Black History Month Spotlight: Beyoncé is Reintroducing You to Black Country Music in 2024.

Super Bowl LVIII captured the attention of millions of fans across the globe, 123 million to be exact. With enough excitement to quite literally break the internet, Beyoncé this year swooped in to one-up the stars by announcing not one, but TWO new songs at the exact same time. Queen B holds nothing back for us this Black History Month.

“This Ain’t Texas”

Beyoncé’s songs, “Texas Hold Em” and “16 Carriages,” took less than a week to soar to the top of the charts. As of February 22, “Texas Hold Em” is #1 with 19.2 million streams, and “16 Carriages” is #9 with 10.3 million streams on Billboards’ Hot Country Songs chart. “Texas Hold Em” specifically is dominating the billboard chart categories, including: Hot 100, Hot Country Songs, Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, Hot Gospel Songs, Hot Latin Songs, Hot R&B Songs, and Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs.

Not only this, but according to Billboard, “Beyonce is now the first woman to have topped Hot Country Songs and Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs on Billboard since the lists began as all-encompassing genre song charts in October 1958. She joins Morgan Wallen, Justin Beiber, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Ray Charles as the only acts to have led both charts.”

Despite growing popularity, during the first week of the launch of both songs, only eight of the 150 stations that report to the Billboard’s Country Airplay chart reported having played the songs. There was even initial controversy about the songs after an Oklahoma station said they didn’t play Beyonce in response to a request. After an influx of backlash from fans and thousands of more requests, the station claimed they didn’t have access to the songs.

This is not the first time Beyoncé has dealt with the hardships of attempting to break through into the country music category as a Black woman. Notably, her song “Daddy Lessons” on her 2016 album, Lemonade, was also doused in the similar country music energy as her new songs, and also faced similar challenges. The song was reportedly rejected for Grammy award contention by the Recording Academy’s country music committee, due to rejection from listeners, and a few within the industry believing it didn’t “sound like a country song.”

With country music having started in the early 1920’s as a primarily white, male-dominated space, women were not given the chance to break into the category until around the 1950’s. Additionally at this time, Black artists within the category were also not receiving their chances within the spotlight as the genre quickly became popular, OR given the fair credit they deserved.

Now as conversations circulate about the place that Beyoncé either has or does not have as a Black woman within country music (because we cannot deny the intersectional implications of her identity on preconceived assumptions of “Country Artists”), it is only right that during Black History Month we discuss the commonly overlooked fact that the birth of Country Music as a genre is HEAVILY influenced by African American culture.

Four Score and 16 Carriages Ago

Time for a mini-history lesson on country music. Hold fast to your cowboy boots, this won’t take long. Within the foundational years of country music history, which puts us in about the 1920’s, early hits were lifted from multiple influences of Black culture, such as slave spirituals, field songs, and religious hymnals. Even the banjo, which is one of the keys that has unlocked sounds within country music to this day, has African origins. The famous instrument was brought to America during the Transatlantic slave trade, from West Africa and the Caribbean.

Country music has always been rooted within the culture, and has been influenced by monumental figures during its early years. Despite the South being deeply segregated during the era of Jim Crow, Black and white musicians were cheffing it up in the studios together, creating musical magic for all to enjoy. Here are just a few out of hundreds musical geniuses that helped pave the way for country music:

Country Music Hall of Fame Recipient: Ray Charles

Now, everyone and their moms has heard of Ray Charles, a man whose identity sits firmly within the intersection of race and disability. His music runs circles around multiple genres of music, including a few laps around country. He began recording that genre in the late 50’s and shouted out his love for country music with his release Modern Sounds of Country Music, considered one of the most important country LPs of all time.

Homework assignment: Listen to “I Can’t Stop Loving You”.

Country’s Lost Pioneer: Linda Martell

The beautiful Linda Martell was the FIRST Black female solo artist to play Grand Ole Opry, and was the first commercially successful Black female in the country music genre. Her 1970 album, Color Me Country, entered country’s Top 40 with the song “Color Him Father”, a story highlighting the hardships of a hardworking stepdad who cares for a woman and her several children after a war that killed her husband, making her a.

Homework assignment: Listen to “Color Him Father”.

A Wizard on the Harmonica: DeFord Bailey

DeFord Bailey was a pioneer for ALL country musicians across the world, and a world-class harmonica player. He was the first country artist to be introduced to the Grand Ole Opry, and the FIRST ever country musician…you read that part twice. He was regularly doing tour collabs with legends such as Bill Monroe and Roy Acuff through the 1940’s.

Homework assignment: Listen to “Fox Chase”.

Daddy said go stream Beyoncé’s new songs

Now, if you have made it this far, congratulations. You have passed your history exam on country music. Despite previously and currently being a predominantly white space, country music would not be where it is without the profound influence of Black musicians, Black artists, and Black culture. As we continue to work to shift the narrative and create a more inclusive space for all artists that fall within the musical categories.

“For all the beauty, honesty, and emotion of country music, the country music industry has all too often failed listeners of the genre by not sharing, or simply silencing, the stories and voices of Black country artists who helped create the genre”.

Happy Black History Month! Make sure that you take a look at the extra credit assignment at the bottom, and I don’t think I need to say it, but in case you didn’t read the sub-line, go listen to Beyoncé’s new songs, like right now.

Extra Credit Readings/Sources

• The Black Origins of Country Music
• Black Artists Helped Build Country Music – And Then IT Left Them Behind
• Beyoncé’s New Songs Aren’t Getting Played on Country Radio – Despite Streaming Success
• 25 Black Country Artists Who Shaped Country Music
• Linda Martell, Country’s Lost Pioneer
• Beyoncé’s ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ debuts at No.1 on the country chart