John Carter Cash Responds To Shaboozey & Megan Moroney’s AMAs Controversy

Shaboozey And Megan Moroney Created A Viral Moment At The American Music Awards

While the pair of musicians was presenting the AMA for Best Country Duo or Group, Shaboozey and Megan Moroney inadvertently created a viral moment.

Shaboozey presented the award by saying, “Country music has been part of AMA history. The very first year of the show, the Favorite Male Country Artist went to the great Charley Pride.”

Moroney added, “That same year, Favorite Female Artist went to Lynn Anderson, and this award [Favorite Duo or Group] went to The Carter Family, who basically invented country music.”

Shaboozey’s reaction to this statement created the viral moment. He looked perplexed and switched between looking at the camera and Moroney a couple of times.

Fans Praised Shaboozey’s Reaction

Many fans pointed out that while they helped make country music famous and bring it to the masses, The Carter Family did not “basically invent” country music.

See some online reactions below.

“Brother man did everything he could to bite his tongue and stayed professional in that very moment. Credit to him!”

“I applaud him for maintaining his composure”

“All we can say is… Bless her heart.”

“This is so funny look at his facial expression and the laugh. Basically he’s telling her to stop lying girl.”

“It’s the side eye and laugh. We hear you my guy.”

“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.”

“Glad to see his reaction to her mistake but he handled it like a gentleman and with class. Thank you Shaboozzy (sic) for being the bigger person here.”

“His side eye is valid cause what is she talking about”

“THE CHUCKLEEEEE he said ‘anywayyyyy’”

“Shaboozey wrote a whole damn essay with that look.”

Shaboozey Responds To The Viral Moment..And Also Defends Megan

The following day, Shaboozey took to X to respond to the viral moment that created lots of chatter online.

He first posted, “The real history of country music is about people coming together depsite their differences, and embracing and celebrating the things that make us alike.” His next post read, “When you uncover the true history of country music, you find a story so powerful that it cannot be erased..”

Finally, in a now-deleted X post, Shaboozey wrote, “Google: Lesley Riddle, Steve Tartar, Harry Gay, Defoe Bailey, and The Carter Family…”

If you Google the names the singer was telling us to, you will find out that The Carter Family began performing in 1927 and was country music’s first vocal group. Their success is due in large part to an African American man named Lesley Riddle, a close friend of AP Carter’s.

Riddle traveled around with AP collecting songs anywhere in between Tennessee and Virginia. Riddle would memorize melodies, while AP would write down the lyrics to the songs they heard in all the churches in these isolated towns. The Carter Family recorded many songs that Riddle composed or transmitted including “Cannonball Blues,” “Hello Stranger,” “I Know What It Means To Be Lonesome,” “Let the Church Roll On,” “Bear Creek Blues,” “March Winds Goin’ Blow My Blues Away” and “Lonesome For You.”

He taught a guitar technique to Maybelle Carter, who has always credited Riddle as a major influence on her style of picking. Fans seemed to believe that Shaboozey was reacting to Moroney leaving out the influence that African Americans, and other races, had on the country music genre and that no one person or group can be credited for inventing it.

Shortly after, he also defended Moroney in the comment section of one of her Instagram posts. 

He said, “Just want to clear something up: my reaction at the AMAs had nothing to do with Megan Moroney! She’s an incredibly talented, hard-working artist who’s doing amazing things for country music and I’ve got nothing but respect for her. I’ve seen some hateful comments directed at her today, and that’s not what this moment was about. Let’s not twist the message – she is amazing and someone who represents the country community in the highest light!”

A Member Of The Carter Family Responds

John Carter Cash, the son of Johnny Cash and June Carter, took to Instagram to address the viral moment from the AMAs. His grandmother is Maybelle Carter, an original member of The Carter Family.

“It should be noted that the original Carter family were humble Mountain people, farmers and hard-working country folk who survived through the depression by making $50 a song at their recording sessions,” he wrote. “It took a village to make this happen. But AP Carter went door-to-door, from rail yard to church yard, seeking out songs. He had a lot of help from a man named Lesley Riddle, but AP was well educated and helped formulate the songs. Lesley never forgot a melody, AP never forgot a lyric. Basically the Carter family created the 2 1/2 minute country song with verses and choruses.”

John finished his post by writing, “If it had not been for my grandmother, Maybelle, country Guitar may very well have not been created. She was not only influenced by black musicians like Lesley, but by Mexican mariachi players for that matter. And gospel music, and Celtic folk songs. It’s a melting pot. That’s what America is.”

He also made another post defending his family. See it here.

See John’s post below.