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Bryan said he’d rerelease the song „Memphis; The Blues“ without Moreland after the singer questioned Bryan’s $350 million payday for selling his publishing catalog and signing a new record deal.
By Ethan Millman
Music Editor
Zach Bryan escalated his feud with one-time collaborator John Moreland, removing their Great American Bar Scene song “Memphis; The Blues” off his album on streaming services while assuring he’d be releasing a new version soon.
Bryan appeared to have removed the song on Friday. As Variety noted, Moreland seemed to fire first, questioning Bryan’s $350 million payday after the country star sold his publishing catalog and signed a new deal with his record label Warner Records last week. “$350 M is a lot of money to pay for the fuckin off-brand version of me, y’all have a great day,” Moreland wrote on his Instagram last week.
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Bryan is one of the biggest country stars in the industry, inspiring a considerable shift in the country music business as he broke through with Los Angeles-based Warner Records rather than a traditional Nashville label. Moreland has enjoyed a steady career since releasing his first album Endless October Sky back in 2008. “Memphis; The Blues” was his most-streamed song before it was taken down. Bryan shared a screenshot of that post on his own Instagram, saying Moreland was an artist he’d “always respected and supported.”
Reps for Moreland and Bryan didn’t respond to request for comment.
“Not trying to be dramatic but refuse to have anyone with a problem with me on my records. Replacing Memphis the blues,” Bryan wrote. “If it goes down for a bit just know this is the reason. No hard feelings! Confused as shit, Tulsans look out for Tulsans!”
Removing a feature from an album isn’t unheard of, though it’s a rather uncommon move and reflects how temporary music can be in the streaming era when artists can hack and change as they please compared to the permanence from traditional album sales. As of this article’s publication, the song remains unavailable on streaming services. Moreland responded in a video on his Instagram story, recalling Bryan having asked him to collaborate on The Great American Bar Scene. He said he’d met with Bryan several times and that “I don’t like this motherfucker.”
Okay. Guess I’m on John Moreland’s side now. pic.twitter.com/KYuD0nVmsh
“If I was asked to be on the album today, I wouldn’t do it. I don’t want to be on an album with a dude who is a dickhead to my wife and friends right in front of me every time I see him,” Moreland said.
He also alleged he heard Bryan tell “borderline racist jokes more than once” and further claimed Bryan brought “a 19-year-old girl in a bar, adding that “when they tell him she can’t be in there looks at me like I’m supposed have his fucking back.”
“I don’t like that person, that’s who thinks I’m an asshole? Fine,” Moreland said. “Far as I’m concerned, getting kicked off a Zach Bryan album is way fucking cooler than being on a Zach Bryan album.”
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