Windsor country singer debuts amid trade war with 'Jack Daniel's Ain't A Friend of Mine'

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 10, 2025 8:54 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

An emerging Windsor state creator has received an unexpected boost, acknowledgment to his debut azygous "Jack Daniel's Ain't a Friend of Mine."

Parker Ouellette wrote the azygous astir a twelvemonth ago, agelong earlier the United States launched a commercialized warfare with Canada by introducing sweeping tariffs connected imported goods.

But the opus was released successful aboriginal March conscionable arsenic authorities liquor stores crossed Canada began pulling American brands disconnected the shelves – including Jack Daniel's.

LISTEN: Windsor singer's "Jack Daniels Ain't a Friend of Mine" strikes a chord during commercialized dispute

"I'm ne'er going to accidental nary to a bigger audience," Ouellette said of the fortuitous timing.

"But there's a batch of interest going connected close now, and it's not unwarranted. … But I would beryllium grateful for the accidental to supply alleviation to radical done this implicit gag of a song."

Jack Daniel's' maker Brown-Forman has expressed its displeasure with provincial decisions to remove Jack from store shelves. 

CEO Lawson Whiting said connected Wednesday that it was "worse than a tariff," according to Reuters, and a "disproportionate response" to levies imposed by the Trump administration.

But Ouellette said helium needs immoderate clip isolated from the celebrated whiskey brand.

"I'm going to spell commencement hanging with my different buddies, J.P. Wiser's, and I'm going to … enactment my Crown on," helium said, referring to Canadian whiskey brands. 

Ouellette grew up listening to state music, and he's been penning songs for astir 4 years, helium said. 

"Jack Daniel's Ain't a Friend of Mine" is the archetypal azygous from his debut album.

"It's my publication to the large pantheon of drinking songs," Ouellette said, citing Toby Keith's "Red Solo Cup" and the Irish Rovers' "Wasn't That A Party" arsenic genre-defining examples.

It's a opus astir going retired connected a Friday nighttime and regretting it successful the morning, helium added.