Patrick Haggerty, First Gay Country Mic Sger, Dead at 78

Contents:

• LIL NAS X MAK HISTORY AS FIRST OPENLY GAY BLACK ARTIST TO W AT CMA AWARDS
• TJ OSBORNE OF BROTHERS OSBORNE TALKS BEG FIRST OPENLY GAY COUNTRY SGER TO BE SIGNED TO A MAJOR LABEL
• PATRICK HAGGERTY DI: MAN WILY REGARD AS FIRST OPENLY GAY COUNTRY SGER WAS 78
• HERE ARE GAY COUNTRY SGERS WHO STOOD OUT LOUD AND PROUD
• PATRICK HAGGERTY, REGARD AS THE FIRST OPENLY GAY COUNTRY MIC SGER, DEAD AT 78
• CHELY WRIGHT COM OUT AS COUNTRY MIC’S FIRST OPENLY GAY SGER
• 9 COUNTRY MIC ARTISTS WHO HAVE COME OUT AS GAY
• WE SHOULD STOP CALLG STEVE GRAND THE FIRST OPENLY GAY MALE COUNTRY STAR
• GAY UNTRY MIC IN PATRICK HAGGERTY DIED MONDAY AT AGE 78

LIL NAS X MAK HISTORY AS FIRST OPENLY GAY BLACK ARTIST TO W AT CMA AWARDS

(Matt Wkelmeyer / Getty Imag) Lil Nas X ma history Wednday night at the 53rd CMA Awards when he beme the first openly gay black mician to take home a w om the Country Mic h “Old Town Road, ” a llaboratn wh veteran untry sger Billy Ray Cys, was named the mil event of the year. 14, 2019An earlier versn of this article rrectly stated that Lil Nas X was the first openly gay artist to w a CMA Award.

TJ OSBORNE OF BROTHERS OSBORNE TALKS BEG FIRST OPENLY GAY COUNTRY SGER TO BE SIGNED TO A MAJOR LABEL

He is the first openly gay black artist to do so. Country sgers Shane McAnally and Brandy Clark, both of whom are whe and openly gay, shared the 2014 song of the year CMA Award wh Kacey Mgrav for “Follow Your Arrow. Osborne of untry mic duo Brothers Osborne is publicly discsg beg gay for the first time, and sharg how he feels about markg a historic moment the genre when to beg the only openly gay artist signed to a major untry label.

PATRICK HAGGERTY DI: MAN WILY REGARD AS FIRST OPENLY GAY COUNTRY SGER WAS 78

In a new terview wh Time, the 36-year-old sger says he's known he was gay sce he was young and that he has been out to iends and fay for years.

"I'm very fortable beg gay, " he says.

"As for how beg gay might potentially affect his and his brother, John's, reer as the popular duo Brothers Osborne, 38-year-old John says he uldn't re ls. "He is now the only openly gay artist signed to a major untry mic label, and I hope that the bs ntu to realize that there is a space for LGBTQ artists, and that they n be mercially succsful. Jonathan Bent on Portrayg First Gay Couple Hallmark Movie.

HERE ARE GAY COUNTRY SGERS WHO STOOD OUT LOUD AND PROUD

By Philipps Says Her 12-Year-Old Is Gay, Prefers They/Them Pronouns. Rosie O'Donnell Rells Comg Out as Gay After 9/11 (Exclive).

Patrick Haggerty, the trailblazer wily regard as the first openly gay untry sger, died on Monday surround by his hband and children, acrdg to a statement on his band’s Instagram page.

PATRICK HAGGERTY, REGARD AS THE FIRST OPENLY GAY COUNTRY MIC SGER, DEAD AT 78

The self-tled 1973 disc is the first known gay-themed album untry mic history, acrdg to Journal of Country Mic. Wh tracks like “Come Out Sgg” and “Cry’ The C*cks***g Tears, ” was fund and released by Gay Communy Social Servic of Seattle. Lavenr Country rned briefly 2000 after a proment article on gay untry micians sparked renewed tert.

CHELY WRIGHT COM OUT AS COUNTRY MIC’S FIRST OPENLY GAY SGER

“Cry’ The C*cks***g Tears” was clud the 2012 pilatn album Strong Love: Songs of Gay Liberatn 1972-1981. After we llaborated wh him to reissue and tell the story of his 1973 album, wily regard as the first openly gay untry rerd ever released, Patrick fally saw the served regnn and aclas that had elud him for s. Country mic has a lengthy and not-so-proud reputatn for beg tensely homophobic.

Gay untry sgers were, sadly, not warmly weled. For stance, Patrick Haggerty, whose band lled Lavenr Country, released what is wily believed to be the first explicly gay rerd 1973, ultimately leadg the band to fa to obscury.

From gay untry stars sgg os about lovg who you want to untry artists enuragg listeners not to be aaid to embrace their genr inty, the genre – both s artists and s fans – has fally reached a place where acceptance is the new standard. So, today, let’s take a look at some of the most celebrated gay untry sgers – om Grammy Award-wng stars Brandi Carlile and Lil Nas X to T.

9 COUNTRY MIC ARTISTS WHO HAVE COME OUT AS GAY

Osborne, who is the first gay artist signed to a major untry label. Brandi Carlile spent most of her childhood beg told that “to be gay was a one-way ticket to hell.

WE SHOULD STOP CALLG STEVE GRAND THE FIRST OPENLY GAY MALE COUNTRY STAR

” She even had never met another gay person – until she watched Ellen DeGener’ historic 1997 “I’m gay” episo, which she rerd on a VHS tape so she uld watch repeatedly.

It was then that Carlile me to terms wh the fact that she was gay. However, thgs changed at the height of his reer when he me out as gay durg the last day of Pri Month 2019 through a seri of tweets and his song lled “c7osure.

In 2014, the Nashville artist revealed to PEOPLE a part of himself he has kept secret for his entire reer: beg a “happy gay man. Herndon said that Anthony Robbs’ semar 2009 sparked the urage for him to e out, thkg how his story might help terrified gay youth. “There is somethg very gay about the imagery of , ” the sger said.

GAY UNTRY MIC IN PATRICK HAGGERTY DIED MONDAY AT AGE 78

Chely Wright beme one of the first untry sgers to e out as gay openly. However, Oladokun was silently battlg si as she tried to rencile her fah wh the fact that she was gay, which she had been aware of at a young age. Osborne, one half of the popular untry mic duo Brothers Osborne, had known he was gay sce “before I even unrstood what was.