Overview

• The conflict began in May when John Moreland took to social media to deride Bryan’s $350 million music publishing deal as paying for an “off-brand version” of himself.
• Bryan responded on Instagram that he would remove Moreland from “Memphis; the Blues” and shortly afterward pulled the original duet from streaming platforms.
• Moreland escalated the dispute by accusing Bryan of telling borderline racist jokes and bringing a 19-year-old into a bar, saying he had no regrets about the fallout.
• On June 11, Bryan released an updated version of the song featuring his band’s keyboardist, J. R. Carroll, restoring the track to streaming services.
• Bryan wrote “Promise is a promise” on Instagram and said he looked forward to performing the revised rendition across Europe and the United States this summer.