Beyonce supports Jay-Z as he accepts the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award during the 66th GRAMMY Awards in Los Angeles, CA, Feb. 04, 2024.The Houston, Texas, native is expected to not just honor her country roots, but also to highlight the historical and ongoing contributions Black artists have made to the genre that some say has long shut them out.her new album was "born out of an experience I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed ... and it was very clear that I wasn't.
For example, in 19 years of country radio programming, only 13 Black artists were represented among the 11,484 songs played by major country stations, according to a study from the"Black folks had been in country music from the beginnings of the genre," Francesca Royster, author of "Black Country Music," told ABC News in an interview.
"The prehistory of country music includes Black folk music and includes Black string bands. It includes vaudeville, and blackface minstrelsy," Royster said. "All of these really mixed up roots are part of what became the sound of country music.
"All the music training I ever had was from him," Williams Sr. said in a 1951 interview, according to the "DeFord Bailey was the Opry's first superstar. Not the first Black superstar – DeFord Bailey is arguably the Opry's first superstar. Period," Randall said. As more new Black country artists make their paths in the genre, Royster says there growing attempts to push back against gate-keepers who have caused the "segregation" of opportunities in the industry.