Tucson band pulled from concert for antisemitic comments

The 1970s Tucson band Chuck Wagon and the Wheels was removed from the lineup of Saturday’s “The Whole Enchilada” benefit concert after antisemitic comments and writings from its frontman Chuck Maultsby came to the attention of organizers.

Organizer Rich Hopkins notified Maultsby via email on Thursday, April 14 — Maultsby has no phone — that he was not going to be allowed to perform as part of the concert celebrating Tucson desert rock bands from the late 1970s to early 1990s.

“I had no idea that Chuck had done whatever he had done,” Hopkins said.

Maultsby in an email to the Star on Friday said he was not surprised to “be canceled from a Congress show, but why so little notice?”

The story of Maultsby’s antisemitic writings was first reported Thursday, April 14, by the Tucson Sentinel, which had reported on the issue as early as 2017, according to editor Dylan Smith. In his story on Thursday, Smith said that Maultsby had written more than 250 lengthy pages on his website espousing antisemitic views and conspiracies concerning 9/11, the pandemic, the Holocaust and so-called false flag operations by Americans inside the United States including the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

In his email to the Star, Maultsby said he stands by those writings and beliefs that include blaming Jewish members at the highest levels of the CDC for orchestrating what he called “the COVID terror.”

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Maultsby’s website also has a link to his 2012 book “Who Should Go Down in History: The Truth About 9/11,” which was banned from Amazon. In the book, Maultsby claimed the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were carried out by Jewish operatives in America.

“He believes this stuff, unfortunately,” said David Slutes, the Hotel Congress entertainment director who booked Maultsby’s band for Saturday’s concert, which includes performances from a number of prominent Tucson desert rock bands. “It’s not something we want to be associated with. It’s overshadowing a cool event and a cool thing.”

Chuck Wagon and the Wheels has a number of out-of-town concerts in Amado, Tubac and Three Points this spring and early summer that Maultsby said were still on.

Saturday’s concert at Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress St., celebrates the release of Hopkins’ book and album project “The Whole Enchilada: The History of Desert Rock, Tucson, Arizona, 1978-1994.” The book profiles 28 Tucson bands and includes a three-album collection of 31 songs by many of those bands.

Hopkins said they will not replace Chuck Wagon and the Wheels on Saturday’s lineup, which includes Howe Gelb and Giant Sand, Hopkins and Slutes’ band Sidewinders, River Roses, Caitlin von Schmidt, Fish Karma, Naked Prey, Gila Bend, Billy Sedlmayr and Wayback Machine.

The all-ages concert begins at 4 p.m. on the plaza stage and tickets are $20 at the door, with proceeds from ticket and book sales benefitting the Casa Maria soup kitchen.