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Why Shaboozey Side-Eyed the “Invented Country Music” Line at the 2025 AMAs

At the 2025 AMAs, Shaboozey reacted to a line crediting the Carter Family with basically inventing country music. Here’s what he later said and what the history shows.
Opened Runtime3 min Written byDocumentaryTube Team
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At the May 26, 2025, American Music Awards, Megan Moroney read a line describing the Carter Family as people “who basically invented country music.” Shaboozey gave a brief skeptical-looking reaction, then continued presenting the award. He later connected his response to country music’s history while saying it was not directed at Moroney personally. The moment raised a real historical question: the Carters were hugely influential, but the genre’s origins cannot be credited to one family.

What happened at the AMAs?

Shaboozey and Megan Moroney presented the Favorite Country Duo or Group award. Shaboozey introduced the category by recalling country winners from the first AMAs; Moroney then read the line about the Carter Family “who basically invented country music.” Shaboozey turned toward her, made a skeptical expression and laughed briefly before the presentation continued. Dan + Shay won. Us Weekly’s contemporaneous account covered the exchange.

The short reaction circulated as a viral clip and was widely interpreted as a response to the claim about the Carters. A facial expression alone cannot establish what someone meant, so the clearest account comes from Shaboozey’s subsequent statements.

What did Shaboozey say afterward?

In posts reported on May 27, Shaboozey wrote: “When you uncover the true history of country music, you find a story so powerful that it cannot be erased…” He followed with: “The real history of country music is about people coming together despite their differences, and embracing and celebrating the things that make us alike.” Taste of Country reported the posts and their context.

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He later clarified that the moment was not aimed at Moroney, writing in an Instagram comment, “My reaction at the AMAs had nothing to do with Megan Moroney!” He also praised her as talented and hardworking and objected to hateful comments directed at her. That clarification is his stated intent; it does not turn the brief expression into definitive evidence of what he was thinking in the moment. Cosmopolitan reported his comment and clarification.

Did the Carter Family invent country music?

No single performer or group can fairly be identified as the inventor of country music. The Carter Family were foundational early country performers and important figures in the 1927 Bristol Sessions, but that is different from creating the genre by themselves. Early country emerged through a wider musical and cultural history, with artists including Jimmie Rodgers also central to the Bristol story. The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources places the Carters in that broader early-country setting; Taste of Country likewise cautions against assigning the invention to one artist or group.

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The distinction matters because “invented” compresses different kinds of influence into a single claim. Recording and popularizing early country, collecting songs, shaping a group’s repertoire, and developing instrumental approaches are related contributions, but they are not the same thing as inventing an entire genre.

How Lesley Riddle shaped the Carter Family’s music

One important part of the Carters’ story is Lesley Riddle, a Black musician and song collector. The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources says Riddle traveled with A.P. Carter to collect songs and taught the Carters material that became part of their repertoire. He also wrote “Lonesome for You” for them and taught Maybelle Carter the guitar technique later known as the “Carter Scratch.” The technique influenced players including Chet Atkins and Doc Watson. The state historical account details Riddle’s contributions, and Axios Nashville describes his influence on the group’s songs and guitar style.

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Riddle’s work was substantial, yet the same state account notes that he did not record or appear onstage with the Carters, largely because of Jim Crow customs. That contrast—musical collaboration alongside racial exclusion from public performance—helps explain why credit and recognition remain part of discussions about country music’s history. It does not diminish the Carters’ importance; it makes the history more accurate by acknowledging the people and conditions that shaped their music.

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What the moment does—and does not—settle

The AMAs exchange was a brief awards-show moment, not a historical verdict. Moroney read the “basically invented” line, Shaboozey appeared skeptical, and his later comments connected his reaction to the history conversation while explicitly separating it from Moroney personally. The historical record supports calling the Carter Family major early country figures; it does not support treating one family as the sole inventor of a genre formed through many artists, traditions and contributions.

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