“Well, Happy Beyoncé Day,” Roberta Lee said to cheers from a packed crowd at the Burns at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia. Coincidentally, that was the day Beyonce released her new country-themed album, Cowboy Carter. ” Lee spoke with members of the Black Opry, a collective of black country artists, fans, and industry professionals, about “the importance of a superstar like Beyoncé stepping into the world of country music, and the importance of country music.” “We talked about what that means for people who are stepping into the world of.” She is like her, she is human like us. ”
“So we felt it was appropriate to do a little something in honor of the Queen,” Leah continued. Grace Giberts opens with a jaunty banjo intro, Rachel Maxan jumps in on piano, and they all sing the song along with Thug Daniels and Tyler Bryant, who recently ranked it among the top Black women on Billboard's Hot Country Songs list. It was the first song to reach number 1. Chart: “This isn't Texas, and this isn't Hold'em. So put your cards down, down, down, down…”
From the moment Beyoncé made a surprise performance of “Texas Hold'em” and “16 Carriage” at the Super Bowl in February, online discussion of her plans to “go country” heated up. Musicologists provided history lessons about black roots. The genre has historically excluded many black singers. Fans dissected Beyoncé's performance in Nashville at the 2016 Country Music Association Awards, where she sang “Daddy Lessons” with the Chicks, but Beyoncé didn't feel “welcomed” in the environment. He hinted that this event was the inspiration for the album. And of course, the endless debates about what is “real” country music are exhausting.
Throughout, common themes also emerged, especially among Black singer-songwriters who have already broken into the country music world. That said, no matter what you think about “Cowboy Carter,” this is a historic moment. Not only did Beyoncé use her huge platform to make an artistic statement and raise the profile of other black country artists, but this highly promoted album also contributed to her audience's feelings towards the genre in general. It may help you rebuild your life.
“There's a lot of black people who are like, 'I can't talk about the fact that I'm serious about Willie Nelson.' … Because of racism, there's a lot of people who are like, 'Country music?' I would never do it,” Giberts said during a backstage conversation with five Black Opry members who were in Virginia for a concert. But now that Beyoncé has sparked a conversation about the country music world and the album also features legends like Nelson, she thinks the format could open up to more listeners. Told.
“We make this music because we love it,” Daniels added. “But it's exciting to see the rest of the world turn around and say, 'Oh, what else is going on here right now?'
LHearing “Cowboy Carter” before a Wolf Trap show on Friday was a thrilling experience for the Black Opry singers. Ziverts pressed the “play” button at 6:30 a.m. and started crying about 45 seconds into the record, she said. Maxan described herself as happily running at Malcolm X/Meridian Hill Park, smiling and saying “Happy Beyonce Day” to every black person she met. Backstage, the singers gasped and cheered when Leah revealed that she had been given the opportunity to compose for the album. (Although her song never got featured, she was thrilled to be asked to contribute.)
Bryant said he felt immediately drawn to “Sweet Honey Buckin',” a collaboration between Beyoncé and country/hip-hop artist Shabouzi, and when Jiverts heard the song, he immediately wanted to listen to Bryant's latest song, “Sweet Honey Buckin'.” She said it reminded her of “Cowgirl Up.”
“I said, 'This is like a sister song to Tyler's new song,'” Ziverts said. “When we put this out there and wrote about it, there was already room for it. But now there will be even more people looking for it.”
Prior to the album's release, multiple black country artists had seen a surge in streaming and social media engagement, leading up to “Cowboy Carter,” a black country artist who has lived and worked in Nashville for many years. The singer said he had wondered if it would be included on this album. Sure enough, the second song was a cover of the Beatles' “Blackbird,” which featured breakout singers like Rayna Roberts, Tanner Adele, Tierra Kennedy, and Brittney Spencer. Daniels added that this song choice (Paul McCartney has said he wrote about black women during the civil rights movement) was particularly poignant.
“The Beatles are talking about black people in America. You know, people who come from outside the country have a very pointed perspective,” Daniels said. “So it was symbolic for it to be the second song on the album.”
Other group favorites include “Spaghettii” (another country rap track with Shabuzi, with a spoken word introduction by country music pioneer Linda Martel) and a duet with Miley Cyrus. One ballad, “II Most Wanted,'' was included. Some singers were inspired by the fact that the record covered so many genres.
“It's very American. It's very American black music,” Lee said. “Because we have country, we have hip-hop, we have R&B, we have pop.”
“Soul, everything,” Daniels added.
“Everything,” Leah agreed, checking the song titles. “Then let's play 'Riverdance' with the Irish.” [music]?So, is there an opera about “The Daughter”? I'm like, 'Girl, you stop doing that.' ”
TThe beginning of the Black Opry dates back to the spring of 2021. Holly G., a writer and flight attendant from Virginia, felt increasingly excluded as a black woman who loved country music and realized that the majority of musicians, fans, and executives didn't see her. Like her.
She created a website where artists of color can publish their profiles and meet other fans. And it quickly exploded, so much so that they had to hire a booking agent because they were flooded with requests to add a tour element. The organization launched a record label late last year and works with more than 200 artists who play country, folk, Americana, blues and roots music.
“It's very comforting to be in a space where you can be yourself without being judged,” Lee said, adding that this community has given many singers “the ability to be unapologetically themselves and be country at the same time.” He added that he gave it to me.
During the 90-minute concert, amidst a raucous audience that quickly became lively with inside jokes with the singers (Bryant, the only man on stage, was a good-natured target for several digs), several songs A classic country theme. Love, hardship, friends, family, getting drunk, ex-lovers, and getting drunk and thinking about ex-lovers. Not to mention the country wordplay that Maxan sang. At least he's always drinking,” and one of Bryant's songs goes, “Let's paint this town a different shade of red tonight. I'm thinking outside the box with wine.”
At the end of the show, the singers banded together to play “Texas Hold'em,” and the audience clapped along. Outside the venue, phone screens around the world lit up as listeners debated, debated, and posted about “Cowboy Carter” and what they thought, what it meant, and where it belonged. I did. But the only thing that mattered inside the venue was the music.