7 Black Country Artists Who Paved the Way
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Back in 1920, you were more likely to hear the swinging sounds of saxophones than you were the plucking of a banjo. The Jazz Age era was in full swing after World War I, but a few years later, another sound emerged blending jazz elements with blues, acoustic folk, bluegrass, and the live instrumentation of the Southern Appalachia. That genre is what we refer to today as “country music,” an umbrella term originally created for songs that reflected a simpler life in the South, in mountain towns, and in the open ranges of Texas.
Some music historians trace country music’s origins back to Eck Robertson and Henry Gilliland’s “Arkansas Traveler” in 1922, or Fiddlin’ John Carson’s “Little Log Cabin in the Lane” in 1923. But what most fans can agree on is that Jimmie Rodgers (née James Charles Rodgers) was the first major star of country music back in 1927. Hailed as “The Father of Country Music” and honored as the first inductee into Country Music Hall of Fame, Rodgers broke new ground sonically.
Most of the artists to follow suit behind Rodgers from the mid-1920s to the 1960s all had one thing in common: They were all white. From Hank Williams and Patsy Cline to Johnny Cash and Tex Williams, country music remained in stark contrast to the Black Americans who were cultivating and popularizing the jazz music of that time.
But in 1966, the landscape finally began to change when a singer named Charley Pride hit the scene with his first single, "Snake Crawl at Night." It's thanks to artists like Pride and the many Black country artists who came after him that now, in 2022, "One Mississippi" singer Kane Brown is CMT Awards lead nominee.
Below, seven Black singers, including Kane Brown, who have left a lasting impression in country music.
Charley Pride
Born in Sledge, Mississippi, Charley Pride began his musical career in the 1950s—on the baseball field. The self-taught musician would sing and play guitar on the bus with his fellow team members of the Negro American League's Memphis Red Sox. While playing in the semi-pro league, he continued to perform on the side in nightclubs and sing the national anthem at games. However, after a failed tryout with the New York Mets, Pride started pursuing music full-time, landing his first recording tract in 1966 with RCA records. His breakthrough song, "Just Between You and Me," reached the top 10 position on the Country chart and earned Pride his first Grammy nomination.
Aaron Neville
Identifying as African-American, Caucasian, and Native American, Aaron Neville's music is a byproduct of a colorful background, melding the Cajun and Creole sounds of his New Orleans heritage with the R&B; and soul influences he listened to as a child. Neville first started performing with his brothers, Cyril, Charles, and Art in the 1950s, but he released his first single, "Over You" in 1960. To date, the talented artist boasts four platinum albums and four Top 10 hits in the U.S.
"I was into him [Nat King Cole] and Charles Brown and Ray Charles and all the doo-wops," Neville once said, according to his official website. "And I was also a big fan of Hank Williams, and the cowboys—Roy Rogers and Gene Autry and the Sons of the Pioneers."
Darius Rucker
Before becoming a successful solo country artist in his own right, Darius Rucker first rose to prominence as the frontman for the band Hootie & the Blowfish circa 1986. Along with his group, the Charleston, South Carolina, native achieved mainstream success with their Grammy-winning album, Cracked Rear View, in 1994. Rucker continued to tour with the band up until the release of his debut solo album in 2002, titled, Back to Then. While the studio effort didn't produce any chart-topping records, Rucker's 2013 single, "Wagon Wheel" launched him into solo superstardom, where he won a Grammy for Best Country Solo Performance.
Cowboy Troy
Born as Troy Lee Coleman III, Cowboy Troy is originally from Dallas, Texas. Cowboy Troy is attributed to creating the "hick-hock" style. While a student at the University of Texas, Cowboy Troy would perform at local clubs. He eventually secured a recording contract in 2005 with Warner Brothers Nashville and released his first album, Loco Motive. His most recognizable song is "I Play Chicken with the Train." After temporary stints as a judge on CMT's singing competition, Nashville Star, Cowboy Troy returned to the studio with his 2018 album, Laugh with Me.
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is commonly associated with the R&B; and soul records she made with her late ex-husband, Ike Turner. But fans might not know that Turner actually released a country album in 1975. Tina Turns the Country On features country-music covers from popular musicians such as Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, and Hank Snow. Taking a creative risk and going back to her roots paid off for the Nutbush, Tennessee, native, who earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B; Vocal Performance Female for the album. Eventually, though, Turner would strike gold in the rock 'n' genre with her commercially successful 1986 album, Private Dancer.
Kane Brown
Tennessee's Kane Brown's success has continued on an upward trajectory since his initial popularity through social media before releasing hit music. His self-titled debut, Kane Brown, became the fourth best-selling album by a new artist in 2016—in any genre. After five weeks, his first studio project continued to rest comfortably in the number one position on Billboard’s Top Country Albums. His second album Experiment was released in late 2018, going on to become his first No.1 album on the Billboard 200 chart. Brown is 2022's CMT Awards leading nominee, coming off the back of his smash hit music video One Mississippi.
Petrella Ann Bonner
The self-proclaimed "First Lady of Country Soul" is originally from Arkansas, and began her career singing in the choir at church like many artists from the South. Signed in 1989 to Ridgewood Records, the singer-songwriter has released a total of seven albums, with her most popular single being the 2008 Billboard hit, "I Want To Know You Forever." She was named “Songwriter of the Year” in 1994 by the Tennessee Songwriters Association.
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