Grand Ole Opry

• But to me, the most important guest voice is the one least likely to be familiar to Beyoncé’s listeners: Linda Martell, the first commercially successful Black female country music artist.
• Two tracks on “Cowboy Carter,” “Spaghettii” and “The Linda Martell Show,” include spoken word commentary from Martell.
• By giving Martell a platform, Beyoncé simultaneously gives credit to her predecessor while staking her own place in the country music tradition.

‘A true feeling for a country lyric’

• Linda Martell’s rapid ascendancy to prominence as a country musician and her equally precipitous decline offer a lesson about the challenges Black artists faced in the 1970s.
• Born in South Carolina, Martell first began to sing as a child, forming a group with her sisters that performed R&B and gospel songs.

• Having recently released the hit “All I Have to Offer You (Is Me),” Pride was proving that Black country music artists could succeed.
• She went to Nashville, Tennessee, to record a country version of “Color Him Father,” a soul song by The Winstons that had hit No.
• She has a terrific style and a true feeling for a country lyric.” Martell’s success opened doors for her in Nashville.
• She was invited to join a host of country artists on tour, including Waylon Jennings and Hank Snow.

No margin for error

• Martell also faced thinly veiled racism from the people who were supposed to be promoting her career.
• Producer Shelby Singleton, who signed Martell, didn’t release “Color Me Country” on his SSI label, opting instead to record her on a subsidiary label, Plantation Records.
• With her record company promoting what essentially amounted to a one-hit wonder at her expense, Martell tried to switch labels.

Kicking open doors

• Brace yourself.
• But don’t give up.” Martell’s industry exile resonates with one element of “Cowboy Carter,” in particular.
• With “Cowboy Carter,” Beyoncé has triumphantly returned, kicking the doors open and marching through them with Martell proudly by her side, giving the 82-year-old country star the recognition that has long eluded her.

William Nash does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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• Country superstar and 2x CMA Entertainer of the Year Luke Combs is a multi-platinum, award-winning artist from Asheville, NC.
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