Country Music's Black Roots

Jazz Williams
Jul 22
6 min read

The roots of country music have been heavily discussed in the last two years. The reason why is primarily because of Beyonce. I went to see her live last month. You can check out my review of her concert here. She inspired me to do my own research. So what did I learn? I learned that white and black people worked together to create country music, but only one race was effectively erased from its history and only one race receives flack today for making country music. Can you guess which race that is? Let's go ahead and take a look at the roots of country music through the lens of black people.

Banjo

The banjo we see today can be traced back to West Africa. Indigenous Africans created an instrument known as the Akonting. This instrument was made out of gourds and animal hide. When Africans were forced into slavery, they brought the instrument to America. Joel Walker Sweeney is credited with popularizing the banjo. He replaced the gourd body with a wooden box and performed at minstrel shows with it. Minstrel shows were popular mid-19th century theatrical entertainment performed by white actors wearing blackface to mimic and humiliate enslaved Africans and their lifestyles. Thus making it popular among white people and leading to appropriation of their culture. The instrument is used not only in country, but also in bluegrass, folk, gospel, and jazz.

Hillbilly Music

Hillbilly music was introduced in the 1920s. The genre originally drew inspiration from slave spirituals, religious hymns, and blues. During its early development, black and white hillbilly artists were actually collaborating, but record labels interfered and chose to segregate them into hillbilly records and race records. Despite having contributed to hillbilly records, the separation led to black songwriters and performers being uncredited on those tracks. Post World War l, hillbilly music was rebranded as country music. From then on, country music was considered white music created and performed solely by white people for white audiences. That belief is still used today to say that country music created by black artists is not real country and justify not playing their music on country radio or giving them awards.

First Successful Black Country Artists

Despite being effectively erased and excluded from a genre they helped create, some black artists still found a way to become popular, receive credit for their contributions, and shape the culture. DeFord Bailey’s harmonica playing was a bridge between blues and country. In 1927, he became the first black performer at the Grand Ole Opry which started out as a radio show and became very popular once he joined. Lesley Riddle taught The Carter Family different songs and guitar techniques despite only having three fingers on his right hand. His unique playing style was popularized by Maybelle Carter and became known as the “Carter Scratch” or “Carter Picking”. Rufus Payne mentored Hank Williams from a young age and helped him grow into the legendary artist he became. He taught him how to play guitar and how to perform, exposed him to blues, and influenced his singing style. The same thing can be said about Gus Cannon and Johnny Cash. Gus Cannon popularized jug bands and served as a mentor to Johnny Cash by exposing him to the Memphis music scene and different music.

Chuck Berry, a rock and roll pioneer, is another artist whose music transcended genres. Songs like “Maybellene” and “Johnny B. Goode” appealed to both white and black audiences and influenced generations of pop and country artists. Ray Charles released Modern Sounds In Country and Western Music Volumes 1 and 2 in 1962. The two albums blended country with R&B, pop, jazz, and soul which was completely unheard of for that time. Charley Pride was country music’s first black superstar. He amassed a whopping 52 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs including “All I Have to Offer You (Is Me)”, “Kiss An Angel Good Mornin”, “Someone Loves You Honey”, “Honky Tonk Blues”, and “Night Games”. Linda Martell was the first commercially successful black female country artist. Her hit album, Color Me Country, featured hit songs: “Color Him Father”, “Before the Next Teardrop Falls”, and “Bad Case of the Blues”. Due to a combination of racism, sexism, and blackmail, she was forced to leave the country music scene, but her legacy will always live on. DeFord Bailey, Charley Pride, and Ray Charles are the only black musicians to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. All these artists changed the way country music was seen, expressed, and consumed by audiences back then and now. They paved the way for and influenced all country artists regardless of race.

Current Black Country Artists

There has been an uptick of black musicians successfully making country music in the 21st century. Darius Rucker started his career as the frontman of a popular rock band, Hootie & the Blowfish. After the band went on hiatus, he revamped himself as a country singer starting with his second solo album. He has amassed numerous hits including “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It”, “This”, “Wagon Wheel”, “Homegrown Honey”, and “If I Told You”. Kane Brown debuted in 2015. He has numerous hit songs on the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts such as “What Ifs”, “Heaven”, “Homesick”, “Famous Friends”, and “Miles On It”. Beyonce’s first stint with country music was back in 2016. She performed “Daddy Lessons” off of her Lemonade album at the Country Music Awards. The performance was met with pure hate. Fast forward to 2024, she releases Cowboy Carter, an album born out of that pure hate, to universal acclaim, a number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for "Texas Hold Em", multiple Grammies including Best Country Album and Album of the Year, the creation of a new Grammy category, and a plethora of other accomplishments. The greatest living performer now has the highest grossing country tour of all time! Shortly after being featured on Beyonce’s album, Shaboozey released “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” which quickly became one of the biggest songs of all time. The song went number one for 19 non-consecutive weeks tying the record with Lil Nas X’s 2019 country rap debut “Old Town Road”. You've seen these artists, heard their music, and felt their influence, but what about the lesser known artists?

I want to take this moment to highlight some smaller black musicians who have been contributing to the country music scene and deserve more shine. Multi-instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens is known for her work in country, Americana, roots, blues, and folk. She has released many solo albums since 2015 and been a part of several different successful groups. Rissi Palmer is known for her biggest hit, “Country Girl”. She has a popular podcast titled Color Me Country Radio with Rissi Palmer on Apple Music. Mickey Guyton is best known for ”Better Than You Left Me”, “Black Like Me”, and “Boys”. Jimmie Allen has accumulated four hit songs: “Best Shot”, “Make Me Want To”, “Freedom Was A Highway”, and “Down Home”. Blanco Brown is a country rapper best known for “The Git Up”. Willie Jones is a former X Factor contestant who has released two albums this decade. Brittney Spencer released her solo debut album, My Stupid Life, at the beginning of 2024. Tanner Addell released her solo debut album, Buckle Bunny, in summer of 2023. Reyna Roberts released her solo debut album in September of 2023. Tiera Kennedy released her solo debut album in October of last year and is the host of Apple Music Country’s The Tiera Show. You probably didn’t know these artists existed, but now you do. I strongly encourage you to check out their music.

Researching for this article has really opened my eyes and I hope it has opened yours as well. Hopefully, in the future, I can make more articles like this for different genres so we can all learn and grow together!

Written By Jazz