Shaboozey’s viral side-eye at the American Music Awards set off a wave of dialogue about country music’s erased Black roots after a scripted line credited the Carter Family with “basically inventing” the genre.
The “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” singer was on-site at Monday’s award show alongside country star Megan Moroney to present the award for Favorite Country Duo or Group.
“Country music has been an important part of AMA history. The very first year of this show, the award for favorite male country artists went to the great Charley Pride,” Shaboozey said.
“That same year, Favorite Female Artist went to Lynn Anderson, and this award went to the Carter Family, who basically invented country music,” said Moroney, while reading from the teleprompter.
The cameras caught Shaboozey looking visibly puzzled at the claim and giving some side-eye.
However, some fans watching from home misinterpreted Shaboozey’s gesture as shade towards his co-presenter.
After the broadcast, Boozey took to social media to clarify his response.
“Google: Lesley Riddle, Steve Tarter, Harry Gay, DeFord Bailey, and The Carter Family,” he wrote in a since-deleted tweet, per Variety.
“When you uncover the true history of country music, you find a story so powerful that it cannot be erased,” he wrote in a separate tweet. “The real history of country music is about people coming together despite their differences, and embracing and celebrating the things that make us alike.”
He also publicly defended Moroney in the comments section of her Instagram, writing, “Just want to clear something up: my reaction at the AMAs had nothing to do with Megan Moroney! She’s an incredibly talented, hardworking artist who’s doing amazing things for country music and l’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!”
As explained by Rolling Stone’s Jon Blistein, the Carter Family are celebrated as pioneers of country music, but their legacy also highlights how the genre’s history has often been whitewashed.
A significant portion of their repertoire came from songs that A.P. Carter collected during trips through Appalachia, including journeys he frequently took with Black guitarist Lesley Riddle.
Riddle not only helped Carter transcribe and memorize these songs but also exposed him to Black musical traditions, including church music and the Blues, which shaped the sound of country. He also taught his distinctive finger-picking technique to Maybelle Carter, influencing her iconic “scratch” guitar style.
Riddle’s contributions remained largely unrecognized until the 1960s and only in more recent years has his role begun to receive wider acknowledgement.
Musician Rissi Palmer also voiced her dismay over the AMAs script, writing on Instagram, “Tell me you know nothing about the actual roots of Country music without telling me you don’t know the roots… like, who wrote this script? What in the Project 2025 hell is this? … Behind every founding father and mother of Country music stands a Black musician playing Black roots music, strategically hidden in the mix.”
In the comments section, historian and musician Don Flemons responded by encouraging people to watch a video he created with Black in Appalachia that details Riddle’s influence.
“The Carter [Family] and [producer] Ralph Peer deserve the credit for their work to establish country music as a genre. Lesley Riddle was never an established artist which is why he fell to the wayside in the early years,” Flemons wrote. “It took many years for his story to come out into the public. Watch the video and learn the whole story. This is not a standard misappropriation and should not be described that way.”
