Jason Isbell Criticizes CMA For Not Honoring John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker, Billy Joe Shaver

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Jason Isbell. Photo: Alysse Gafkjen

Jason Isbell spoke out against the Country Music Association on Thursday (Nov. 12) for not including the late singer-songwriters John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Billy Joe Shaver during its CMA Awards telecast on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Writing on Twitter, the four-time Grammy winner Isbell said he, along with Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit band-member and wife Amanda Shires, would be returning their CMA membership cards.

Isbell, a four-time Grammy winner, wrote Nov. 12 on Twitter, “Due to CMAs 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. I doubt anybody will care, but we cared a lot about our heroes.”

While this year’s CMA Awards opened with a tribute to the late Charlie Daniels, and paid homage to Mac Davis, Kenny Rogers and Joe Diffie, the show did not include mentions of the recent deaths of Prine, Walker or Shaver.

The Country Music Association released the following statement to MusicRow Magazine:

“The CMA Awards broadcast historically does not include an In Memoriam segment. An In Memoriam did air in 2017 to honor the victims of the tragic shooting at Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas. In order to recognize those we have lost each year, the CMA does include an In Memoriam tribute on our website and in our annual CMA Awards Program Guide, which was mailed to CMA members ahead of this year’s broadcast. To note, this year’s In Memoriam includes those lives lost prior to the program guide’s printing deadline of Oct. 14, 2020.”

Americana icon Prine died April 7 at age 73, following a battle with coronavirus. Prine’s career has been honored by the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Grammys, Americana Association, and more. Prine, known for penning songs including “Sam Stone,” “Angel From Montgomery,” and “Hello In There,” also penned George Strait’s 1998 hit “I Just Wanna Dance With You,” which earned Prine a CMA nomination for Song of the Year.

Texas native Walker is known for penning “Mr. Bojangles,” and died Oct. 23 at 78, following a battle with cancer. Shaver’s songs have been recorded by Waylon Jennings (whose 1973 album Honky Tonk Heroes was comprised of nearly all Shaver songs), Elvis Presley and more; Shaver died Oct. 28, at age 81.

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit’s album The Nashville Sound was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2017 CMA Awards.

Jessica Nicholson
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