Bosses at the Country Music Association have dismissed reports they pulled footage of Beyonce’s collaboration with the Dixie Chicks at the CMA Awards on Wednesday night from their website.
The two acts teamed up to perform Bey’s country-themed Daddy Lessons at the ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee, and the get together became one of the talking points of the night.
But on Thursday, the performance footage appeared to disappear from CMA’s website, leading some critics to suggest CMA chiefs had chosen not to post the footage or talk about it for fear of backlash from racists, who didn’t approve of the girl power supergroup.
But a representative for the Country Music Association has released a statement to Billboard that reads: “CMA has not erased any mentions of Beyonce’s performance on the CMA Awards. In advance of the broadcast, CMA removed a five-second promotional clip from ABC.com and CMA’s Facebook page. The promo was unapproved and CMA removed it prior to the broadcast.
“Beyonce’s performance with Dixie Chicks was a highlight of the evening and we are continuing to share the amazing full-length performance clip via our official social channels.”
Beyonce and the Dixie Chicks are both considered controversial by some Americans – Beyonce upset many earlier this year by taking a stance against extreme police force by performing as a Black Panthers leader at the Super Bowl, and the Dixie Chicks came under attack in 2003 when they criticized then-President George W. Bush during a concert in London, telling fans there they were “ashamed” of the leader and his decision to invade Iraq.
