Shaboozey Is Going Viral For His Facial Reaction To Megan Moroney At The AMAs, And Now He's Speaking Out
The country singers took the stage together to present the award for favorite country duo or group, an accolade that ultimately went to Dan + Shay.
But it's what happened before the winners were announced that has people talking. Shaboozey kicked it off by reading his portion on the teleprompter: 'Country music has been an important part of AMA history. The very first year of this show, the award for favorite male country artist went to the great Charlie Pride."
Megan followed up with: 'That same year, favorite female artist went to Lynn Anderson, and this award [favorite country duo or group] went to the Carter family, who basically invented country music.'
It was that last statement that seemed to catch Shaboozey completely off guard. I don't know if Megan improvised that line or what, but the "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" singer immediately side-eyed her after she said it. He then appeared to take a second to digest what she said before he let out a laugh, and proceeded to present the category.
The Carter Family she was referring to was not Beyoncé and Jay-Z (Hey, Cowboy Carter), but actually an American folk music group from the late 1920s, who were given the title of 'the first family of country music,' according to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The group was made up of Sara Carter, her husband A.P. Carter, and her first cousin/sister-in-law Maybelle Carter.
The family band spawned other family ensembles, including The Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle. Maybelle is also the mother of five-time Grammy Award winner, singer/songwriter June Carter Cash, who also happens to be the second wife of Johnny Cash.
Outside of hit songs like "Wildwood Flower," "Worried Man Blues," and "Keep on the Sunny Side," the group is also recognized for coining a unique guitar technique referred to as the "Carter Scratch" or "Carter Family Picking," thanks to Maybelle.
So why the face from Shaboozey? Well, when it comes to the creation of popular music genres, the influence Black people have had on shaping them is often ignored, and ultimately goes unnoticed or forgotten. This particularly happens in genres that are heavily populated by white musicians, like rock & roll and country.
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Instruments like the banjo actually originated in West Africa. It was created by enslaved Africans using an enlarged gourd, stretched animal skin, and other materials. And as you may know, the banjo is very prominent in genres like country, folk, bluegrass, and jazz.
Well, earlier today, Shaboozey took to X (better known as Twitter) to refresh the memories of those who might not be familiar with the names of some of the founding members and artists who helped mold country music into what it is today. One of the names he included was Lesley Riddle, who actually taught Maybelle Carter the "Carter Scratch" and wrote several songs for the Carter Family. He played a significant role in framing what is now known as country music. Lesley is often referred to as the "founder of country music."
This tweet has since been deleted, possibly due to some spelling errors. After some research, the only artist I could find outside of Lesley Riddle and the Carter Family, was DeFord Bailey — one of the Grand Ole Opry's most popular early performers.
He then reflected on how their stories are rarely mentioned when it comes to the history of country music, but after learning about the influential figures on his own, he knew their legacy could never be "erased," no matter how much people tried.
He concluded his tweets by explaining what he believed to be the essence of country music:
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And of course, it caused quite a stir on the internet:
American Music Awards / Twitter: @beyoncegarden
While some users on YouTube also had some opinions to share:
"According to the PBS documentary on the history of country music, the Carter Family started off by doing covers of Black folk and gospel songs. And then later hired and became close friends with a black country legend named "Lesley Riddle". Who was the inventor of the famous country guitar picking style Who then became a mentor, freind producer and co writer for the family," wrote one person.
"Love Shaboozey and his candid yet contained reaction. I also think folks ought to cut Megan some slack. Presenters at awards shows don't write their own script. Their job is to read whatever it is the producers put in the teleprompter," wrote another.
You can watch the full moment below:
What do you think of his reaction? Let me know in the comments.
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