

Twang, Ep 2: If Beyoncé Ain’t Country, What Is?
Apr 30, 2025
44:25
In the second episode of Twang, host Lane Wendell Fischer is joined by music journalist and cultural critic Taylor Crumpton to explore the deep-rooted, often erased contributions of Black, Mexican, and Indigenous artists to the genre. From Southern guitar traditions and borderland ballads to the Chitlin Circuit to Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter, we trace how cultural exchange shaped the sound of country music — and why its public image remains so whitewashed.
Artists discussed include: Linda Martell, Beyoncé, Mahalia Jackson, Charley Pride, Shaboozey, and Darius Rucker.
Listen to the episode companion playlist.
Read Lane Wendell Fischer’s commentary about this episode