Country Music Star Boycotts Arizona

It’s very common for Latinos in Texas to listen to country music. I’ve been at my share of quinceañeras where the dance floor crowds with raza line-dancing to Boot-Scootin’ Boogie. And I smile at how good it looks with a little sabor added.

I remember my father, who came to the US from Mexico, would listen to country music radio stations when I was a kid – not often, but he did. And when I asked him why he said it was because he understood the lyrics. Apparently the understanding goes both ways.

Steve Earle, a pretty big name is country music circles, has canceled a Fourth of July appearance in Tucson, according to AZCentral.com, because of that state’s anti-immigration laws.

Tickets were supposed to go on sale Friday for Earle’s first Tucson show in two years. But on Wednesday night, the singer and activist said his July 4 show was on hold, citing an artist boycott over Arizona’s SB1070.

There’s still some confusion about the whole thing. Earle said he didn’t know whether an entertainer’s boycott was still in effect, and that he was postponing his show until he could “research the boycott and its effects.”

Good for him. As for the boycott and it’s effects: provisions of the Arizona law have been challenged in court and been stricken down, twice. Interestingly, it’s been the tourist and business community that has turned the tide against similar anti-immigrant laws across the country. When the big-buck convention and entertainment folks see diminishing returns because of their state’s laws they mobilize for change and enlist their pop stars to lend a hand. And it helps when Latinos across the Southwest spend a big chunk of money on country music and concerts.

So it looks like no Steve Earle to go with the fireworks in Tucson on Independence Day. He can always find a place to play in San Anto.

Follow Victor Landa on Twitter: @vlanda