Zach Bryan removed one of the tracks from his latest blockbuster album, “The Great American Bar Scene,” after his collaborator on the track, fellow singer-songwriter John Moreland, took a shot at him on social media. The track, titled “Memphis; The Blues,” is now either absent from or grayed out on streaming services, although Bryan promised on Instagram that the song would return — presumably minus Moreland’s vocal contribution to the song they co-wrote.
The beef started with Moreland taking to Instagram and posting an image of the tattooed back of his head accompanied by the words “$350M is a lot of money to pay for the fu–in off-brand version of me. Y’all have a great day.” Moreland’s message refers to a $350 million number that was reported by Variety earlier this week as the combined value of the deals Bryan is making to renew his contract with Warner Records and sell his publishing catalog.
Although Moreland soon deleted the message, it caught the attention of Bryan, who shared a screenshot of the attack on him in a pair of Instagram Stories posts of his own. Bryan captioned Moreland’s broadside with a reply: “Yooo just saw this from an artist I’ve always respected and supported. Not trying to be dramatic but refuse to have anyone with a problem with me on my records. Replacing ‘Memphis the Blues.’ If it goes down for a bit just know this is the reason! No hard feelings! Confused as shit, Tulsans look out for Tulsans.”
In a subsequent post, again alongside a screenshot of Moreland’s insult, Bryan added, “Last thing i say on it! Not partial to arguing with butt hurt grown men.”
Indeed, by Friday, the track in question had disappeared from the streaming version of the album on such services as Spotify and Tidal. But Bryan clarified that he did not mean to eliminate all traces of the song, just any version of it that includes traces of Moreland’s voice. In another message, he wrote, “Gonna re-release it btw!!! All is well!! All is well.” News of the feud was reported late Friday by Saving Country Music.
As the song’s co-writer, Moreland will still earn royalties from “Memphis; the Blues” if Bryan replaces the axed track with a solo version or with a different vocal partner.
Moreland’s attack on Bryan was surprising, inasmuch as the two were believed to be friends, or at least friendly enough to co-write and co-sing a song that put some money in Moreland’s pocket after it came out on a No. 1 album in 2024. Indeed, some followers figured Moreland’s initial blow might’ve been a jibe among pals, before Bryan’s response made clear that was not the case. The diss was less surprising taking into account that this is not the first time that Moreland — a highly respected figure in the Americana world, with 10 albums out since 2008 — has been noted for his testiness.
Last year, Moreland posted about getting into a bar fight with musician Kyle Nix, whom he described as “the tiny fiddle player from the Turnpike Troubadours.” Moreland wrote that “if he pulls you out of your bar stool and starts kicking you in the head a few times… Don’t worry because he’s four feet tall, and it’s just going to feel like a f***ing third-grader is kicking you in the head. And then you can get up and start wailing on his face, and it’s all good. F*** that guy.” Moreland also wrote, “F**k that whole band honestly… ‘cept Hank [Early, the Turnpike Troubadours’ steel player].”
Representatives for Bryan and Moreland did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
So far, the other featured guests on “The Great American Bar Scene,” who include Bruce Springsteen and John Mayer, have refrained from initiating a public beef with Bryan.
