I was shocked when I came across this article at tasteofcountry.com. Is this for real?
The Country band Confederate Railroad has been removed from one of their upcoming scheduled concerts at the Du Quoin State fair in Illionois. Was it because of a band member being ill, did their tour bus break down, was there a possible error in the tour schedule? Nope, they were removed because of their name. That's right. The band name.
The tasteofcountry.com article goes on to explain that the manager of the fair, John Goss, stated that the Illinois Department of Agriculture made the decision after a writer for a Illinios based political website called Capitol Fax raised the question if a band named 'Confederate' Railroad was morally correct to perform at the venue.
Many Country artists have spoken up about this and I'm sure many more will. As for the Du Quoin State Fair, looks like you might have much more limited options if you want to book a Country act in the future.