Cowboy Troy Opens Up About Facing Down KKK Threat on ‘The Pursuit! With John Rich’
Cowboy Troy is opening up about a racist threat he faced while performing in the South. In an upcoming episode of The Pursuit! With John Rich, the rapper and country entertainer tells his friend why he decided to face down a credible threat from the KKK and take the stage despite the danger.
Cowboy Troy has often performed with Big & Rich, but the threat he's referring to came before a solo show he was set to perform at a country bar in Kennesaw, Ga.
"It was an anonymous call-in," he recalls. He decided to go forward with the performance with extra security measures in place.
"We had plainclothes armed security," he details. "I had to fly in from a Big & Rich show, so I flew in, local law enforcement kept me sequestered at the hotel. I wasn't able to do a meet-and-greet, I wasn't able to hang out in the bar and shake hands with the fans after the show ... I walked up on stage, did the show. After the show was done, back in the vehicle, dropped me off back at the hotel."
He adds that although everything worked out, "that's not the first time I've had to deal with anything like that."
Though he hesitates to name a culprit, his longtime friend Rich clarifies that the KKK were ultimately identified as being responsible for the threat.
"So you run into the most vicious, disgusting group of human beings, in my opinion, that exist ... but you went and did it anyway," Rich says, adding, "my respect level went through the roof for you when I watched you take that on."
Rich launched The Pursuit! With John Rich on the new Fox Nation streaming service on Feb. 17, and the show's first season featured the country hitmaker interviewing guests including Gretchen Wilson and Wynonna Judd, as well as a diverse group of veterans, inventors and others from across genres and the political spectrum.
Season 2 is set to launch on Monday (May 18), with Shark Tank investor Robert Herjavec joining Rich to discuss his challenges on the way to success. Along with Cowboy Troy, WWE wrestler Jeff Jarrett, actor Michael Cudlitz and country singers Larry Gatlin and T. G. Sheppard are also slated to appear on upcoming episodes of the show, which Rich hopes can help to bridge America's sociopolitical divide.
"The one thing we all have in common is, we all have the right to pursue happiness," Rich told Taste of Country in February. "That's such a beautiful thought, and it's not something I've seen anybody focus on to build a bridge that's higher than the troubled water that is rolling right now through our country. Let's get up over that for a second and have a deep, positive discussion even with people that may not agree with you on everything."
"We agree on one thing," he added. "By God, I respect your work ethic, I respect what you've accomplished ... tell me how you did it. That's what this show is all about."
For more information, visit the Fox Nation website.
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