NOT OUR FIRST RODEO…
HISTORY MADE: BEYONCÉ WINS COUNTRY ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Congrats to Beyoncé who broke barriers once again, becoming the first Black woman to win Best Country Album at the 67th Grammy Awards.
While this moment is historic, we must recognize that Black artists have ALWAYS been central to country music - even if the industry has worked to erase them.
In the 1920s, record labels racially segregated music into “race records” (jazz, blues, gospel) and “hillbilly music” (country), laying the foundation for a structural exclusion that still exists today. Between 1958 and 2016, 95% of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart were by white artists, and even today, Black country artists receive only a small amount of airplay in Canada and the U.S.
Country music is a Black genre. Country’s origins can be traced to African American folk traditions including blues, gospel and field songs. Early hillbilly artists played songs often inherited from Negro spirituals, field songs and hymnals. The banjo, a central component of enslaved people’s music is a descendant of the West African lute.
From pioneers like Charley Pride to stars like Darius Rucker, Mickey Guyton, Kane Brown, Jimmie Allen, Breland, Blanco Brown and Shaboozey, Black artists continue to fight for space in a genre they not only helped create, but build.
The controversy around Shaboozey’s viral hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and whether it fit the “image” of country music, underscore racial issues in the genre.
In Canada, talented Black country artists like D’Orjay, JoJo Mason, Shelley Hamilton, Sacha and Allison Russell seek access to the same stages, airplay and opportunities as their peers. We need to see Black artists on Canada’s country music festival lineups, on country radio & performing at events and awards shows.
Diversifying performance lineups, industry roles and leadership in country music will grow audiences, increase revenues and make space for artists who have always been here.
History was made today - let’s make sure this isn’t just a moment, but a movement.
#BreakingDownRacialBarriers #BDRB #BHM #Beyonce #BlackCountryMusic #BlackCanada #DiversifyCountryMusic