Grand Ole Opry slammed for Morgan Wallen performance
By Lisa Respers France, CNN
Morgan Wallen’s performance at the Grand Ole Opry this past weekend has caused a backlash.
The singer, who was suspended by his label and dropped by several radio stations last year after video of him using a racial slur surfaced, appeared with his Big Loud label mate ERNEST at the legendary venue to perform their new collaboration, “Flower Shops.”
Wallen apologized for using the racial slur.
A tweet on the Grand Ole Opry’s verified Twitter account sharing news of the performance caused a firestorm of protest.
It also helped resurface a tweet from country music’s most esteemed stage, posted during the racial unrest following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
“Racism is real. It is unacceptable. And it has no place at The Grand Ole Opry,” that tweet read.
Artist, songwriter and actor Jason Isbell tweeted about it.
“Last night @opry you had a choice- either upset one guy and his ‘team,’ or break the hearts of a legion of aspiring Black country artists,” he wrote. “You chose wrong and I’m real sad for a lot of my friends today. Not surprised though. Just sad.”
Grammy nominated artist Allison Russell, who is biracial, tweeted “the rot of bigotry permeating mainstream country is rough.”
“But take [heart emoji] as #bellhooks said ‘Sometimes people try to destroy you, precisely because they recognize your power-not because they don’t see it, but because they see it & they don’t want it to exist,'” Russell wrote.
The-CNN-Wire
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