# “If You Don’t Deserve to Be There, Then I Definitely Don’t”: Country Stars Rally Behind Sammy Kershaw, With One Singer Offering Up His CMA Awards Red Carpet Spot

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/if-you-dont-deserve-to-be-there-then-i-definitely-dont-country-stars-rally-behind-sammy-kershaw-with-one-singer-offering-up-his-cma-awards-red-carpet-spot/
- Published: 2026-11-06T20:09:11+00:00
- Original publisher: American Songwriter
- Original article: https://americansongwriter.com/if-you-dont-deserve-to-be-there-then-i-definitely-dont-country-stars-rally-behind-sammy-kershaw-with-one-singer-offering-up-his-cma-awards-red-carpet-spot/
- Topics: Celebrity, Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- Sammy Kershaw was denied red-carpet access with his wife.
- Country artists publicly criticised the CMA’s decision.
- Drew Baldridge offered Kershaw his own spot.

## Summary

Country singer Sammy Kershaw said he was disappointed after the Country Music Association denied his request to walk the CMA Awards red carpet with his wife. The decision prompted several country artists to defend him, turning a red-carpet access dispute into a wider discussion about how the industry recognises established performers.

Kershaw cited more than 50 years in music, over two dozen Billboard chart hits, a 1992 CMA Horizon Award nomination and lifetime CMA membership. Jake Owen, Riley Green, Meghan Patrick and Greylan James criticised the decision, while Drew Baldridge offered to give Kershaw his own red-carpet place. The article says the controversy arose days before the ceremony at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

## Coverage

- [American Songwriter: “If You Don’t Deserve to Be There, Then I Definitely Don’t”: Country Stars Rally Behind Sammy Kershaw, With One Singer Offering Up His CMA Awards Red Carpet Spot](https://americansongwriter.com/if-you-dont-deserve-to-be-there-then-i-definitely-dont-country-stars-rally-behind-sammy-kershaw-with-one-singer-offering-up-his-cma-awards-red-carpet-spot/)
- [American Songwriter: Out With the Old, In With the New? Sammy Kershaw’s CMA Snub Strikes a Nerve With Fellow 90s Country Star](https://americansongwriter.com/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new-sammy-kershaws-cma-snub-strikes-a-nerve-with-fellow-90s-country-star/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.