The Raised Middle Finger: Why It Means More In Country
During Johnny Cash’s legendary concert at San Quentin Prison in 1969, photographer Jim Marshall said to Johnny backstage, “John, let’s do a shot for the warden.” The result was the photograph above that mostly remained under wraps until 1998. That is when producer Rick Rubin decided to use the iconic photo in an ad in Billboard magazine decrying country radio’s lack of love for Johnny’s second album on Rubin’s American label called Unchained. Despite no industry support, Unchained went on to win the 1998 Grammy for “Best Country Album.”
Since then the image of the angry face and the raised middle finger has become an iconic symbol of defiance against the direction of country music. As indecent as a raised middle finger happens to be in the first place (and the propensity for some seedy country fans and artists to over-saturate its use in every single photo of them), it has come to mean much more than its vulgar connotation in the fight to save country music.
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Willie Nelson’s middle finger photo was shot by a photographer named Sean Moorman on Willie Nelson’s tour bus on July 26, 2002. The title of image is “Willie Nelson Sending Jim Marshall Regards.” Both the Jim Marshall photo of Johnny Cash and the Sean Moorman photo of Willie stimulated litigation when Urban Outfitters printed up Johnny Cash middle finger T-shirts without permission, and Spencer Gifts did the same with Willie.
Dale Watson doing his best Johnny Cash impression:
Leroy Virgil of Hellbound Glory letting the bird fly for Dirty Impound’s The Freebird Project (James R. Martin – Photographer):
Hank Williams III and David Allan Coe in younger days:
Jonny (Corndawg) Fritz telling a fan they’re #1 (Kayley Luftig – Photographer):
Bob Wayne, adding the stink eye for extra emphasis:
Jeff Austin of the Yonder Mountain String Band doing the double bird (Chad Smith Photography):
Keith Richards’ middle finger is insured for $1.6 million. Yes, that one he’s point at you. And no, I’m not kidding.
The wet cigarette of country music, Kid Rock. And Saving Country Music friend “Pointer” from a downtown Nashville excursion in 2011 getting his picture with Kid Rock on the front of Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge.
Townes Van Zandt, from the back cover of his 1972 album The Late Great Townes Van Zandt.
Kellie Pickler telling Kanye West “Fuck You!” for not liking country music (see video).
Lenny Kravitz giving the crowd at the 2013 CMA Fan Fest the double bird because they “couldn’t get with love” during his elongated set that left the crowd underwhelmed.
A sign hanging up in the Johnny Cash themed bar and music venue in Austin, TX called the Mean Eyed Cat.
The ad Rick Rubin placed in Billboard Magazine after Johnny Cash won the 1998 Grammy for Best Country Album:
July 29, 2013 @ 2:07 pm
You had a 2nd blog with pointer too,didn’t you?
July 29, 2013 @ 4:14 pm
It was the one where he ALMOST got his picture taken with Scott Borchetta. Just a little slow on the draw.
https://savingcountrymusic.com/pointer-is-2012-visit-to-downtown-nashville
July 30, 2013 @ 4:15 pm
There it is!
July 29, 2013 @ 2:55 pm
I don’t know why, but Hank III reminds me of Satan in that photo with David Allan Coe. Hooked nose, pointy ears, lanky figure …. I’m sure that it’s partly because of the lighting and the angle, regardless. Interesting article, Trig. I’d also say that the middle finger is over-saturated in the majority of the music world, specifically the alternative and alternative rock scenes (many pictures of Kurt “Underappreciated Genius” Cobain feature the digit). However, it seems that many artists do it just because it’s considered obscene (and because the mainstream decries obscenities).
July 30, 2013 @ 12:37 am
Add Kellie Pickler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlfFMKZglBM
This was at a 2009 CMA Songwriters Series show, 2 days after Kanye interrupted Taylor on the VMAs. EVERYONE from Donald Trump to Reba to the President went off on Kanye for that but Kellie is the only one I recall who also stood up for country music. I thought the exact same thing, that Kanye did that because he doesn’t like country, because he did the same thing to Gretchen before. The sad thing is just a few years later and now Kanye could make a “country” duet or album. We’ve come a long way. Gotta evolve, you know.
By the way it looks like Kellie’s Someone Somewhere Tonight fell off Billboard today and didn’t make it past #49 after 9 weeks of weaker and crappy country and pop songs passing it. So I’m about to raise 2 at country radio if they don’t play her next single (if she releases another). Dierks Bentley and Kacey Musgraves similar Bourbon In Kentucky duet also fell off recently and didn’t make it past #45.
July 31, 2013 @ 12:23 am
Good find on the Kellie video.
I really didn’t expect much from “Someone, Somewhere Tonight.” It seemed like a rushed and a strained effort to take advantage of her “Dancing With The Stars” win, and sort of fell flat. I think the song is fine, but I didn’t really think it was single material. There will be better songs on her new album with which to court radio and showcase Kelli’s full breadth of talents.
Rawhide And Velvet
July 30, 2013 @ 3:30 pm
[…] The bird… […]
July 31, 2013 @ 1:34 am
You left off the back cover of Townes Van Zandt’s “The Late, Great Townes Van Zandt” album, which shows TVZ in a disheveled state and a cowboy hat, but no shirt, flipping off the camera defiantly. It’s a contrast with the serene, if a bit stiff, front cover. According to the documentary, Townes’ mom was none too thrilled with that album’s back cover, and I’m sure that many of the dressed-down, more Northern-fed sensibility folkies that he was once marketed to, didn’t really “get” that album’s artwork either. I don’t really think they “got” Townes’ more country sounding voice and songs and the “Outlaw” vibe at all, either.
July 31, 2013 @ 11:40 am
Photo ops are photo ops. We all have middle fingers. Kellie pickle is not country she is American Idol country and she was defending her bestir Taylor who is not country either. The warden deserved that finger.
July 31, 2013 @ 11:48 am
Kellie Picker is more country than most of the punks that raise their middle finger as a matter of habit and whose depth of country knowledge runs no deeper than “JOHNNY FUCKIN’ CASH!” and “WAYLON FUCKIN’ JENNINGS,” and if you think she plays “American Idol” country, you should update your knowledge of her music from the 2007 perspective. Kellie Pickler might be the most “Outlaw” performer in country music right now, by definition.
July 31, 2013 @ 8:17 pm
What are you smoking, get a clue.
1. Kellie is clearly country and 100 Proof is the critics’ #1 choice for best country album of 2012:
https://savingcountrymusic.com/2012-album-of-the-year-kellie-picklers-100-proof
It’s more country than her earlier albums but even her debut album was the most country any American Idol recorded before 100 Proof. Are you not aware that she had to record what her label said to, they limited the amount of country, and she fought to make 100 Proof more country?
2. Obviously Kellie defended country music in the video and it’s all she talked about.
3. Kellie is the only woman on this list.
4. Kellie is one of a few young artists defending country on this list and the only one in the mainstream and getting a lot of mainstream media attention. Sometimes she trends worldwide on Google, Twitter, and Yahoo, where she’s the 3rd most-searched for female artist this summer:
http://ryanseacrest.com/2013/07/07/who-is-the-most-searched-female-singer-of-the-summer/
I don’t know about you but I like seeing popular artists making and standing up for country music instead of doing the opposite like many do.
July 31, 2013 @ 2:28 pm
I appreciate your gumption but I thoroughly disagree Triggerman. That’s the beauty of music appreciation . . . Not gonna agree with e’rybody.
July 31, 2013 @ 3:23 pm
Maybe Kanye West just hates pop country music that’s all. Kellie sounds mad he was hating on fellow pop country artist Grechen Wilson too as well as Taylor Swift. Which one of yall here would try to take the mic away from Taylor Swift too for winning a best music award. I dont like Kanye West either BTW simply cause I hate cocky rap music but I simply hate pop country worse. At least Kanye West is consider an artist in his own genre.
July 31, 2013 @ 8:38 pm
Yeah I’m sure Kanye is a huge country fan. LOL The MTV VMAs aren’t a “best music award” they are music video awards and Taylor won Best Female Video. This was a pop show and I think Kanye doesn’t like any country and didn’t like an outsider pop country artist coming in and winning over his own genre. Taylor was the first country act to win, which can be credited to her remixing songs for pop radio. After this Kellie video came out Kanye saw it and tweeted that he loves country music and nobody bought it.
October 11, 2021 @ 11:56 am
Johnny Cash shot the bird at the Warden. Willie honored that. The analogy to the “warden” the flipped off, in America today, is the fascism that deadbeats, who don’t pay their bills, like the fascist “Deadbeat Don the Con”. And, yet, with their sleaziest efforts, con artists still try to rule over Americans like the warden Johnny and Willie flipped off, attempting to destroy the popular vote, democracy and make America a prison for those who oppose fscism and prison-like fascist rule…hmmmmm, sounds like a song. I think Johnny and Willie would agree, for sure.