Overview
- At the 2025 American Music Awards in Las Vegas, Shaboozey and Megan Moroney presented Favorite Country Duo or Group when Moroney read that the Carter Family “basically invented country music.”
- Shaboozey’s side-eye and brief laugh went viral as he paused to process the teleprompter line before introducing the nominees.
- On social media, Shaboozey clarified his reaction was aimed at the broader erasure of Black artists’ foundational role and urged fans to research figures like Lesley Riddle and DeFord Bailey.
- Music historians note that while the Carter Family popularized early country standards, they relied on guitar techniques and songs collected by Black guitarist Lesley Riddle.
- Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” won Favorite Female Country Artist and Favorite Country Album at the same show, underscoring the genre’s expanding recognition of diverse voices.