Most Talked About Heated Feuds in Country Music History

Who does not know big country music names like Luke Bryan and Zac Brown? Each of their releases becomes sensational, which is why their concerts are full of fans and girls that swoon over their looks and voice.

The feud between the two started in 2013 when Zac Brown called Luke Bryan’s new single, ‘That’s My Kind of Night,’ the worst song he heard. The words were picked up by the media, no matter in what context they were said. Luckily, both made up not long ago at the CMAs by hugging each other.

When Blake Shelton Made Harsh Remarks on Ray Price’s Music

Blake Shelton is an American singer and has also judged the Voice. Ray Price was a legendry American singer known for his classic songs. The feud arose when Blake Shelton remarked on Ray’s music as “Nobody wants to listen to their grandpa’s music. And I don’t care how many of these old farts around Nashville going, ‘My God, that ain’t country!’ Well, that’s because you don’t buy records anymore – The kids do, and they don’t want to buy the music you were buying.”

This was in the year 2013 as well. Ray Price handled the issue with a long mature comeback posted online. Later, Shelton responded and apologized, saying, “I absolutely have no doubt I could have worded it better (as always ha!), and I apologize to Mr. Price and any other heroes of mine that it may offend”. Thankfully, the differences settled before Ray Price left for heavenly adobe.

Gary Allen Against Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood

Not a fascinating reason to get into a feud, but the feud started when Gary Allen considered both Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood as ‘Pop Artists making a living in the country genre.’ He revealed his opinion in an interview with Larry King.

However, later, when fans of both the female sings came back at him, he cleared the thin air by posting a clarification (not an apology), saying, “Country music has changed,” noting that the music had changed in the past decade or so. “Nowadays, you can’t immediately distinguish that it’s country music anymore.”

Hank Williams III and Shooter Jennings Over an Album Title

Another two country music enthusiasts, Hank Williams III and Shooter Jennings had a brief misunderstanding when Williams accused Jennings of stealing his new album’s title.

However, the one-sided feud ended after six years when Williams sent Jennings a care package, he thanked him for over Twitter. The tweet said, “Got an amazing care package from Hank III with all three new records on vinyl & CD plus a sweet rebel flag lighter.” The feud started back in the year 2005 when Jennings released his debut album.

A Popular in-Band Feud Between Kristen Hall and Sugarland

The feud is awful when members of the same band fight amongst each other. This happened between Kristen Hall and Sugarland band members when Kristen Hall left the band in 2006. Later, when the band made it big, Kristen sued the rest of the band members for not sharing one-third of the profits.

As a result of the lawsuit, Kristen Hall later settled the lawsuit for $14M. She left Sugarland to pursue a career as a solo singer. The two band members of Sugarland are Kristian Bush and Jennifer Nettles.

Yet Another Music Feud Between Travis Tritt and Billy Ray Cyrus

After Billy Ray Cyrus released his 90s classic hit, ‘Achy Breaky Heart,’ Tritt criticized the song. He called the song “cheesy and frivolous.” He also added that the song “doesn’t make much of a statement.”

A year later, Ray Cyrus, while accepting an AMA for the Favorite Country Single award, came back at Tritt saying, “As far as I’m concerned, to those people who don’t like ‘Achy Breaky Heart,’ here’s a quarter, call someone who cares!” Years later, Tritt apologized for his mistake. In the end, all is well between them as the two have also performed together on stage.

We Call This One a ‘Within the Family’ Country Music Feud

This country music feud occurred between Wilbur Rimes and LeAnn Rimes, a father and daughter duo. In 2000, LeAnn filed a lawsuit against her father and his manager for taking advantage of her and swindling $7 million out of her.

Her father also called her a ‘spoiled brat.’ However, things started to turn normal after the suits were settled. They both made up soon after, and he even walked her down the aisle when she got married to Dean Sheremet in 2002. LeAnn said in an interview, “There’s so much more life ahead of me. To carry on a burden of hating someone. It’s just not worth it” on reconciling with her father.

John Rich and Jared Ashley’s Feud Got Out of Hand

The battle between these two is country music history’s longest and ugliest. The rivalry began onstage at a Nashville nightclub owned by John Rich. When Jared Ashley performed on stage, Jared allegedly punched him in the face. Rich was later arrested for assault and battery.

Things started to get worse from here, followed by more lawsuits, home invasions, and more. Rich later sued Ashley for defamation for wrongly alleging that he hit him in the face. Later, the charges against Rich were dropped. However, Rick also accused Ashley and his lawyer Chris Sevier of trying to obtain money from him.

An Insignificant Feud Between Dixie Chicks and Toby Keith

When asked about Toby Keith’s new song, ‘Courtesy of Red, White, and Blue,’ Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines” stated, “It’s ignorant, and it makes country music sound ignorant” about the infamous feud between the two.

Later, Keith responded to the same by sharing photos of Natalie with Sadden Hussain on tour, to which Natalie responded with a photo of a T-shirt with FUTK written over it. The feud ended when Keith realized fighting over it was insignificant and enough when he watched his band member losing her 2-year-old daughter to cancer.

Brad Paisley and Richard Marx’s Verbal Feud Over Song Lyrics

Getting straight to the point, Richard Marx used to be a pop singer and is now a famous pop music songwriter. Brad Paisley, on the other hand, is a country music singer. The feud took shape when in the year 2001, Brad commented on pop music to be more about production and less about quality.

To which, Marx reacted, saying, “Pop songwriters don’t take the craft of song writing as seriously as [Paisley] does? Tell that to Paul McCartney.” To this, Paisley stood true to his words and proved his point, saying, “You can’t convince me that a song like ‘Baby One More Time’ is something you’d sit there and say, ‘What a message — what lyrics!.”

Faron Young and George Jones Just Didn’t Like Each Other

The classic country music singers of the 60s, Faron Young and George Jones, couldn’t stand each other. Merle Haggard, one of the famous stars, once revealed Young and Jones turned violent against each other on four occasions in the 60s itself.

Reports say they used to fight backstage. In one instance, Young also ended up slamming Jones’s head onto the cement floor. Haggard summed up their relationship by saying, “they just didn’t like each other.” Amazingly, they still used to work together, recording songs and never letting their disdain for each other come in between their work.

One-Sided Hate Between Garth Brooks and Waylon Jennings

This could be the calmest hate relationship ever between any two country music singers. Garth Brooks debuted into country music singing in the 90s. Country music legend, Waylon Jennings threw derogatory remarks at him, saying he is a sign that the quality of country music is going downhill.

He further labeled his music to be ‘overrated and plastic.’ However, Brooks took those remarks as personal and never replied to them while he was alive. Jennings died in the year 2002. However, even after his death, Brooks always never had any ill thoughts against him, and he respected him wholeheartedly.

The Not-So Sibling Rivalry Between Hank Williams III and Kid Rock

A rather interesting and out-of-the-box rivalry existed between Hank Williams III and Kid Rock. Hank Williams III is the son of Hank Williams Jr. They had a toxic relationship between them as Williams III never got to see or meet his dad. It was only once that they saw each other in a year.

Later on, his father collaborated with Kid Rock, and the feud began to arise. Williams Jr considered Kid Rock as his ‘rebel son.’ This led to the spread of rumors considering Williams III and Kid Rock as brothers. However, Williams III was displeased with the same. One of his statements says, “I don’t know how many times I have to say it: No, he’s not my [expletive] brother.”

Burning the Award Card Feud Between Charlie Rich and John Denver

This unique feud had to go in the history of country music’s biggest feuds. The rivalry between the award winner and the award announcer is a unique one indeed. The feud was imbibed when Charlie Rich, as a CMA award announcer in 1975, announced John Denver’s name as the Best Entertainer of the Year.

When he saw his name on the card, Carlie Rich took out his lighter from the pocket and burned the card on stage. This act was seen as hatred towards country music. Later, Charlie’s son, Charlie Jr, clarified that he had no malice against Denver, and he was trying to be funny.

A Feud Between a Singer and a Band

Johnny Cash is better known as a singer who was banned from The Grand Ole Opry. The Grand Ole Opry was no ordinary band. It was the oldest known radio show. Both of them were in talks when Johnny Cash smashed the floor lightly with his microphone while performing for them onstage in 1965.

He did so under the presence of alcohol. His battle with alcohol and drugs made relations between the two tainted. However, things sorted out later, and Johnny Cash’s banishment was soon lifted.

Zac Brown and Lost Trailers Over Debut Single Song

Lost Trailers, in the year 2006 were all set to release their first debut single with a song, ‘Chicken Fried’ written by Jack Brown. But things didn’t turn out the same way. Zac Brown changed his mind and decided to release the song as his single. This stopped Trailers from debuting and led to losses that were spent on promoting the song.

The Chicken Fried song released by Zac Brown himself made it to the top of billboards. Lost Trailers had to withdraw their version of the song from the radio stations. Their version was released two years later and could manage to get to at no. 53 on the billboards.

The Rivalry Between Classic Singer Tim McGraw and His Record Company

Tim McGraw was one of the many singers under Curb Records. However, the relationship between the two was spoiled when Curb Records sued him for breach of contract. According to their allegations, he released his album, Emotional Traffic, within 18 months of the release of his previous album, which according to their contract was not permissible.

However, McGraw counter sued Curb, alleging he had to wait a long time for Curb to release his greatest hit complications before he could release his album. In the final decision, the judge freed him from Curb records.

The Love Triangle Feud Between Hank Williams Sr and Faron Young

The story is pivoted on Billie Jean. Both Hank and Young have been in other feuds with other classic music singers. This one is different, though. When he played for the first time for Gran Ole Opry, Faron Young brought his girlfriend, Billie Jean, with him.

Hank Williams was also present there. He liked Billie Jean and stole her from him by pulling a gun over him. Later, both Hank and Billie Jean married each other three months before William’s death. She then married Jonny Horton and now goes by the name Billie Jean Horton.

Robert Earl Keen and Toby Keith Over Stolen Music

Robert Keen and Toby Keith’s differences increased when Keen believed Keith had stolen a melody of his song ‘The Road Goes on forever’ for his new song ‘Bullets in the Gun.’

In a statement, Keen said, “I got all these calls from my friends. They were saying, ‘This is ridiculous. What are you gonna do? I felt like this individual had been picking on me for a long time, and I was sick of it.” However, Keen never took legal action against Keith and instead made a revenge song, ‘The Road Goes on and on.’

Jessica Simpson and Carrie Underwood

This could be a media-driven feud that no longer exists. Carrie Underwood was once linked with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, but she rejected the claims and said they were just kindred spirits.

Later, Simpson dated Romo as well. There is no feud between them, and in a statement, she also said, “We’ve just dated the same guy – that’s it.”

Faith Hill’s Suspected Reaction to Carrie Underwood Receiving The Award

The feud between Faith Hill and Carrie Underwood dates back to 2006, when Carrie made his debut and won best female vocalist at CMAs.

It was suspected when Carrie received the award. Hill was shocked and even shouted ‘what,’ flailing her arms. However, later Hill said, “The idea that I would act disrespectful towards a fellow musician is unimaginable to me.”

Waylon Jennings and Tompall Glaser has Differences till their Last Breath

The classic music singer of the 70s, Waylon and Tompall, were close friends when they started. They even recorded the album Honky Tonk Heroes in a studio in Nashville. They also did great deeds like opposing Music Row together.

Their friendship went downhill later. The reason is yet unknown. They love and respect each other but still couldn’t sort their differences, not even before they had to bid each other farewell. Hopefully, they are now reunited in Heaven.

Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton Feud Over Competitiveness

Most feuds in the list are more personal, or either one was blaming the other for stealing music or songs. However, Bryan and Blake’s feuds are purely due to competitiveness.

In a podcast on Art19.com, Bryan also revealed that they both wanted to be number one in whatever they did. They have both been judging American Idol and the Voice reality shows for a long. They recently also indulged in a friendly feud over a post on Twitter.

Kenny Chesney on Keith Urban’s Career Choices

This would be called a difference in opinion rather than a real feud. But the story says that Kenny Chesney isn’t too impressed with the career moves of both Keith Urban and Blake Shelton as they both have been judges at American Idol and the Voice.

Chesney’s one statement to Billboard Magazine says, “I’m not knocking anybody that does it, but I don’t ever see myself doing it. Can you imagine Tom Petty being a judge on American Idol?” Was he taking shots at Urban and Shelton? It is difficult to say.

Toby Keith and Kris Kristofferson’s Heated Argument

Ethan Hawke reported the suspected feud between Keith and Kristofferson. The heated argument took place at Willie Nelson’s 70th birthday.

Keith was quoted to have thrown some insults on Keith, saying, “None of that lefty [expletive] out there tonight, Kris.”, referring to Kris’s political views. The conversion went further. However, both Kris and Keith deny that such a conversation ever happened and consider it fiction. “Kris and I are good friends and have come close to working on a couple of projects,” Keith said in an interview.

Yet Another Feud Fired on the Voice Judges and Rolling Stone

This time it is Eric Church throwing daggers at Voice judge, Blake Shelton. He told Rolling Stone magazine, “Honestly if Blake Shelton and Cee Lo Green turn around in a red chair, you got a deal? That’s crazy. I don’t know what would make an art­ist do that. You’re not an artist.”

When the issue came out, both Blake Shelton and his wife Miranda had a comeback ready. Lambert says, “Thanks Eric Church for saying I’m not a real artist.” In the Tweet, Shelton said, “I wish I misunderstood this . . .” Later, Church apologized for his nasty comments.

Jason Isbell And Dierks Bently’s Heated Feud Over Stealing a Song

This began in 2012 when Isbell accused Bentley of stealing his song ‘In a Razor Town.’ He put it on Twitter and started the Twitter war. Isbell hurled insults at him and also told his fans to unfollow him.

Bently didn’t exaggerate the Twitter war and just commented with the hashtag #getoveryourself. Both are still suspected to be at war. Hopefully, they resolve the issue too and do not take the feud to their graves.

Randy Travis and Lib Hatcher’s Husband-Wife Manager Relationship

Randy Travis and Lib Hatcher divorced each other. Lib Hatcher was also his manager. They stayed married for 19 years and divorced in 2010. Mixing professional and personal life is suspected to be one of the reasons for their drift.

They both accused each other of taking advantage of Travis’s singing career. However, Hatcher says armed men appeared at her house and took away all the property and business records. In return, Travis alleges she made some personal details of him public. The matter had died down since Travis suffered a stroke in 2013.

Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner’s Love-Hate Relationship

Dolly Parton was in the band of Porter Wagoner in the 60s and 70s. She even wrote the song, ‘I Will Always Love You’ for him. However, she parted ways in the year 1974. Porter also sued Dolly for breach of contract.

A year after his death, Dolly stated to LA Times in 2008 saying, “I don’t mean this in a bad way, but he was very much a male chauvinist pig. That’s why we fought like crazy because I wouldn’t put up with a bunch of stuff.” The good news is, they both made peace with each other before his death.