Country music originated in the South and West during the 20th century. Jimmie Rodgers periodically has been called the father of country music. He was known for incorporating the blues, gospel, jazz, and country in his music. Here are some black country artist you should know.
Mickey Guyton
Mickey Guyton was raised in Texas, Guyton. Her music incorporates elements of R&B music with country music. After moving to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2011, she worked on her craft and signed to Capitol Records In 2015. In 2020, Guyton released her inspirational single “Black Like Me .”The song speaks about her experiences as a Black woman in country music. The song rewarded her with her first Grammy nomination and created some buzz around when police brutality was brought to the forefront by the public.
Kane Brown
Kane Allen Brown got his start on social media. After signing with RCA Nashville in 2016, he released a few projects and quickly gained attention from the country scene. Born and raised in Georgia and Tennessee, brown has faced discrimination being a biracial child. With a white mother and a black and Cherokee father, he quickly realized he was different as he went to school as a boy. In an interview with People magazine in 2018, he explained that he did not know he was biracial until he was about seven years old. In the interview, he explained that he thought he was fully white and found out he was different when he started getting called the N-word and finding out what it meant. Raised by a single mother, he was homeless sometimes and moved around a lot. His not-so-smooth upbringing ignited a desire to sing. he would later gain popularity with his immaculate covers of popular songs online.
Brittney Spencer
Spencer is from Baltimore, Maryland. Her love of music began from singing in church. She explained in an interview that her family could not afford singing lessons, so she sang in church. As a member of the church, she spent a reasonable amount of time there. One day A friend at church got Spencer interested in The Chicks, which grew her interest in country music. From there, she expanded her interest to artists like Taylor Swift] Spencer would later take vocal lessons from a coach who taught her how to sing. She would later move to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue country music in 2013, and the rest is history.
Willie Jones
Willie Jones is a country singer from Louisiana. At 17 years old, he surprised the judges when he sang “Your Man” from Josh Turner during his audition on the tv show “X- factor” His southern roots and baritone range allowed him to be a crowd favorite.
Rissi Palmer
Palmer was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her mother died when she was seven. Growing up with her dad exposed her to the music she was influenced by. He listened to artists like Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Chaka Khan, and Santana. Palmer said she always knew she wanted to sing since she was a little girl. She started on the Mickey Mouse Club-that would later develop her artist experience. Palmer became one of the top 5 best-selling country artists on iTunes In 2006 when she released a four-song EP through Starbucks Entertainment.
Carolina Chocolate Drops
The Carolina Chocolate Drops is a band from Durham, North Carolina. They won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album for their 2010 album, Genuine Negro Jig.
