While folks were filing in for the 51st Annual CMA Awards at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville they were entertained by a guy playing guitar and performing on the street. That guy was Grammy Award winner Sturgill Simpson who is usually ignored by mainstream country.
Simpson was also raising money for the American Civil Liberties Union and while he wasn’t performing he would stop to take pictures with people and make jokes about not being allowed to attend the show.
“You’ve got a better chance of getting in there than I do, I’ll tell you that,” he said to one of the people who stopped. The street performance was also streamed on Facebook Live which was watched by thousands.
“Finally made it, guys, big show,” Simpson jokingly added. “They were all out of seats, I couldn’t get a ticket. So I thought I’d come down here and play some country music, since we’re celebrating it this evening in Nashville, Tennessee.”
Though Simpson is mainly ignored by the country music industry, he did take home the Grammy for best country album this past February.
Simpson’s latest album went to No. 1 on the Billboard Country Album Charts, but he had signs posted on his guitar case that might make you wonder of his status. “‘Struggling’ country singer … anything helps. (All donations go to the ACLU) God Bless America,” stated one sign.
The singer has made it clear in the past that he is no fan of country awards shows and last year bashed the Academy of Country Music after they created the “Merle Haggard Spirit Award.”
