Who decides what is country music? Beyoncé’s Grammy win for ‘Cowboy Carter’ sparks online controversy
What is country music?
Who decides what is real country and what is not?
That question arose after Beyoncé won Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards Sunday night for her country record, “Cowboy Carter.” Her full name is Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter.
I am not a Beyoncé fan, although I am aware of her amazing success in the last two decades. Her husband Jay -Z is a hip-hop superstar and a billionaire businessman.
I do love country music, especially traditional country (its roots represented by the early 20th century unnamed duo above in a public domain image posted on wikimedia commons) the from artists like Hank Williams, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard — The Hag! — and other legends. There is plenty of room for Beyoncé and other musicians who enjoy a pedal steel guitar, banjo and fiddle.
If she wants to join Ray Charles, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and other music stars who loved country music and released country songs, it seems like her right to do so. Fans loved it and critics were impressed.
But for some country music lovers, Beyoncé has invaded their territory. They were upset, even angry she dared to release such a record, and irritated when it became a smash hit.
When the Grammys honored it, there was a predictable deluge of hate on unsocial media. But, why exactly?
The hit single “Texas Hold ‘Em” sure sounds like country, and the lyrics sure seem to qualify:
“Take it to the floor now, ooh
“Hoops, spurs, boots
“To the floor now, ooh
“Tuck, back, oops (ooh, ooh, ooh)
“Shoot.”
So what’s the fuss all about? Why can’t a hugely popular singer release a country record? If it is a major success — and it was — and was critically praised — and it was — why the surprise when it wins awards?
Oh, right. She’s Black. Country is white music, right?
Ray Charles never thought so. He loved country music and sang it as well as anyone ever did. Country and blues are twin sounds, and together, they spawned rock. Punk, New Wave, rap, hip-hop and genres all have their roots in the same down-home tunes.
Beyoncé dedicated her award to Linda Martell, the first Black woman to play on the Grand Ole Opry stage. Martell had some success on the charts before she was essentially blacklisted — an ugly but appropriate term — from Nashville in 1974.
She made a pair of spoken-word appearances on “Cowboy Carter,” including on the song “The Linda Martell Show,” and praised Beyoncé on Instagram.
“I am proud that @beyonce is exploring her country music roots. What she is doing is beautiful, and I’m honored to be a part of it. It’s Beyoncé, after all!”
Her story is told in the documentary “Bad Case of the Country Blues,” produced by her granddaughter, filmmaker Marquia Thompson.
Another Black artist ran into some resistance from country music fans and insiders. Charley Pride was the first big Black country star, and he had to overcome doubts on his way to the top of the industry.
My friend Dennis told me a story about his grandfather, who was a big country fan and a virulent racist. His favorite singer was Charley Pride, who he listened to on the radio.
Dennis bought an album with the star’s photo on the cover and gave it to his grandfather, who was stunned. THIS was Charley Pride?
A tall, handsome former minor league baseball player with a deep, resonant voice perfectly suited for country, Pride described the initial reaction from fans when he took the stage at package shows in one word: “Shock.”
Pride overcame the racism and doubts, and became a country legend. When he died of COVID-19 complications in Dallas on Dec. 12, 2020, at the age of 86, he was a beloved country star.
There have been other controversies at musical awards shows over who was country and who wasn’t.
On Oct. 13, 1975, country crooner Charlie Rich was set to announce the winner of the Entertainer of the Year award at the Country Music Awards. Rich, who won the award in 1974 in large part because of his smash hit “Behind Closed Doors, read the winner from a card: “My friend John Denver.”
As he did so, Rich pulled out a lighter and lit the card on fire. This was all live on national TV. It was seen as a protest against musicians like Denver, who had gained fame and success as a folk and pop artist, and Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, encroaching on country music.
The impact was immediate. Denver was in Australia and he accepted the award via satellite, and it’s unclear if he saw what The Silver Fox did.
“I don’t know what to say,” he said with a laugh.
Others were not as reticent. There was a storm of criticism for Rich’s fiery performance. What did he mean by it?
Rich, a brilliant interpreter of songs who got his start in rockabilly, shifted to R&B for several years, sang jazz, pop and gospel tunes, but found his greatest success and acclaim as a country artist.
He wasn’t at his best at the awards show. Rich had several broken bones in his foot, and had been drinking gin and tonics before taking the stage after a typically long, long awards show. You can get a sense of that in a video of the infamous moment as he struggled to announce the nominees and fumbled when he ripped the envelope to pieces.
His red-hot career cooled after that awards show flashpoint, and he reduced his touring and recording schedule. Rich, who spent decades on the road singing and playing piano, was just 62 when he died in his sleep in a Louisiana motel on July 25, 1995.
Denver enjoyed a long and storied career as a singer-songwriter. He also was an actor and an activist for peace and protecting the environment.
Denver, who also had bouts with alcohol and drugs, died in the crash of an experimental airplane on Oct. 12, 1997. Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. — his real name — was sober when he died. He was just 53.
What really happened that night in 1975? His son, Charlie Rich Jr. said his dad was:
A. Buzzed on pills and booze.
B. Trying to be funny.
C. Showing his disdain for awards in general — music was an art, not a sport, he said.
“He used bad judgment,” Rich Jr. wrote. “He was human after all. I know the last thing my father would have wanted to do was set himself up as judge of another musician.”
That was sound advice 50 years ago and it remains so today. If you like it, listen to it, dance to it and enjoy it.
That’s what Beyoncé is doing, just like Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and other country artists. Keep singing, Queen Bey.
Fourth-generation South Dakotan Tom Lawrence has written for several newspapers and websites in South Dakota and other states for four decades. He has contributed to The New York Times, NPR, The London Telegraph, The Daily Beast and other media outlets. Do not republish without permission.
