25 September 2018
Newsdesk
Country legend Garth Brooks will no longer be sharing the stage with the America's Got Talent finalist he wrote a song for following the aspiring singer's domestic violence arrest.
Dad-of-six Michael Ketterer was taken into custody by police officials in Los Angeles on Thursday (20Sep18) following an argument with his wife.
He was booked on a felony and then released after posting $50,000 (£38,000) bail, but Ketterer subsequently insisted it was all a big "misunderstanding", and sources tell TMZ the case will be reduced to a misdemeanour.
However, the domestic drama has cost Ketterer his big concert appearance with Brooks, who had previously invited the fifth-placed contestant to perform with him at his upcoming Notre Dame Stadium show in Indiana on 20 October (18).
They had been planning to team up for a rendition of Courage to Love, the track Brooks penned for the wannabe at the request of reality show boss Simon Cowell, but the Friends in Low Places hitmaker reveals they have since mutually agreed to shelve the idea.
During a Facebook chat with fans on Monday (24Sep18), Brooks explained he had reached out to the 41 year old following the headline-grabbing incident to talk things through.
"Called him this weekend, we talked," Garth shared on his Inside Studio G Facebook Live show. "We decided it was better that he not appear at Notre Dame and not perform there.
"That family will figure it out and find it within themselves, and of course the good Lord, and figure it out. Michael Ketterer will not be at Notre Dame."
As for what will happen to the Courage to Love tune, which Ketterer debuted on the America's Got Talent finale last week (19Sep18), Garth admits he's undecided about recording it for himself, although he would like to get the song's message about love and hope to the masses.
"On TV, they're always going to edit it down because they only have so much time... They had two-and-a-half minutes for it, the song is about four minutes long. It's a big beautiful ballad," he said.
"I'll tell you what, we'll just stick it in the system... Here's the deal: it's a demo. It's just something you write for somebody else. So it doesn't even sound like me, it doesn't sound like me at all. But we can fix this demo and get it out because the main thing is the song and its message."
