Who doesn’t 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 who swoon over their looks and voices.
The feud between the two started in 2013, when Brown called Bryan’s new single, “That’s My Kind of Night,” the worst song he’s heard. The words were picked up by the media, no matter in what context they were said. Luckily, they made up not long ago, hugging each other at the CMAs.
When Blake Shelton Made Harsh Remarks on Ray Price’s Music
Blake Shelton is an American singer and is also a judge on The Voice. Ray Price was a legendry American singer known for his classic songs. The feud arose when Shelton remarked about Ray’s music, “Nobody wants to listen to their grandpa’s music. And I don’t care how many of these old farts are 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.”
That was in 2013. Price handled the issue by posting a long, mature comeback online. Later, Shelton responded with an apology, 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 were settled before Price passed away.
Gary Allen Against Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood
Not a fascinating reason to get into a feud, but this one started when Gary Allan considered Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood “Pop Artists making a living in the country genre.” He revealed his opinion in an interview with Larry King.
However, later, when fans of the female singers came back at him, Allan cleared the air by posting the clarification (not an apology), “Country music has changed” in the past decade or so, adding, “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 that Jennings 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 2005 when Jennings released his debut album.
A Popular in-Band Feud Between Kristen Hall and Sugarland
It’s awful when members of the same band fight among each other. This happened between Kristen Hall and her Sugarland band members when Hall left the band in 2006. Later, when the band made it big, Kristen sued the other two band members, Kristian Bush and Jennifer Nettles, for not sharing one-third of the profits.
Hall later settled the lawsuit for $14 million. She had left Sugarland to pursue a career as a solo singer.
Yet Another Music Feud Between Travis Tritt and Billy Ray Cyrus
After Billy Ray Cyrus released his 90s classic hit, “Achy Breaky Heart,” Travis Tritt criticized the song, calling it “cheesy and frivolous.” He also added that the song “doesn’t make much of a statement.”
A year later, Cyrus, while accepting an AMA for Favorite Country Single, 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 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-daughter duo. In 2000, LeAnn filed a lawsuit against her father and his manager for taking advantage of her and swindling her out of $7 million.
Her father also called her a “spoiled brat.” However, things started to turn normal after the suits were settled. They 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.”
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, Rich allegedly punched him in the face. He 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, Rich 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,” igniting a feud between the two.
Later, Keith responded by sharing photos of Natalie with Saddam Hussein on tour, to which Maines responded by sporting a T-shirt with “F.U.T.K.” written on it. The feud ended when Keith realized fighting over it was insignificant as he watched his band member lose 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 in 2001 when Paisley commented that pop music was more about production and less about quality.
To which Marx responded, “Pop songwriters don’t take the craft of songwriting as seriously as [Paisley] does? Tell that to Paul McCartney.” 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
Classic country music singers of the 50s and 60s, Faron Young and George Jones couldn’t stand each other. Merle Haggard, another famous star of the era, revealed Young and Jones turned violent against each other on four occasions in the 60s alone.
Reports say they used to fight backstage. In one instance, Young 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 country music singers. Garth Brooks debuted in country music in the 90s. Country music legend Waylon Jennings threw derogatory remarks at him, saying Brooks was a sign that the quality of country music was going downhill.
Jennings further labeled Brooks’ music “overrated and plastic.” Brooks took those remarks personally but never replied to them while Jennings was alive. In fact, even after Jennings died in 2002, Brooks didn’t share ill words against him and said he respected Jennings 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. Williams III is the son of Hank Williams Jr. They had a distant relationship, as due to the elder Williams’ tour schedule, Williams III usually only got to see his country legend father once a year.
Later on, his father collaborated with Kid Rock and the feud began to brew. Williams Jr. considered Kid Rock his “rebel son.” This led to the spread of rumors suggesting Williams III and Kid Rock were brothers. Williams III was displeased with this, saying, “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 spat has to be included in the history of country music’s biggest feuds. The rivalry between award winner and announcer is a unique one indeed. The feud began when Charlie Rich, as a CMA award announcer in 1975, announced John Denver’s name as the Best Entertainer of the Year.
When Rich saw Denver’s name on the card, Rich took out his lighter and burned the card on stage. This act was seen as hatred toward country music. Later, Charlie’s son, Charlie Jr., clarified that his father had no malice against Denver, that he was just 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, an iconic country music venue and home of the longest-running radio show in the United States. Cash was blacklisted in 1965 after smashing the floor lights with his microphone stand while onstage there in 1965.
He did so under the influence of alcohol. Cash’s battle with alcohol and drugs made tainted relations between the two. However, things were later sorted out, and Cash’s banishment was lifted.
Zac Brown and Lost Trailers Over Debut Single Song
In 2006, Lost Trailers was set to release its first debut single, “Chicken Fried,” written by Zac Brown, but things didn’t turn out that way. Brown changed his mind and decided to release the song as his single. This stopped Lost Trailers from debuting and led to losses that were spent on promoting the song.
Brown’s version of “Chicken Fried” made it to No. 1 on the Billboard charts, while Lost Trailers had to withdraw its version of the song from the radio stations. That version was released two years later and rose to No. 53 on the Billboard charts.
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 was spoiled when the record company sued McGraw for breach of contract. According to its allegations, McGraw released his album, Emotional Traffic, within 18 months of the release of his previous album, a contract violation according to Curb.
McGraw countersued, alleging he had to wait a long time for Curb to release his greatest hit compilations before he could release his album. In the final decision, the judge freed him from Curb Records.
The Love Triangle Feud Between Hank Williams and Faron Young
The story is centered around a woman named Billie Jean Jones. While Hank Williams and Faron Young have been in feuds with other classic music singers, this one is different. When Young played at the Grand Ole Opry for the first time, he brought his girlfriend, Jones, with him.
Williams was also present. Later, Williams convinced Young to arrange a blind date then allegedly pulled a gun on Young and claimed Jones for himself. Williams and Jones married three months before Williams’ death. Jones 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 she and Romo were just kindred spirits.
Later, Simpson also dated Romo. There is no feud between them, and in a statement, Simpson 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 Underwood made her debut and won Best Female Vocalist at CMAs.
It was said that when Underwood received the award, Hill was shocked and even shouted, “What?” flailing her arms. However, Hill later 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
Iconic outlaw country singers of the 70s, Waylon Jennings and Tompall Glaser were close friends when they started out. 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 later went downhill for unknown reasons. They loved and respected 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 one is blaming the other for stealing music or songs. However, Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton’s feuds are purely due to competitiveness.
In a podcast on Art19.com, Bryan revealed that they both wanted to be number one in whatever they did. They have both judged American Idol and The Voice reality shows for a long time. They recently also indulged in a friendly feud over a post on Twitter.
Kenny Chesney on Keith Urban’s Career Choices
This is really 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 Keith Urban and Blake Shelton as they both have been judges at American Idol and The Voice.
Chesney’s one statement to Billboard Magazine said, “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’s difficult to say.
Toby Keith and Kris Kristofferson’s Heated Argument
Ethan Hawke reported the suspected feud between Toby Keith and Kris Kristofferson. The heated argument took place at Willie Nelson’s 70th birthday.
Keith was quoted to have thrown some insults at Kristofferson, saying, “None of that lefty [expletive] out there tonight, Kris,” referring to political views. The conversation went further. However, Kristofferson and Keith deny that such a conversation ever happened. “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 was Eric Church throwing daggers at The Voice judge Blake Shelton. Church told Rolling Stone magazine, “Honestly, if Blake Shelton and CeeLo 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, Shelton and his then-wife, country music star Miranda Lambert, had a comeback ready. Lambert said, “Thanks, Eric Church, for saying I’m not a real artist.” In the tweet, Shelton said, “I wish I misunderstood this . . .” Church later apologized for his nasty comments.
Jason Isbell And Dierks Bently’s Heated Feud Over Stealing a Song
This began in 2012 when Jason Isbell accused Dierks Bentley of stealing his song “In a Razor Town.” Isbell put his remarks on Twitter, starting a Twitter war. Isbell hurled insults at Bentley, going so far as to tell his fans to unfollow him.
Bentley didn’t exacerbate the Twitter war, just commenting with the hashtag #getoveryourself. Both are still suspected to be at war. Hopefully, they resolve the issue 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 in 2010 after 19 years of marriage. Hatcher was also his manager, and mixing professional and personal life is suspected to be one of the reasons for their drift.
Each accused the other of taking advantage of Travis’ singing career. However, Hatcher said armed men appeared at her house and took away all the property and business records. In return, Travis alleges Hatcher made some of his personal details 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 Porter Wagoner’s band in the 60s and 70s. She even wrote the song, ”I Will Always Love You’ for him. However, they parted ways in 1974, with Porter suing Parton for breach of contract.
In 2008, a year after his death, Dolly told the LA Times that, “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 made peace with each other before his death.