By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com

Black Americans have contributed much to American society, music and culture, yet through history have often gone unrecognized. The country music genre is no different.

From Black early country artists such as DeFord Bailey and Linda Martell to new contributions from renowned singers of today such as Beyoncé Knowles, Black artists are met with much resistance when seeking to make their mark.

“Some fans of country music like to pretend it came up pure, untouched by Black influence or Black culture,” said Kyle Stanley, a pop culture and media researcher. “That version of the story is easier to sell, but it’s not the truth.”

DeFord Bailey is known as a pioneer who helped shape country music, even though he and other Black artists were often sidelined. Their contributions challenge the idea that country music was ever a homogeneous space.
Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of the Tennessee Tribune

In the 1920s, Bailey, country’s first African-American star, played the harmonica at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee — a cornerstone of country music. From the 1920s to the 1930s, Bailey grew to fame via Nashville’s famous WSM Radio.

“He helped shape the sound before it even had ‘the rules’ as we see them today,” said Stanley. “He was a star.”

But in 1941, Bailey’s radio career hit a standstill as a result of a dispute between the radio industry and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers pertaining to licensing fees the organization charged radio stations for playing its members’ songs. Shortly after being fired, he quit his professional career.

“As someone who has lived in Nashville for years, it’s truly so hard to see any of the faces of Black Art and culture who help shape the genre,” said Stanley.

Linda Martell, now 82 years young, is recognized as a trailblazing artist who cleared the way for other Black country music stars to come. Credit: Photo courtesy of Minnesota Spokesman Recorder

Linda Martell, 83, came onto the country music scene in the 1960s. She was the first Black woman to perform at the Opry.

But, similar to Bailey, Stanley said the country music world never gave her the space to grow.

“She made history and then got pushed aside,” said Stanley.

Stanley said the country music world largely forgot her name, but through Knowles’ recent foray into country music, Black artists’ contribution to the genre is now back in the public eye.

Stanley described some of the issues as country fans’ attempts to make a clear distinction between what is “real country” and what is not.

“The same thing is still happening now,” said Stanley, referencing how Black country artists are told to make music within a certain aesthetic or it does not count as authentic country.

Stanley said when Black artists try to experiment as other white artists may, they’re met with more resistance.

“They are told to pick one sound and stick with it,” said Stanley.

“DeFord Bailey deserved more,” added Stanley. “Linda Martell did too. The artists making music now are still dealing with the same resistance. They are not trying to break into something new. They are returning to something that was already theirs.”

Lyric Mandell, a director of media and public relations at MOXY Company, emphasized that revisiting the contributions of Bailey and Martell today isn’t about recovering what was lost, but reasserting their rightful place in the genre’s foundation.

Kyle Stanley, a pop culture and media researcher, addresses the overlooked contributions of Black artists in country music. Photo Credit: Courtesy photo

“By stepping into a genre that has long positioned itself as racially and regionally ‘authentic,’ artists like Beyoncé challenge the idea that country belongs to a single demographic or aesthetic tradition — and remind us of the deep history of Black artists like DeFord Bailey and Linda Martell who came before her,” said Mandell.

Mandell said times where artists crossover styles, techniques into other genres reminds the world that genres should never be considered static.

“They’re built, contested, and reshaped over time,” said Mandell. “Beyoncé’s presence in country forces a re-evaluation of who gets to be considered ‘authentic’ and why. While her move may feel disruptive to some, it’s actually in keeping with country’s long history of reinvention — a history that just hasn’t always been the most inclusive.”

Looking forward, Mandell believes there’s still much work to be done to make the country more inclusive of the many different artists that contribute to it.

“The key shift that still needs to happen is from symbolic inclusion to structural investment,” she said. “What Black artists in country music need are long-term pathways — consistent access to radio, playlist placement, label support, tour infrastructure, and award consideration. Without that, breakthroughs risk becoming one-offs rather than building blocks.”