Fired from a county fair lineup is becoming a common theme in country music band Confederate Railroad’s summer season – and fans are left upset and angry over the reason.
The band notched quite a few hits in the 1990s that include popular songs like “Jesus and Mama,” “Queen of Memphis,” “Daddy Never Was the Cadillac Kind,” and “Elvis and Andy” among others.
Confederate Railroad originally had been scheduled to perform at Du Quoin State Fair on August 27th as part of a special day for country music. Earlier in July, the fair removed them from the lineup due to their name after a blogger brought up the implications their name had and sought opinions from readers about whether or not it would be appropriate for them to perform.
At the time, Du Quoin State Fair manager Josh Gross explained the Fair’s decision to remove the band.
“While every artist has a right to expression, we believe this decision is in the best interest of serving all of the people in our state.”
Now, it’s happening all over again.
Coming under fire ahead of a performance at the Ulster County Fair in New Paltz, New York on August 1st, 2019 – the band has yet again been removed from the lineup for the simple fact that their name is “Confederate Railroad.”
The band’s logo also features a steam locomotive flying two confederate flags and according to The San Fransisco Chronicle, this played a big part in the decision to remove them.
“The Ulster County Fair must be an event that everyone can enjoy while representing the values of all members of our community,” Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan said in a statement. “Any showcasing of a symbol of division and racism runs counter to that principle and will be vigorously opposed by my administration.”
Confederate Railroad frontman Danny Shirley told The Chronicle that he’s “done nothing wrong” and that the name is representative of a famous locomotive called The General which was commandeered by a Union raiding party during the Civil War.
“It seems that everybody kind of gets looking for something to get upset about,” Shirley said. “And I guess I’m just the flavor of the month.”
What do you think of Confederate Railroad being removed from two fairs because of their name?