I knew a guy in college, pre-internet, who memorized all the Billboard charts. I wish I was still in contact so I could ask him how long Ray Charles’ country albums charted, and for how many decades they were among the highest grossing country records of all time. But I know Charles, who basically turned to country music on a dare, dominated the charts for years.
All American music can trace its roots to African American music. But there will always be racists. And there will always be people to try to make black artists out to be the outsiders when in reality they are the ones leading the way.
Compare the numbers on Taylor Swift’s recent concert tour and Beyoncé’s, and you’ll see they are virtually the same, but the media made Swift out to be the juggernaut. Beyoncé contributed millions to city economies, but she was all but ignored.
By the way, that’s not intended to take away from Swift’s success… just as there are racists in music, there are chauvinists too. Try telling these people that it was a Canadian woman, Shania Twain, who was largely responsible to reigniting mainstream country music in the ‘90s… they won’t hear it.
Country music will always have racists and chauvinists in it, but they will also have people of color and women who can blow the roof off the Grand Ol’ Opry, so f*ck the racists and chauvinists.
The Academy of Country Music awards were held back in May in Frisco, TX... Beyoncé was not nominated for anything that year, after the Grammy success of "Cowboy Carter"... OK, so this album was some five years in the making, and the head of the Academy said Queen Bey is welcome to their stage any time... still, Adcock ripped her, both vulgarly on stage (link) and then more subdued on the X-tweetybox (link)...B