Little Texas Frontman Shares Blunt Take on the CMA-Sammy Kershaw Fallout
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Tim Rushlow, frontman for ’90s supergroup Little Texas, didn’t hold back when addressing the recent CMA and Sammy Kershaw situation.
Rushlow, who served as the lead singer for Little Texas from 1991 to 1997, issued a statement on social media praising Sammy Kershaw for calling out the Country Music Association.
Sammy Kershaw’s Statement About The CMA
Kershaw called out the CMA late last week after learning that his request to walk the red carpet at the upcoming CMA Awards had been denied. The “Vidalia” singer called the rejection “extremely hurtful, embarrassing, and very disappointing.”
The news sparked backlash among country music fans and artists alike. Numerous artists spoke out in support of Sammy Kershaw. Some, such as Mark Chesnutt and Riley Green, followed his lead and called out the CMA, while others took a more gentle approach.
1994 CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Pam Tillis agreed that the rejection “stings,” but that it’s “the nature” of the industry.
“I’m not going to single out the CMA, because this happens all the time in our business. It’s the nature of our industry that the rising stars get the spotlight, just as we did at one point,” the “Maybe It Was Memphis” singer wrote.
“Many of us never say anything about these slights. We just keep on doing our thing. As an artist who is a lifetime CMA member, Sammy just spoke out,” she added.
Little Texas Lead Singer Tim Rushlow Joins The Conversation
On Monday afternoon, the CMA broke their silence about the controversy in a statement posted to social media. In the post, the organization apologized to anyone who may have been offended by not receiving red-carpet clearance. They further explained, “Like any major televised event, the red carpet has criteria that exist to help manage limited space and the security needs for both the artists and the media.”
RELATED: CMA ISSUES STATEMENT REGARDING SAMMY KERSHAW’S AWARDS SHOW RED CARPET REJECTION
Former Little Texas lead vocalist Tim Rushlow posted a statement several hours later, saying that the CMA’s statement is “as lame as it looks and sounds.”
Rushlow added his own testimony about his experience with the CMA, saying that he and bandmates Larry Stewart and Richie McDonald wanted to attend the CMA Awards “a couple years ago” and were told it would cost $4,000 per person, with no guarantee of red-carpet access or media attention.
He added that they had presented the CMA with the idea of presenting the Group of the Year award, since they are past winners or are collaborating with some of the newer artists who have credited them with inspiration, but the ideas were rejected.
“The CMA needs to get real! Do you really wanna celebrate 60 years and six decades of country music? Invite the people that are responsible for helping it take its shape. Blowing them off like a bad habit is not gonna work, not with real country music fans. The fan base is much more loyal than the CMA is!!” Rushlow wrote.
He concluded his statement by confirming what Sammy Kershaw and Rodney Atkins had previously shared – that artists play CMA Fest for free while having to pay their bands and crews.
“Yet they charge thousands of dollars per ticket and make hundreds of millions of dollars each year while the artists actually have to pay their own people just to play there,” he said.
Read his full statement below.
About Little Texas
Little Texas was one of the hottest groups of the ’90s. Their hits included songs like “God Blessed Texas,” “What Might Have Been,” “Amy’s Back In Austin,” and “My Love.”
To date, the band has sold more than 7 million albums.
When Little Texas went on hiatus in the late ’90s, Tim Rushlow signed a record deal as a solo artist and found moderate success before teaming up with Richie McDonald and Larry Stewart to form The Frontmen.
McDonald was the lead singer for Lonestar from 1994 to 2007, and Larry Stewart was the lead vocalist for Restless Heart off and on from 1984 to 2021.
Together, Rushlow, McDonald, and Stewart have been touring as The Frontmen since 2017. Their sets include performances of songs that they each had a hand in making successful with their respective bands as well as some original songs.
