Luke Bryan Calls Jessi Colter to Apologize Over Outlaw Comments / Shooter Speaks on Controversy
This story has been updated (see below)
Luke Bryan has called Waylon Jennings’ widow Jessi Colter to apologize after he made comments characterizing Outlaw country artists as cocaine addicts “laying in the gutter, strung out on drugs.” Waylon’s son Shooter Jennings has also commented on the situation, saying, “It’s all flush in my book.”
The controversy began on Thursday, July 9th, when Luke Bryan told HITS Daily Double,
Well, yeah. I think that people who want Merle, Willie and Waylon just need to buy Merle, Willie and Waylon. I’ve never been a ‘Those were the good old days’ kind of guy. I’m not big on looking back on the past. I’m not an outlaw country singer. I don’t do cocaine and run around. So I’m not going to sing outlaw country. I like to hunt, fish, ride around on my farm, build a big bonfire and drink some beers and that’s what I sing about. It’s what I know. I don’t know about laying in the gutter, strung out on drugs. I don’t really want to do that.
Saving Country Music posted the quotes, and an internet backlash began in earnest, culminating in Waylon’s daughter-in-law Kathy Pinkerman Jennings taking to Facebook to rant about Luke’s comments, and eventually making a video calling Luke Bryan a “platinum, disrespecting, no singing, whining, grasping for media attention, asshole,” among other things. Kathy Jennings is married to Waylon’s son Buddy Jennings.
Luke Bryan addressed the situation publicly, saying through Twitter,
Hey guys I’ve been thinking about this all day, every now and then I feel I need to defend myself in this business. I did a great interview with many topics discussed. It’s so frustrating that something negative has spun out of the story. I would never speak against any artist. It’s not my style. I consider Willie, Waylon and Merle musical heroes. I was trying to state what I was about and where I come from with my music. It’s simple as that. Love yall. Signing off. Thanks for the love.
However Luke Bryan never really apologized for the comments. He only characterized them as being taken out-of-context. But according to an interview with Waylon’s son Shooter Jennings in the Los Angeles Times, Luke Bryan called Jessi to apologize personally, and had also requested the phone number for Kathy Pinkerman Jennings to apologize as well.
“Luke Bryan called my mom today to clarify that he would never disrespect my dad or me or any of us,” Jennings said. “He also asked for Buddy’s number to call Kathy. Whether or not he does, that takes a lot of guts. I misfired and said some things in the past about people, namely John Mayer. And I didn’t have the guts to apologize. So, that being said, that kinda won me over.”
Shooter Jennings publicly criticized John Mayer in October of 2012 for not being a good guitar player and for cutting his hair and “banging” Katy Perry after Mayer said he was done with the Hollywood lifestyle.
“I love Kathy for her defense of the family and caring so much for the legacy,” Shooter continued. “But as my mom says, [some] people out there want things the way it WAS and nothing else. I’m not defending pop music but I am defending new music. My dad never liked labels and neither do I. His [Luke Bryan’s] music isn’t something I find myself listening to, but that’s not personal, I don’t listen to any new country besides a few underground acts that are a pretty far reach to even call them straight country. My point is it’s all flush in my book. He said some [stuff] and because of the Internet it came back on him. But he went above and beyond and manned up and apologized. In the long run I believe his image has improved.”
No word if Luke Bryan called Willie Nelson or his family since they were also named in the original quotes.
***UPDATE***UPDATE***UPDATE***UPDATE***
7/14/15 3:45 PM CDT: Merle Haggard’s son and guitar player Ben Haggard says Luke Bryan called him Monday (7-13) as well.
Got a call from Nashville yesterday, picked up the phone and it was Luke Bryan. He called to personally apologize to me and the Haggard family for his comments in a recent interview. I have never spoke to Luke in my life, but one thing was for sure, the sincerity in his voice. Let’s all remember (including myself) we’re all humans, we make mistakes and say things we wish we hadn’t. Hope Yall have a good week!
– – – – – – – – – – –
Editor’s Note: Luke Bryan’s comments were never “taken out-of-context.” They were posted in the original context, the entire article was linked to, and the full context of the entire article does not in any way materially change the meaning of what Luke Bryan said or implied.
Saving Country Music regularly posts quotes from artists and others in the country music industry to discuss their meaning and importance to the music. The quotes may or may not be controversial, but it is the public who decides which quotes stir controversy, and which quotes don’t. Kathy Pinkerman Jennings and others were offended, and that is why the issue rose to the national and international scope.
Jeff Miller
July 14, 2015 @ 10:40 am
That’s a big move on Luke’s part. Glad it happened.
Kevin Young
July 14, 2015 @ 1:34 pm
Now if we can just get him to apologize for his music.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
July 14, 2015 @ 3:03 pm
Nah, he’d just say
“Country music can’t be Hank and Haggard forever, we have to evolve. And because my butt is shapely and attractive, I decree that said evolution should include behavior from the 1920’s such as drunk driving and objectifying women.”
Heavy Metal Cowboy
July 14, 2015 @ 5:32 pm
1920 country had drunk driving and objectifying women? Sorry if that sounds like a stupid question but I thought that was only in modern country?
Fuzzy Twoshirts
July 14, 2015 @ 7:02 pm
in the twenties drunk driving was legal and women couldn’t vote and almost never worked outside the home. Country music from those days was the most primitive stuff from Dave Macon, the Skillet Lickers and maybe some very early Jimmie Rodgers. a lot of that music was gospel, real rootsy folk tunes that didn’t have a message, and dance tunes with calls. Subsequently music as a storytelling medium is a more recent development, not saying nothing before the depression told a story, just saying that music has expanded a lot.
Eric
July 15, 2015 @ 3:54 am
Just a quick note: drunk driving could not possibly have been legal in the 1920s, since drinking itself was illegal.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
July 15, 2015 @ 8:01 am
Alright Eric, good point, I didn’t think about prohibiton… I don’t know when drunk driving became illegal but it probably wasn’t until around the time women started voting. My point still stands that drunk driving and objectifying women are vintage modes of thought that have no place in the modern world.
Eric
July 15, 2015 @ 3:25 pm
Cars largely did not exist before women got the right to vote.
In any case, the concept of “objectification” of women is a complicated one. Most men will always be naturally attracted to women’s physical features, and many (if not most) women will always be flattered at some level by such attention. In that sense, “objectification” is permanent, not a vintage mode of thinking. If anything, the rise of feminism and the increased sexual openness in our society has led to more so-called “objectification” over time, not less.
Ultimately, the key lies in greater female representation on country radio, so that we can hear their perspective alongside all of the “objectifying” songs by the males.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
July 15, 2015 @ 4:36 pm
I did an internet search, maybe should have done that before my original comment. Women gained the right to vote in 1919, much earlier than I thought… I was estimating sometime around the late forties early fifties, the first drunk driving law was passed in 1910. This just reinforces my point that objectifying women and drunk driving are outdated, because they are even more outdated than I originally thought, and they, just like racism, antisemitism, and the betamax have no place in the modern world. You made a comment that men will always be attracted to bodies and women be flattered. Wouldn’t it be better if a woman were to be judged on the content of her character, or is that just reserved for men? I’m not saying we need to do away with the concept of attractiveness, but that’s all relative. Some cultures resort to mutilation and huge piercings because that’s their definition of attractive. Now man as a species has always and will continue to value appearance, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t something left over from the ancient world. Female representation can only be solved, not just here but in all genres when the women and the men can receive equal treatment. Cool Lester , CountryKnight and I went the rounds on another article about Maines and Hank Jr. not being treated the same, even though they did similar things, because Maines was a woman. This is the bigger problem with not just country music but all music, women have to show us skin, and be attractive, and guys have to be either smooth and slick like Sam Hunt or rugged and earthy like Clint Eastwood. The whole concept needs to be abolished.
Eric
July 15, 2015 @ 5:09 pm
I think that the key here is in separating the personal from the professional. In personal relationships, women will always be judged to some extent by looks, because that is human nature. Professional relationships, however, should never be based on looks (or gender at all, for that matter).
I think that the Internet provides a potentially positive new paradigm in that respect. In the future, it is possible that all job interviews will be conducted online, without the interviewer knowing about the applicant’s appearance (and preferably not about his/her name either).
Shawn
July 14, 2015 @ 3:49 pm
LOL LOL LOL LOL !!!!!!!!
Shawn
July 14, 2015 @ 3:51 pm
LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL
sam morgan
July 15, 2015 @ 12:22 am
Who is Luke Bryan?
BwareDWare94
July 14, 2015 @ 10:42 am
Now, if only Luke could backpedal over a cliff, that’d be great.
Shane
July 14, 2015 @ 4:18 pm
Given husband stage mishaps, I doubt his management would even let him near a cliff.
Kingpete
July 14, 2015 @ 10:43 am
Did he follow up the calls with a shipment of $50 v-neck t-shirts? (to his credit, no confusion with “outlaw” there)
dukes
July 14, 2015 @ 10:45 am
I’m not a Luke Bryan fan, but I think what he said was a bit sensationalized. Yes, he said what he said… but didn’t the Outlaws sing about being strung out on drugs? Didn’t they sing about laying in the gutter? Didn’t they sing about going to jail?
They did.
He says he sings about hunting, fishing, riding around in trucks, drinking beer because that’s what he does. He hasn’t been to prison. He hasn’t been strung out on drugs. He hasn’t slept in the gutter. So, he doesn’t sing those songs.
I don’t understand the outrage by country fans. I can understand the outrage by the family, because they have a view of the artists OUTSIDE the music which may contradict the images they portrayed through their music. Still, the topics of the songs were what they were, and all he’s done is point that out… not even to denigrate it, but rather to say “That ain’t me.” I can’t hate on that. People are too offended these days…it happens all the time. I don’t understand being offended by someone simply stating the facts … other than it offends them that Waylon and others lived that lifestyle for a while.
I don’t think Waylon would have been offended by what was said. Of course, I don’t know that Waylon would pay too much attention.
Trigger
July 14, 2015 @ 11:34 am
“but didn”™t the Outlaws sing about being strung out on drugs? Didn”™t they sing about laying in the gutter? Didn”™t they sing about going to jail?”
This is an unfair and inaccurate portrayal of “Outlaws,” and specifically of Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard who were specifically named in the quote as well, and that is why the quotes brought so much controversy. Was it blown out of proportion? Probably so. I’ve been over it since last Friday. I also commend Luke Bryan for reaching out to Jessi and others to apologize. But that doesn’t change that what Luke Bryan said was still an incorrect assessment of “Outlaw” history and should have been apologized for.
” I don”™t understand being offended by someone simply stating the facts.”
But they are not facts, they are fallacies. If you take the libraries of Willie, Waylon, and Merle songs, maybe 2% of the songs reference drugs, and that’s even skewed by Willie’s recent output, and none of them talk about “living in the gutter.” It was hyperbole passed off as fact.
Cool Lester Smooth
July 14, 2015 @ 2:25 pm
Yeah, it’s one thing to reference Steve Earle and TVZ for that shit, but it’s just dumb to talk about Merle and Willie.
dukes
July 15, 2015 @ 4:04 pm
It’s not an “unfair portrayal” Trigger…it’s what some of the songs were about. No songwriter and no singer would say that naming the topics of his/her songs is an unfair portrayal. I’m not claiming the Outlaw MOVEMENT was about that. I’m not claiming that every song was about that. I don’t think Luke was either, and that’s why I’m saying that his statements were sensationalized. Saying that The Outlaws were about Drug Use, Jail Time and Gutter Life is no less fair than saying Luke Bryan’s music is about Girls in Bikini Tops, Parking by the Riverbank, and his jacked up truck. Yes, some of his songs are about that… but not all of them are. Many of the Outlaw’s songs WEREN’T about the topics he lists, but some were.
And actually, MANY of the Outlaw songs were about bedding women, or about lost loves, or about being the ONE MAN that the woman should choose… and many of Luke’s songs are about that too.
Like I said in my original comment, I’m no Luke Bryan fan. I was once. When he first showed up, he had some real solid country music songwriting going on. I was a fan. Now, I’m not. If I listen to the entire catalogs of Merle, Waylon and Willie, (of which I’ve probably hit about 75 – 100 collectively) I’ll find numerous songs I don’t like in there as well.
Also, the “living in the gutter” comment could have just as easily been metaphor as hyperbole. There are numerous songs in the aforementioned catalogs that speak of the darker side of bad choices. They speak being left in a loveless place…which could be the gutter just as much as any other location.
And for MikeO – why don’t you do a little research yourself, hoss? You’ll find that I cover David Allen Coe, Merle Haggard, Waylon, Cash, and many of the others in my own shows. I’ve released a version of Merle’s “Mama Tried”, which Ben Haggard apparently found interesting enough to toss a favorite at on Twitter. I don’t speak without any knowledge of the topic. Some of y’all take your hero worship a bit too far. Waylon had no qualms with people knowing about his struggles…and in fact, put them into his music. He DID sing about drinking, despite what Karl wants to say. He DID sing about prison (though he didn’t write “Ain’t living long like this”). Mostly, he sang about affairs of the heart. I know. Perhaps that’s why his family, and fans like yourself, take so much offense to what was said. But, Waylon wasn’t the only person in the outlaw country movement, and he wasn’t the only name included in Luke’s list.
Other members of the movement: David Allan Coe, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson … I don’t think you’ll find a lack of songs about Prison, Drugs, and possibly even some “gutter life” in those. There were many others (and still are)… and many of the “Outlaws” today do sing about harder stuff than Waylon, Willie and Merle did. Perhaps THAT is what he was referring to.
The funny thing is, Luke said he wasn’t trying to insult any of those men whom he considers heroes, but people don’t want to accept that. You’ll say “oh, he apologized…but he still MEANT what we inferred”… it’s entirely possible that what you inferred, was incorrect in the first place.
Pablo J. Davis
June 10, 2021 @ 9:14 pm
You said it: “it’s what ***SOME*** of the songs were about.” Luke painted all Merle’s, Willie’s & Waylon’s music with that brush. That made it an unfair, even ridiculous, portrayal.
karl
July 15, 2015 @ 1:44 am
“but didn”™t the Outlaws sing about being strung out on drugs? Didn”™t they sing about laying in the gutter? Didn”™t they sing about going to jail?” In a word, “NO”. Luke Bryan has probably sang as much about that as Waylon ever did. I don’t understand why people think he sang drinking and drugging songs. He just didn’t. Every third line on country radio today is an alcohol or smoking (and I dont mean cigars) reference, but you can listen to whole albums of Waylon and not hear any of that except one or two songs. It just didn’t happen. Believe me, I have a pretty good collection that I listen to.
MikeO
July 15, 2015 @ 4:18 am
Hey dukes, why don’t you research that yourself and get back with us. The fix will be two fold, we won’t waste time reading totally wrong posts and you will find one of the best performers to ever walk this earth. Give it a shot.
lisa
July 15, 2015 @ 4:40 am
Even though he does hunt, fish, tailgate, etc, does that mean thats ALL he has to sing about? Kenny Chesney sang a song about a man who screwed things up with his wife and ended up in AA – something that didn’t actually happen to him, but didnt make it any less meaningful for his fans. Eric Church sang about a murderer on death row – does that make Eric a murderer on death row? (and hes supposedly a “friend” of Luke’s – wonder what he thought of those comments?). Just because he likes to hunt, fish, and party, does that mean he has nothing ELSE going on in his life? Just because those are a few things you do, does that mean that its ALL you do?
Also, if he claims to be drawing on his own life for musical inspiration, why isn’t he singing about what his life truly is? He is a happily married 38 year old man, with two young sons, but has also had a lot of tragedy in his life. Why doesn’t he sing about any of that, if hes so dedicated to singing about how he “lives?” I’m sure he has loyal fans, but maybe his connection to them would be deeper if he sang about REAL life.
As a 30 year old starting a family, I’d rather hear about THOSE things than hear about a man his age just wanting to party. Its not believable.
dukes
July 15, 2015 @ 4:14 pm
Lisa – I can’t speak too much to the entirety of what he sings about. I don’t buy his albums. As for why he releases what he releases, it’s because labels make those decisions, and they release what sells. Often times, artists put songs on the album they feel and truly believe in, and then other songs they know will sell buttloads of downloads. Take a guess which ones the labels push.
“Drink a Beer” seems to be the major outlier in recent memory for him… and it was full of good imagery and heart. And, it sold a bunch and moved up the charts. But, labels don’t often push those songs… because too many of those songs on the radio could actually affect people emotionally. Can’t have that. We gotta have dem beats.
mike ward
July 14, 2015 @ 11:12 am
Too many pretty boy.pop/crossover hat singers……What would Mr Bryan say bout Hank N Lefty drinking, …worlds a silly place
Josh
July 14, 2015 @ 11:14 am
I can’t stand his music or anything about his “act” but I honestly feel Luke Bryan is a good guy who had no intentions of offending anyone. It was a complete poor choice of words that probably sounded more innocent in his head than when they were spoken. What I find to be more frustrating is the fact that he thinks that it’s okay to continue to put out incredibly shallow music. Just because you enjoy hunting, fishing, driving in your truck and drinking beer, that doesn’t mean each song has to be one giant cliche. He is a 40 year old father of two. He has lost his sister and his brother in law at an early age and is now raising his nephew. You can’t tell me that he can’t put those experiences into his music. The one attempt he made at it was “Drink a Beer”. Listening to that was like diving into the deep end of a pool head first, only to find out that its 2 feet deep. Each verse built up pretty nicely only to be finished off with, “… and drink a beer”. The fact that at 40 yrs old, he still continues to perform and sing like a college kid is the most egregious part of this whole “controversy”.
Joshua R.
July 14, 2015 @ 5:51 pm
Spot on. The guys talented. I just wish he’d put it to some use. What he did here by personally apologizing is real stand up.
BwareDWare94
July 14, 2015 @ 9:30 pm
The sad truth about Luke Bryan is that he’s another “album cuts” artist. There’s some good stuff you’d never listen to because his singles are pure garbage. Aldean falls into the same category. They’re just too easy to hate to attract a more mature audience.
JC Eldredge
July 14, 2015 @ 11:20 am
I agree with Dukes. People are too offended these days. They love to be outraged about something, even when it has nothing to do with them. I’ve never listened to a Shooter Jennings song in my life, but he really showed class and maturity with that response. Luke manned up and took care of the issue privately. If the widow and the son of one of these legends aren’t offended, and basically agree with what Luke said in the first place, then this should end the witch hunt.
Trigger
July 14, 2015 @ 1:13 pm
“and basically agree with what Luke said in the first place”
So we’re all in agreement that Merle Haggard’s music is generally about “laying in the gutter, strung out on drugs”? That’s ridiculous. What Luke Bryan said was ludicrous, and needed to be taken exception with.
I’m totally with you in saying let’s bury this matter and move on like Jessi and Shooter have decided to do. But let’s not let Luke Bryan and others go back and rewrite history.
Cool Lester Smooth
July 14, 2015 @ 2:30 pm
I don’t think he was trying to say that’s what Merle’s music is about, although it did come off that way. After all, Merle wasn’t even an “Outlaw.”
I think he was trying to say “If you want to listen to Merle/Willie/Waylon, listen to Merle/Willie/Waylon. If you want to listen to ‘real’ songs about being strung out on coke in the gutter (i.e. a lot of Steve Earle’s stuff), listen to songs by people who have ever been strung out on coke in the gutter. The most exciting thing I’ve ever done is get drunk and try to sleep with equally drunk girls, so that’s what I sing about. If you like that, then listen to me.”
He just phrased it in a terrible, ineloquent way that inadvertently (and rightfully) offended a bunch of people.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
July 14, 2015 @ 2:57 pm
I think Sturgill or Isbell or Vince Gill could have gotten away with a quote like that. I think the backlash comes partly from who’s saying it. Of course, neither of those three guys would have said it in the first place.
Cool Lester Smooth
July 14, 2015 @ 3:01 pm
Hah, precisely.
And even if they had said it, it would have been in the context of Isbell saying something like “I was too worried about where my next drink was coming from to even think about harder drugs.”
The reason we’re so pissed at Bryant is precisely because he hasn’t had any real suffering to sing about (other than Drink A Beer, which I actually quite like. He’s got a hell of a voice, despite everything he says and records).
Fuzzy TwoShirts
July 14, 2015 @ 3:07 pm
The dude’s voice is extremely limited, in terms of range. Tonally, he’s a spectacular singer. I think his best song for showcasing it was “I Know You’re Gonna Be There.” That said, tonality and range aside, his vocals don’t “do” anything. He doesn’t wail or moan or bend or slide like Walser, or Jones, and on top of that, he doesn’t sound emotionally invested in his songs, really; Mr. Bryan doesn’t have any musical soul to speak of.
Heyday
July 15, 2015 @ 3:29 am
Except Sturgill or Isbell or Vince Gill have enough heart and soul — and enough grounding in the history of country music — to not say something like that. They would know that what Bryan said is ludicrous on its face. That’s part of the problem with Bryan; he’s a poser who doesn’t know the history of the genre he’s a part of. To steal a line from the late Ann Richards, Bryan was born on third base and thinks he hit a triple.
Liza
July 16, 2015 @ 6:32 am
What he said was unnecessary and meaningless. He should be able to defend what he does without comparisons.
“You got that sun tan skirt and boots
Waiting on you to look my way and scoot
Your little hot self over here
Girl hand me another beer, yeah!”
Andrew
July 14, 2015 @ 9:03 pm
To be fair, Merle is the most “outlaw” of any of them at least in the way the word has been misappropriated by the industry in recent years. He’s the only one of them who’s done real prison time.
MikeO
July 15, 2015 @ 4:22 am
That is not what “outlaw” means. Outlaw music had zero to do with prison. Merle was not an outlaw, neither was Cash or Paycheck or Coe.
JC Eldredge
July 14, 2015 @ 6:10 pm
“and basically agree with what Luke said in the first place”
So we”™re all in agreement that Merle Haggard”™s music is generally about “laying in the gutter, strung out on drugs”?
Where in my post did it say anything about Merle Haggard?? I said the Jennings family agreed that too many people want new people to sound like the old people and that’s not the way it is. I said nothing about anyone saying anyone’s music had any specific tone. Geez.
Trigger
July 14, 2015 @ 7:19 pm
You didn’t mention Merle Haggard, but Luke Bryan did, and it felt just as random as it did in my response to your comment. That was the point.
All I’m saying here is that we can agree that the whole issue was overblown and that Shooter and Jessi did the right thing by accepting Luke Bryan’s apology, but that still doesn’t mean that what Luke Bryan said wasn’t fundamentally flawed logic in the first place. If it wasn’t flawed, this situation would have never escalated like it did to become overblown. It was the fallacy of Luke’s comments that fueled the viral event.
Alex
July 14, 2015 @ 1:15 pm
Being criticized for banging Katy Perry sounds like a criticism I could live with.
Seriously though, this whole situation was blown way out of proportion.
Clint
July 14, 2015 @ 1:37 pm
Trigger,
Don’t you find it really strange, that Shooter and his friends trolled your site for 2 weeks, for no reason; yet he’s quick to forgive someone with whom he had a reason to be angry?
Fuzzy TwoShirts
July 14, 2015 @ 2:39 pm
I don’t think he had much reason to be angry with Luke Bryan, the dude didn’t say anything super offensive, he just said something that came out wrong. I had a show like that the other night, whenever I tried to introduce a song I just sounded stupid. And then some fool unplugged my bass so there’s poor ol’ TwoShirts turning up the bass volume and nobody can hear me because I’m not plugged in. At any rate I sure feel like I sounded stupid.
As for the trolls, they’re kind of funny, in a dark humor sense.
Clint
July 14, 2015 @ 3:16 pm
Okay Fuzz, but he had zero reason to be angry Trigg, which is my point.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
July 14, 2015 @ 3:40 pm
Okay I see where you’re thinking. Honestly I’ve been a regular here for two years, and the Trig/Jennings feud only ever came up with those Hensley articles. Kathy seems to think that Trigger and I are the same lonely dude living in our parent’ basement (I live on the main floor with my parents) running this blog and using the two accounts to double team people.
Maria El Dorado
July 14, 2015 @ 5:43 pm
Actually he did have a reason to be mad with Trigger. He posted his best friend’s police report (which the police agreed should NOT have been given to him, and the family of the deceased had full rights to sue the police over this, but they did not because it wasn’t worth it). That’s why they came in here and were telling him off, which is exactly what he wanted. Do your homework.
Trigger
July 14, 2015 @ 7:45 pm
That is incorrect Maria.
First off, I was receiving death threats from Shooter Jennings fans even before I published the police report, and en masse. There was a headlong effort to smear and discredit Saving Country Music and to use coercion and intimidation to bully me into taking down by Jon Hensley obituary 48 hours before the police report was ever published. So let’s not pretend that the police report was the impetus for the conflict. A heartfelt and information obituary of it was.
Secondly, the idea that the police report was given out by the Bowling Green police department wrongfully, or that I posted the police report wrongfully or illegally is false. When I spoke to Bowling Green police spokesman, officer Ronnie Ward, simply looking for information about the Jon Hensley case, the police report was volunteered to me, and I was told it was cleared for posting verbatim. Two days after I posted the report, after all the drama had transpired, I called and spoke to officer Ronnie Ward again who assured me I had done nothing wrong. Then I spoke to the detective in the case, Detective Merriss, about 12 days later, and he assured me, “You did nothing wrong.” He also said that he hadn’t even heard any concern about the police report being posted until over a week after I had posted it. As Officer Ward explained to me, “There are two sides of the building,” meaning there’s detectives who may not want to release information, and then there are public information officers whose job is to make sure the department is adhering to the Freedom of Information Act.
I received numerous emails from individuals gloating that I had broken the law by posting the police report, and for it, Saving Country Music was going to be sued, and likely shut down. Of course, this was never even a possibility, but these emails prove that to many, it’s not about taking exception to my coverage of the death of Jon Hensley, this is about using the death of Jon Hensley to attempt to destroy this website. Meanwhile Saving Country Music has been the authoritative source for stamping out the irresponsible, and sometimes callous rumors of how Jon Hensley died, and preaching patience to everyone to let facts tell the story instead of conjecture.
Heyday
July 15, 2015 @ 10:18 am
You’ve got it bass-ackwards, Maria. Under Kentucky’s Open Meetings and Open Records Laws, the police report is considered a public record. In fact, had the police not provided it to Trigger upon his request, they would have been in violation of the law, which is a crime.
Here’s the law, in case you want to educate yourself about it:
http://www.lrc.ky.gov/lrcpubs/openmtgsrecords.pdf
I somehow doubt you’ll read it, though. The facts will get in the way of your rant.
Matty T
July 14, 2015 @ 1:40 pm
Ben Haggard tweeted that Luke called him and made an apology to him and the entire Haggard family.
See Ya
July 14, 2015 @ 2:07 pm
I’m not sure why you’re putting quotes around taken out of context. That wasn’t a term/excuse Luke used in his response.
What he said is that the comments were being positioned/interpreted differently than he intended, and I think that’s pretty obviously correct. I don’t think anyone here actually thinks his goal was to say “These guys whom I’ve referred to as personal heroes are actually trashy drug addicts who slept around and then passed out in the gutter.”
He’s absolutely responsible for the potential misinterpretation due his a) reckless use of the term outlaw country and b) juxtaposition of artists identified as outlaw country artists with that rant against outlaw country. And while I absolutely do believe his real intent was to explain why he makes the kind of music he does (and not the kind of music blogs think he should be making), I also believe he got needlessly defensive – and then offensive – with his response. As a public figure, genre ambassador and role model, he’s responsible for what he says in interviews. Apologizing to the families was the correct, appropriate, classy move.
But that doesn’t mean he MEANT to insult Merle, Willie and Waylon.
Trigger
July 14, 2015 @ 2:16 pm
I agree he didn’t mean to insult Willie, Waylon, and Merle, but that was the end result. But he apologized, and we should all move on. I moved on days ago. At this point I’m just covering the developments.
Melissa
July 14, 2015 @ 2:13 pm
Nice move, for real. I guess I’ll stop disparaging Luke’s character and go back to disparaging his terrible music.
Fuzzy TwoShirts
July 14, 2015 @ 2:47 pm
Luke Bryan must have been the most hysterical grade-schooler ever, right up with Michael Bay.
Teacher: Luke, why are all these 2nd graders following you around?
sixth grade Luke has no comment.
Teacher: Luke, the assignment was to draw a picture of a family. Why is there no house?
Luke: because the family is on spring break!
Teacher: And why are all the women in cutoffs?
Teacher: Mr. Bay, we need to discuss your son. He’s blown up five desks this week, and it’s only Tuesday.
pete marshall
July 14, 2015 @ 4:58 pm
You need to watch what you say Thomas Luther Bryan Aka Luke Bryan. You making a big ass of yourself saying this nonsense Lukie.
pete marshall
July 14, 2015 @ 9:16 pm
Anyway at least you apologized for your actions that is very classy of you next time Luke you need to watch what you say just like Blake Shelton last year or two. move on
Harlem Prairie
July 14, 2015 @ 5:04 pm
Giving our Georgia home a bad name, this “boy” is. Ole Luke’s from right near my kinpeople & thus drawing my ire. Least he showed some act right by apologizing to Miz Colter…but the real issue & culture fissure remains for his deracinated, suburbanized cohort – their cultural amnesia. Which plagues my sister’s university students, but a 40 yr-old daddy has no call for. Clap back over the insult may be done done; yet I’m still waiting to see a grown-ass man on disc with some relevant stories to tell, as I strive to deeply extol the Mysteries of the Red Clay in song from my high-tech garret. And hopefully Shooter hisself will get back to the glory road when I knew him. There’s a surfeit of manchildren dominating every other genre & art form, but I was raised on MEN & dadgummit if Luke don’t need to go down to the Crossroads & plead to the Ghost of Teddy Pendergrass – since his flock’s so femini(zed). Hit the swamp for a year then reemerge
Carolyn
July 14, 2015 @ 5:25 pm
this guy is a douche, but doesn’t owe Kathy Jennings anything. As I said in another post, she seems to insert herself in other people’s drama. She stirred up a ton of unnecessary shit in some of those Jon Hensley posts.
luckyoldsun
July 14, 2015 @ 5:33 pm
Total number of Cash, Willie, Merle, Waylon, Billy Joe discs in my collection: 180 (est’d.)
Total number of Luke Bryan discs in my collection: 0 (actual).
Total number of Cash, Willie, Merle, Waylon, Billy Joe live performances that I’ve attended: 9 (est’d.)
Total number of Luke live performances that I’ve attended: 0 (actual)
That’s where I’m coming from.
That being said, enough with this “I’m offended at what Luke said.”
It’s like a parody of politically correct victimization crap.
I don’t agree with what Luke said about the Outlaws, but be offended? Gosh.
How prissy.
The only sane reaction to Luke’s comments about the Outlaws comes straight from Merle, circa 1975:
“If anybody says I ever gave a damn,
they damn sure told you wrong.”
CAH
July 15, 2015 @ 2:58 pm
I agree completely.
Getting offended is a cottage industry these days.
The First Amendment envisions that we can offend others, not always without consequence, but we can certainly do so.
I was watching Dateline or ABC’s 20/20 this morning and it was rather refreshing to hear a defense lawyer (for a guy who wrongfully served 13 years) call a lying prosecutor a liar. The prosecutor had sat on exculpatory evidence and then blamed it on one of the cops.
Can anyone imagine Waylon Jennings telling someone he was offended?
Waylon may have slugged the guy or written a song about him, but he sure wouldn’t say he was offended.
To the Bryan’s credit, though, he made a mistake and, apparently called the folks he could have offended and made amends.
That doesn’t mean I am going to buy his CDs, though, or go to the drunkfests that they pass off as concerts these days.
Ron
July 14, 2015 @ 6:06 pm
I really don’t think Bryan intended to insult anyone especially compared to something like the “jackasses and old farts” comment from BS. I still say the more stupid point of the whole interview is that a nearly 40 year old guy says he has nothing he can write about or relate to except for fishing, picking up 20 y.o.’s in shorts and drinking beer.
He’s fallen in love (I assume probably fallen out at least once), had kids, has had close family members die and probably had a few other life experiences. I assume he has at some point watched TV or saw a news story about someone or something that made him think or feel something. Yet, all he claims he can sing about is hotties in his truck.
Kelcy
July 14, 2015 @ 6:20 pm
I was of the impression that what he was attempting to say was that he is only capable of writing what he knows, “method acting” for songwriting material is the only way he can produce fresh lyrical material, and as such would have to develop of cocaine addiction that led to a severe self-destructive spiral would be the only way that he could produce enjoyable music for anyone over 13 or with an IQ in the triple digits.
That was the takeaway I got from it. I honestly took it as an apology for the kiddie pop he churns out.
That said, I can see where it could be taken as offensive rather than simple-minded, so it was very big of him to call the artists & family personally to apologize, whether he was advised to do so or not. He actually earned a small bit of my respect by doing so, not that anyone on earth cares whether I respect Mr Brian as a man or not.
Big Cat
July 14, 2015 @ 6:55 pm
^^^ Moving on. His comments were very disrespectful and that’s why he’s calling the families. Luke did the right thing apologizing. Moving on.
TX MUSIC JIM
July 14, 2015 @ 7:29 pm
He apologized so good, he did the right thing, as Trig said now we move on.
pete marshall
July 14, 2015 @ 9:05 pm
I give him props at least he apologized but the damage is done. So carry on
Ben
July 15, 2015 @ 8:58 am
I don’t like Luke even a tiny bit, but I think that calling Jessi and apologizing to her personally was a class move. I think the whole thing got blown out of proportion. What he said was dumb, but it didn’t really seem like he was trying to be a prick.
Jen
July 16, 2015 @ 2:19 am
So, it’s possible that the apology was more about looking after his $$$. A lot of times that’s the reason for apologies. IMO
Charlie
July 16, 2015 @ 7:19 am
So LB apologized for what he said, when will Kathy Pinkerman Jennings apologize for what SHE said?
Daron
July 16, 2015 @ 5:45 pm
yall can say what u want the music that is played on the country station is a bunch of crap ain’t even country but they play that crap all the time if it wasn’t for Waylon , Merle haggard and willie that so called country would even be on the radio me personally don’t see why they play such awful music cause it ain’t country
I Don’t Think Waylon Done It This Way | For The Country Record
July 19, 2015 @ 11:11 am
[…] Grady Smith’s Guardian piece Trigger’s Saving Country Music piece […]
cilla
July 20, 2015 @ 8:20 pm
This article is a must read. “Grady’s Guardian piece.” Good read thanks for posting it.
Pablo J. Davis
June 10, 2021 @ 9:11 pm
1) Luke’s music (at least the few songs of his I’ve heard) strikes me as about 1 inch deep—barely qualifies as “shallow.”
2) Luke is probably not to blame for that, mostly. It sounds like a commercially driven thing. But there are artists who take a stand for what they believe in. Not clear if he’s one of them. Maybe there’s stuff of his I don’t know about. Or, maybe it will happen in the future.
3) Luke does seem like a genuine, down to earth, and likeable guy. And I give him his propers for apologizing to those he did call (did he call Willie or any of his kids?). That’s definitely not easy, as Ben Haggard rightly recognized. Though the “quoted out of context” defense is a little lame.
4) Merle’s, Willie’s, and Waylon’s (and Johnny’s) (and others’) catalogs are way deeper and richer than the marketing label of “Outlaws” would imply or than Luke’s ignorant (imho) comment about people “strung out on drugs, lying in the gutter.”
5) I think Luke also sets up a straw man with his comment about people who “want Merle, Waylon, and Willie.” My real problem with most of today’s country is not that it doesn’t sound like those artists or other greats of, say, the 60s, 70s, or 80s—it’s that it shows no relationship to those traditions. It’s like an alien life form came, put on big hats, and called themselves “country.” Put another way: I have nothing against the music evolving, but as far as I can hear, most of the music called country today, commercially speaking that is, and sung by male artists in particular, doesn’t sound to me like it evolved in any way from Merle, or George, or Marty, or Tom T, or Waylon, or Conway, or Cash, and so on. (For some reason this seems less true of the female artists, their music tends to sound, at least to my ears, like it has some link to great traditions/ artists like Loretta, Tammy, Dolly, Tanya etc.)
6) “Somewhere on Skid Row” (Merle) or “Six White Horses” (Waylon) or “Half a Man” (Willie): If I ever heard a song anywhere near as beautiful, well written, well sung, and deep, and well played on contemporary country radio, I’d be so happy I’d be jumping out of my skin. When you’ve grown up on music that good, it’s hard to get excited at the latest snap-track hymn to driving a pickup truck on a dirt road with girlfriend in short shorts in the passenger seat, drinking beer and getting horny. (Yeah, I guess I did some stereotyping there myself.)
Scott J Cooper
April 30, 2023 @ 11:08 pm
Is it just me or is Fuzzy Two Shirts a complete dilwad?
Thanks