Country Stars Come Out in Force to Support Jason Aldean

Jason Aldean performs onstage during the 58th Academy Of Country Music Awards at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, on May 11, 2023. Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Brantley Gilbert and Cody Johnson are the latest Country music singers to come out slinging for Jason Aldean.

Their support comes in the wake of Country Music Television (CMT) pulling Mr. Aldean’s music video for his song “Try That In A Small Town” after media outlets and some on social media criticized it earlier this month, describing it as having “racist and pro-gun lyrics.”

Since then, Mr. Aldean’s single has shot to number one on the iTunes chart and the video has jumped to 16 million views in the past week.

Army veteran, well-known conservative voice, and host of the Dear America podcast Graham Allen posted a video clip of Mr. Gilbert on Sunday, mentioning how upset he was about the flak Mr. Aldean is taking.

“Just a bunch of keyboard warriors hiding behind a cell phone and laptops,” Mr. Gilbert told the crowd, noting that instead of responding on social media, he wrote the song “Bury Me Upside Down.”

A day earlier, Allen posted a video of “Til ‘You Can’t” Country cross-over and hit singer/songwriter Mr. Johnson also coming to Mr. Aldean’s defense during his show at St. Louis’ Chaifetz Arena on July 21. His post was also noted in a piece by Billboard.

“We live in a time where everyone gets pissed off at Jason Aldean for putting out a song,” Mr. Johnson said, during his performance. “If you’re videoing this, and Jason Aldean if you’re seeing this video, you keep it up, brother. You do you, boo boo.”

He went on to note his interpretation of the song as a patriotic one, saying, “If being patriotic makes you an outlaw, then by God, I’ll be an outlaw.”

Country Music Veterans Defend Aldean While Some Popular Artists Voice Criticism

When it comes to the country music community, Mr. Gilbert and Mr. Johnson aren’t alone in their support of the “Dirt Road Anthem” singer. Veteran country musicians including Ted Nugent, Travis Tritt, John Rich, and Lee Greenwood have also spoken out in defense of Mr. Aldean. That’s as Mr. Aldean’s label mate Blanco Brown also defended Mr. Aldean, although he disagreed with the song itself.

Conversely, musical artists Sheryl Crow, Jason Isbell, Margo Price, and Adeem the Artist have been critical of the song and Mr. Aldean.

Crow called the song “not American or small town-like.”

“I’m from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence,” Crow posted last week. “There’s nothing small-town or American about promoting violence. You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting.”

“This is not American or small-town like. It’s just lame,” she continued.

The mass shooting Crow was referring to was at the Route 91 Festival in Las Vegas on Oct. 1, 2017, when Mr. Aldean was on stage performing. The incident is the worst gun massacre in United States history.

It was in May that Mr. Aldean released “Try That In A Small Town” prior to performing it during his Nissan Stadium set at the CMA Fest in June. The video for the song was released on July 14.

The music video portrays leftist violence and lawlessness and includes real-life scenes of rioters around the country wreaking havoc in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis in May of 2020. It also incorporates scenes of protesters spitting at and attacking police officers and convenience stores being ransacked.

Its lyrics state those who “carjack an old lady at a red light” or “pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store” or “cuss out a cop spit in his face” and “stomp on the flag and light it up” to “…try that in a small town” and “see how far ya make it down the road/ ‘round here, we take care of our own.”

A later verse also addresses the right to bear arms with “Got a gun that my granddad gave me/ They say one day they’re gonna round up/ Well, that [expletive] might fly in the city/ Good luck.”

Aldean Doesn’t Back Down

While Mr. Aldean responded to his critics through social media last week, he also spoke Friday during his concert in Cincinnati at the Riverbend Music Center. “In the past 24 hours I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests. These references are not only meritless, but dangerous,” Mr. Aldean wrote in a statement, also noting his presence at Route 91 where so many lost their lives and the recent tragic school shooting in Nashville.

On Friday he told the audience, “It’s been a long week, and I’ve seen a lot of stuff. I’ve seen a lot of stuff suggesting I’m this, suggesting I’m that. Hey, here’s the thing, here’s one thing I feel: I feel everyone’s entitled to their opinion. You can think of something all you want to, it doesn’t mean it’s true–right?” Mr. Aldean said. “What I am is a proud American. I’m proud to be from here. I love our country. I want to see it restored to what it once was before all this [expletive] started happening to us. I love my country, I love my family, and I will do anything to protect that–I can tell you that right now,” he added.