Stone Between Rock, Hard Place

Country singer Doug Stone, who’s got a slew of tour dates lined up, was sitting in a Tennessee jail cell at press time for contempt of court.

Stone was locked up because he wasn’t able to pay his ex-wife child support and alimony, Lofton Creek Records President Mike Borchetta told Pollstar.

“He didn’t have the money to pay what she wanted, which was a very substantial amount,” Borchetta explained. “The judge said, ‘OK, you’re in contempt of court for not doing this,’ and put him in jail. There were no ifs, ands or buts.

“When [Stone] and his (current) wife went to court that morning, they thought they would meet with his [ex-wife], make a settlement … and everything would be OK. They got into court and nothing went right.”

The singer was waiting for an October 14th hearing.

Meanwhile, Stone’s Web site listed tour dates spanning through February at press time.

“It’s not doing anybody any good for him to be in jail. He can’t earn any money to pay anybody,” Borchetta said. “It’s kind of a tough situation because he’s got a lot of dates on the calender. … If he’s in jail, he can’t do his shows.”

— Mitchell Peters