @ 1:53 pm
From a fan standpoint, Sturgill speaks his mind and stands his ground even when he worked for the railroad in Salt Lake. I for one appreciate no bullshit guys at least you know where you stand. I also appreciate they dont cave to the large corporations for the mighty dollars. Ethics and integrity are mottos they live by. I appreciate that I’m able to see these guys in small venues and festivals where the fan is being raped by the corporate vendors selling $13 dollar bears and $50 tees. Most the fans are there for a great social time and genuinely love the artists and they’re music. I go to these big mega concert venues and feel like I’m at a fashion show with people who have no appreciation for the artist or their music and all they do is scream back and forth to each other through out the entire concert. I for one refuse to waste my money on the big venue. Give me the Isbell and Simpson’s and those fun venues all support you all till I’m outta dollars. Just my .02 worth
Elizabeth Loper
July 18, 2020 @ 6:52 pm
This is how we got Willie, Waylon and the Boys. Sturgill is following The Outlaw tradition and some beautiful music came out of those men.
Greg blankenship
November 14, 2020 @ 1:42 pm
Better hang on to the allen jackson’s george strait’s etc. While we can !
Dawn
December 13, 2020 @ 11:41 pm
Brendan,
I on the other hand would like to see Sturgill Simpson ,Jason Isbell & Chris Stapleton share billing on the same road! 🎵 🤠 🎶
I have had the privilege of seeing all 3 of these gentleman on more than one occasion. Mr. Isbell & his band seriously outdid themselves the last time I saw them at the Kettle house in Montana. (Maybe it’s the smaller venues!?) Chris was amazing but Marty Stewart stole the show!! Sturgill? Absolutely No words. 🙂 It was a rough night though. Some gameshow host had just won the presidential election. The crowd in Missoula Montana, myself & Sturgill felt a dark cloud of doom drop. Turns out we were right.
(All three should play Under the Big Sky or Red Ants Pants!.🐜…..Both Merle & Guy Clark played there right before they died! 😥
Long Live “Live” Music 🌴🌺🌵🌸🌲
Michael Mclane
February 10, 2021 @ 4:41 am
I haven’t listened to mainstream country or Nashville country in years iam from Texas and they have so many radio stations that play Texas music and Red Dirt music and they are good and seam to be doing fine with out Nashville.
Matt Steinfeld
March 5, 2021 @ 5:24 am
I appreciate voices like Sturgill’s in this conversation. I respect him a lot and think he is a great extension of the classic country songs I grew up with that I no longer see in the mainstream. I have learned to search for the music I like and leave the others aside. I also wanted to share that I have my second album coming out that is motivated by this same sentiment of keeping this tradition alive. I hope you could check it out and provide feedback, if possible. It is available on all platforms March 24, 2021.
Sincerely,
Matt Steinfeld
Big GG
May 17, 2021 @ 9:44 am
Bobby Bones is pure trash.
C.C.
September 25, 2021 @ 8:44 am
This Country music being made today is extremely infused with Pop and Hip Hop. Neither of which I care for. But, that being said. If that’s your thing. By all means enjoy. I like the classics. And the modern artist that create to that end. All they’re asking is equal recognition. I don’t be even listen to commercial country stations any more. My ears just can’t handle it. XM Radio is the only escape. So all of you “Outlaw” artist listen up. You have plenty of fans. I buy your music. And so do many others. Hopefully something gives sooner than later.
C.C.
September 25, 2021 @ 8:53 am
P.S. HEY STURGILL!!! From one Kentucky boy to another.( Estill Co.) Just over the mountain and thru holler. 😂 Lol. Your music is awesome. Keep up the good work. And, Keep on keeping on.
Dean Williams
February 23, 2024 @ 7:15 pm
Can’t stand strolls music for some reason and I love music that isn’t played on the radio. I think he thinks he’s better than he really is.