Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music At the Black Music Action Coalition‘s “Rooted in Country” discussion panel Thursday night — addressing the many challenges Black country artists continue to face breaking into the genre — it was just a matter of time before the conversation turned to Beyonce’s “Act II: Cowboy Carter” country-themed album that drops next Friday.
The all-female panel (in honor of Women’s History Month) featured Rissi Palmer, a pioneering country singer-songwriter and host of the “Color Me Country” podcast; Holly G, founder of the Black Opry collective; and Live Nation Country’s Julie Matway; it was moderated by label veteran and author Naima Cochrane, who wrote a powerful study on the subject called “Three Chords & the Actual Truth: The Manufactured Myth of Country Music & White America” that was published in June of 2022.
The event, which was presented by the BMAC, Live Nation’s “Curated” program and Variety, also featured a brief performance from Academy of Country Music OnRamp honoree Carmen Dianne, who performed solo and, unusually for a singer-songwriter, accompanied herself only on bass. (Pictured above, L-R: Palmer, Holly G, BMAC CEO WIllie “Prophet” Stiggers, Cochrane, Matway.) Not surprisingly, considering the subject matter, some strong opinions were aired.
Palmer, 42, is an O.G. of the movement: Her 2007 single “Country Girl” was the first song released by an African-American woman to reach the country charts in 20 years.
Read more on variety.com