Country crooner Jake Owen is taking aim at roots rocker Tom Petty for Petty’s recent digs against contemporary country music. In a recent radio interview, Owen called Petty’s comments “ridiculous” and “uneducated,” adding that he couldn’t understand why Petty was making comments about a format he’s not even a part of.
Petty recently told “Rolling Stone” magazine that today’s country music reminded him of mid-’80s rock, “where it became incredibly generic and relied on videos.” He added, “I’m sure there are people playing country that are doing it well, but they’re just not getting the attention that the [other stuff] gets.”
Petty also called out country music at a concert in New York in March, calling it “bad rock with a fiddle.” Owen’s fellow country singer Chris Stapleton has also thrown down the gauntlet in response to Petty’s remarks. In an open letter Stapleton called on the rocker to record an album with him if he wants better country music.
