By Ron Wynn
NASHVILLE, TN — Beyonce’s upcoming LP “Cowboy Carter” has been the talk of the music world the past few weeks. It’s being released next Friday, but two singles from it have already been issued and one (“Texas Hold “Em”) became the first single by any Black woman to top the country charts.
Last week the Black Music Action Coalition held a special panel discussion in New York City. The all-women 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.
An extensive overview of the discussion, as well as biographical details about the participants and some of their comments, is now available online via the Variety website.
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