Pop goddess Beyoncé created commotion and consternation when she busted through the invisible doors that typically block Black musicians from the country music genre.
Black music purists and historians look askance at the country music gatekeepers who were offended when Queen Bey decided to drop an album called Act II: Country Cowboy — mainly because Blacks were highly instrumental in creating the genre that we know today.
How, some music connoisseurs asked, can Blacks be shunned from a music form they helped popularize?
Beyoncé was also flummoxed by the treatment she received when performing at the 2016 CMAs. Granted, she performed with The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks), who were exiled from country music after criticizing President George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Nevertheless, the racist language she was pelted with stunned her, but it steeled her resolve to enter that territory.
“This album has been over five years in the making,” Bey told her 320 million Instagram followers. “It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed … and it was very clear that I wasn’t. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive,” she penned.
“The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. Act II is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.”
Unfortunately, we’ve seen this movie before. Venerated groups such as the Rolling Stones and the Beatles are the few that genuflect at the figurative altar of Chuck Berry and Little Richard, who originated rock ‘n’ roll. Yet when Darius Rucker, the former lead singer of the 1990s blockbuster band Hootie and the Blowfish, began playing rock music in the modern era, he was treated like an interloper wading into territory he had no rights to.
Blacks have had a major presence in the country music genre. DeFord Bailey became the first Black star of the Grand Ole Opry in 1927 and performed there until 1941. He was an influential harmonica player in country and blues music and was country music’s first Black star.
Other Black musicians who thrived in country music, according to Associated Press:
- Ray Charles: His 1962 album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music exposed a wider audience to country music;
- Bobby Womack and Candi Staton played a fused country and soul;
- The Pointer Sisters, Linda Martell and Cleve Francis found success performing in country music in the 1970s;
- Charley Pride: The first Black artist to have a number one country record, achieving massive in the 1960s and 1970s despite oppressive racial discrimination;
- Lionel Richie: His 1983 multiplatinum smash album Can’t Slow Down included the pop hits “All Night Long,” “Running With the Night,” and “Hello.” The album also contained the hit country-inspired single “Stuck on You,” and he later performed with the group Alabama at the CMT Music Awards.
- Beyoncé: Became the first Black woman to top Billboard’s country music chart with her album Act ll: Cowboy Carter;
Other Black artists who have struck gold with country music include Darius Rucker, Kane Brown, Lil Nas X, Tina Turner, and Jimmie Allen.
