Charley Crockett does not like Gavin Adcock and Morgan Wallen and Morgan Wallen and Gavin Adcock do not like Charley Crockett. This latest feud reflects two very different sides of country music.
It actually started with Beyoncé!
As the genre of country music continues to evolve, the true “country” artists are starting to push back against the artists who play on the radio. Crockett is the most vocal at the moment.
Who is Charley Crockett?
If you are not already familiar with Crockett and his music, it is my distinct honor to introduce you. The Texas-born singer-songwriter falls into the “neotraditional” category of country music.
Neo-country puts an emphasis on the traditional instrumental background of the genre, like the pedal steel guitar and the fiddle. The same can be said for vocal style. There is no autotune. It’s raw.
More simply put, neo-country wants to sound like the country music from the 1940s-1960s.
Crockett’s deep, sonorous voice resembles artists like Hank Williams, Lightnin’ Hopkins, and even some Johnny Cash. He also looks every bit the part of a neo-country artist.
His songs tell a story shaped by his own personal experiences with hardship.
Charley Crockett used to travel from ranch to ranch looking for work in the Pacific Northwest, busked his way across the country, and even experienced homelessness. This was filmed on the subway in 2012:
It was not an easy road to stardom. And I don’t think he would even consider himself to be a “star” even though he has more than 1.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify!
Gavin Adcock and Morgan Wallen are “bro country.”
Charley Crockett started this latest discourse with a post on social media about ‘Cowboy Carter.’ Country music purists were furious that Beyoncé received so much praise for an album that might be more pop, hip hop or even R&B than true kuntri with a k.
Crockett offered a different perspective. He chose to instead focus on the decades of “bro country” that normalized the influence of pop, rap and trap in country music and called out the hypocrisy of those who criticized a Black woman for crossing genres when she was just following the trend.
The 41-year-old did not name any specific names but he very clearly targeted other “bro country” artists who do not respect the traditions of the genre. That includes Morgan Wallen.
Gavin Adcock previously said that ‘Cowboy Carter’ was not country music and would never be country music, claiming the project hurt other country artists’ standing on the charts. He responded sharply to Crockett’s commentary, calling him a “cosplay cowboy” and “dips— of the week.”
They went back and forth on social media throughout the last few weeks of August. It got personal.
Crockett later sent Adcock a copy of his new album and 60 roses as a gesture of peace. Adcock responded with yet another jab.
Wallen got involved not too long thereafter.
The feud escalated!
To be fair, Morgan Wallen was more of a target of Charley Crockett’s criticism than an active participant in the feud at first. The latter wrote a post that referenced the former as “#1 country artist.”
“#1 country artist on earth listens to nothing but rap,” Crockett said. “Openly says he doesn’t really know any country music. Gotta respect his honesty.”
He also claimed that artists like Wallen benefited from “the machine” in Nashville that promotes popularity and commercial appeal over tradition. He’s not wrong.
Adcock responded to Crockett at first. Wallen stayed quiet until earlier this week.
Adcock held up a shirt with Crockett’s face while on stage at one of Wallen’s shows in Toronto. Wallen held both of his middle fingers to the shirt, which meant he was really flipping the birds at Crockett.
Beef squashed?
Charley Crockett responded to the video with an attempt to deescalate the situation. He started with a joke and then he got serious.
Perhaps his message of peace stems from the current political climate. Maybe he is tired of the drama.
Either way, like Crockett implied with his quip about “ol’ #1 and his sidekick,” this whole thing has been great publicity for all of the involved artists. Charley Crockett, Gavin Adcock and Morgan Wallen’s fanbases do not have enough crossover for this beef to hurt their brands.
They are getting their names in headlines. People love drama.
Time to move on? We’ll see…