Emily Edwards
2010-05-13 04:55:51 UTC
I was checking around Facebook and noticed Chely Wright has a 'Team
Chely' facebook page for her fans and lo and behold, a Mr. Chuck
Walter is currently one of the admins of the group. That was the guy
that Chely fired earlier because he 'allegedly' organized fans to
pretend to be servicemen and call radio stations to request her
military song 'Bumper of my SUV'. I guess Chely doesn't care about
that anymore and will do anything ethical or not to get back on the
radio.
http://www.countryweekly.com/feature/908
"BUMPER" BROUHAHA
Chely Wright fires fan-club president after allegations of unethical
behavior.
Chely Wright dismissed longtime fan-club president Chuck Walter after
accusations that he encouraged members to pose as military personnel
or families when making radio requests for her song "The Bumper of My
S.U.V." She also shut down the fan club's 17-person volunteer "street
team," who were allegedly asked to make bogus calls and send
fictitious e-mails to radio stations urging them to play the
pro-military tune.
"I am shocked, saddened and deeply upset by this unethical behavior,"
Chely said in a statement. "I in no way condone or endorse the actions
of my fan-club president. Mr. Walter was an unpaid volunteer who acted
without my knowledge or direction."
"The Bumper of My S.U.V." has garnered significant airplay nationwide,
even without the backing of a record label. Chely, whose brother Chris
is a veteran Marine, wrote the song about an incident in which she
says she was criticized by a fellow driver for her Marines bumper
sticker.
She began performing the tune for U.S. troops overseas in September,
and the positive response led her to record it. Radio stations picked
up on it, in part as a response to listener demand.
Chely says she only learned of the unethical tactics being used to
push the song when contacted by Nashville's Tennessean newspaper. The
paper printed e-mails allegedly sent to the "street team," instructing
them how to convince radio stations they were actually military
members or families who had been moved by "The Bumper of My S.U.V."
The e-mails contained text the members were urged to copy and send to
radio stations. "My husband is over in Iraq right now and he is a
Marine," read one.
A posting on a private section of Chely's website, allegedly from
Walter, suggested that "street team" members call radio stations and
"Tell 'em your husband is a Marine - whatever it takes." Another
proposed that members log on to military online message boards posing
as soldiers to promote the song.
Walter - a friend of the singer who had acted as her club president
since 1996 - denied posting messages asking members to lie.
It remains to be seen how the controversy will affect the song's
performance. Chely says she is donating proceeds from the sale of the
single to organizations providing entertainment to U.S. troops
deployed in remote areas.
"I hope that country music listeners will continue to support this
song," says Chely, "based on its own merit and the genuine outpouring
of emotional response." Chely has secured a record label since cutting
the song, and her new album is tentatively set for release in
February.
Chely' facebook page for her fans and lo and behold, a Mr. Chuck
Walter is currently one of the admins of the group. That was the guy
that Chely fired earlier because he 'allegedly' organized fans to
pretend to be servicemen and call radio stations to request her
military song 'Bumper of my SUV'. I guess Chely doesn't care about
that anymore and will do anything ethical or not to get back on the
radio.
http://www.countryweekly.com/feature/908
"BUMPER" BROUHAHA
Chely Wright fires fan-club president after allegations of unethical
behavior.
Chely Wright dismissed longtime fan-club president Chuck Walter after
accusations that he encouraged members to pose as military personnel
or families when making radio requests for her song "The Bumper of My
S.U.V." She also shut down the fan club's 17-person volunteer "street
team," who were allegedly asked to make bogus calls and send
fictitious e-mails to radio stations urging them to play the
pro-military tune.
"I am shocked, saddened and deeply upset by this unethical behavior,"
Chely said in a statement. "I in no way condone or endorse the actions
of my fan-club president. Mr. Walter was an unpaid volunteer who acted
without my knowledge or direction."
"The Bumper of My S.U.V." has garnered significant airplay nationwide,
even without the backing of a record label. Chely, whose brother Chris
is a veteran Marine, wrote the song about an incident in which she
says she was criticized by a fellow driver for her Marines bumper
sticker.
She began performing the tune for U.S. troops overseas in September,
and the positive response led her to record it. Radio stations picked
up on it, in part as a response to listener demand.
Chely says she only learned of the unethical tactics being used to
push the song when contacted by Nashville's Tennessean newspaper. The
paper printed e-mails allegedly sent to the "street team," instructing
them how to convince radio stations they were actually military
members or families who had been moved by "The Bumper of My S.U.V."
The e-mails contained text the members were urged to copy and send to
radio stations. "My husband is over in Iraq right now and he is a
Marine," read one.
A posting on a private section of Chely's website, allegedly from
Walter, suggested that "street team" members call radio stations and
"Tell 'em your husband is a Marine - whatever it takes." Another
proposed that members log on to military online message boards posing
as soldiers to promote the song.
Walter - a friend of the singer who had acted as her club president
since 1996 - denied posting messages asking members to lie.
It remains to be seen how the controversy will affect the song's
performance. Chely says she is donating proceeds from the sale of the
single to organizations providing entertainment to U.S. troops
deployed in remote areas.
"I hope that country music listeners will continue to support this
song," says Chely, "based on its own merit and the genuine outpouring
of emotional response." Chely has secured a record label since cutting
the song, and her new album is tentatively set for release in
February.