The chapter explores the deep connection of songwriter Alice Randall to country music's black roots, tracing her journey from a sensitive black girl finding solace in artists like Ray Charles to achieving success in Nashville. It discusses the intersection of country music with black artists like D Ford Bailey, shedding light on the racial dynamics in the music industry and the historical manipulation of music genres based on race.
Beyoncé has a new country album. The first single has already broken records and drawn criticism from those who think of country music as a “white” genre. Except it’s not. Author and songwriter Alice Randall tells the story of country music’s very Black roots.
This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Victoria Chamberlin and Anouk Dussaud, engineered by Patrick Boyd, and hosted by Noel King.
Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained
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