Racist Hicks
2023-10-07 17:49:25 UTC
Country music: An ugly past and troublesome present
by Katie Beekman June 17, 2020
Black squares. Thoughts and prayers. Heart emojis and hashtags. That about
sums up the country music communitys response to the recent uprisings for
racial justice that were sparked by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna
Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so many others. Instead of using their platforms to
advocate for change and denounce white supremacy, many country artists have
been reprehensibly quiet.
As a longtime fan of the genre, Id be lying if I said I was surprised by the
silence. Artists flowery calls for peace and unity might as well be
plucked from the lyrics of hit songs like Tim McGraws Humble and Kind or
Luke Bryans Most People Are Good. Fear of backlash for taking a stance is
so prevalent in country music, the presumed resulting downfall for doing so
has its own verb: getting Getting Dixie Chicked. But dont get me wrong.
This isnt the time to lament artists avoidance of anything political or
make excuses for a culture that skirts around the controversial. Its time
to get specific. We need to talk about country musics relationship with
white supremacy.
Before there was country music and R&B, there was hillbilly or old
time music and race records. Hillbilly music was strictly sung by white
people, while race records were exclusively recorded by Black people. But
the music itself? It was all the same kind of sound. Predominantly poor
Southerners, white and Black, had been swapping songs, techniques and styles
for years. Long before the recording industry, which got its start in the
1920s, could officially start to segregate the music by using different
labels. Hank Williams, for example, learned to play guitar from the Black
street performer Rufus Tee-Tot Payne. Lesley Riddle, a Black musician,
accompanied A.P. Carter of the Carter Family on song-collecting trips
throughout Appalachia.
Of course, appropriation is important to this story too. Few people know of
Tee-Tot Payne or Lesley Riddle, but Hank Williams and the Carter Family are
country music legends. How many other influential Black musicians have been
forgotten, only to have their contributions live on, credited to white
performers? The history of the banjo provides another example. Today, the
banjo is a decidedly country instrument associated with whiteness. But it has
African origins. The banjo was a plantation instrument solely played by
enslaved people decades before blackface entertainers popularized it in
minstrel shows in the 1830s.
The institutions dedicated to telling country musics story have played a
part in preserving the myth of its essential whiteness. Three out of the 139
members of the Country Music Hall of Fame are Black. The label executives who
guide country musics future have contributed as well. When Charley Pride was
first releasing records in 1967, his label didnt send promotional pictures
of him to radio. Darius Ruckers country career was only made possible by his
previous success as the Hootie and the Blowfish frontman. The narratives
surrounding the careers of newcomers Kane Brown and Jimmie Allen are examples
of this too. As successful Black country artists, they have been tokenized
simultaneously used to represent industry inclusion and made to feel like
they dont belong. This is acutely insulting when so many hit songs on
country radio today are heavily influenced by hip hop and R&B. Thomas Rhetts
rise to fame was bolstered by synths and drum machines. Sam Hunt literally
raps on almost all of his songs. Their acceptance as country has been met
with criticism, but Rhett and Hunt, both white, have been accepted
nonetheless. The same cant be said for Lil Nas X. Old Town Road was
excluded from Billboards Hot Country chart for not being country enough
a move that echoes the decision to separate genres by race from nearly 100
years ago.
This history has cultivated a culture that is not only unwelcoming of non-
whiteness, but distinctly anti-Black. A few weeks ago, I came across a post
that some of countrys more outspoken artists were sharing on their Instagram
stories. Rachel Berry, a Black country music lover, shared the nervousness
shes experienced while attending concerts. Before buying tickets, she looks
up the name of the town/city and then racism, when she wants to stand up
for a song, she worries what if someone yells a racial slur at me? and
when she walks through a festival full of confederate flags, Berry writes
that she feels uneasy. Her story went viral and for good reason. Everything
she wrote seems obvious upon reading it. But having gone to quite a few
country music concerts myself, I have to confront the less obvious fact that
my whiteness has shielded me from those kinds of worries. When Ive seen
confederate flags waving in the parking lot of a concert venue or printed on
a fans T-shirt, I have had the privilege of merely looking away. How many
Black country fans havent seen their favorite artists in concert for their
own safety?
In a similar vein, how many Black country artists havent been given the
chance to be seen? Unsurprisingly, many of the racial justice movements
biggest advocates in country music have been Black country artists
themselves. Every single day since George Floyds murder, Ive watched Mickey
Guyton speak out, share information, write articles, give interviews and
release her new, timely song Black Like Me. She shouldnt have to educate
the industry that has, for the most part, rejected her talent, but thats
what shes been doing. Alongside fellow Black country artists like Rissi
Palmer and Rhiannon Giddens, Guyton is demonstrating the importance of Black
women specifically in country music. While Black men have been tokenized,
Black women have been excluded almost entirely.
Unequivocally, Black people belong in country music. Giving in to the idea
that country music is white music means giving up on Black country artists,
Black country fans, country musics real, albeit messy, history and the
essence of country music itself telling the truth.
The widespread use of sayings like anything but country prove that the
genres reputation remains rooted in whiteness. As Prof. Nadine Hubbs
explains in her book Rednecks, Queers & Country Music, that phrase works
because country music is not only associated with whiteness, but a particular
kind. The picture of the person youre imagining, the stereotypical country
music fan, is layered with labels any good white person knows to avoid.
Poor, uneducated, old-fashioned. This, in and of itself, is problematic not
only because its classist, but because its a distraction from the problem
at hand. Scapegoating country music fans curtails accountability because
ignoring the fact that all white people benefit from and take part in
sustaining the myth of white supremacy ends up reinforcing it.
And, for the most part, the stereotypical country music fan doesnt exist. In
2019, a country music listeners average household income was $81,100 and,
from 2014 to 2019, country music audience growth within the African American
population was 55 percent. Its necessary to dispel cliches because writing
off an entire genre, and its fanbase, as helplessly backwards isnt helpful,
especially when country music is as popular as ever.
Country music festivals and concert venues must follow NASCARs lead and ban
the confederate flag. Beyond acknowledging the historical contributions Black
people have made to country music, the industry needs to recognize, and give
opportunities to, todays Black country artists, producers, songwriters,
musicians everyone. This includes hiring Black professionals to fill
administrative roles and positioning them to become industry executives. And
the culture has to change. We need to expect more from the industry, artists,
fans and music itself.
On June 11, I woke up to a stylized, russet-colored announcement that one of
my favorite bands was changing their name. I was stunned. And over the moon.
Lady Antebellum was officially becoming Lady A. The group was taking action
to denounce the connotations antebellum, meaning pre-war, has with slavery.
But the shockwaves kept coming. First, it was the realization that the racist
implications of the bands name hadnt crossed my mind in years. The meaning
of antebellum isnt news to me. The need to look out for confederate
symbolism in the country music world isnt news either. And still, I had
normalized it. A few hours later, I found out that the real Lady A, a Black
blues singer, hadnt been consulted about the switch. Both revelations made
me red with embarrassment. What else have I been missing? Systems, including
the country music industry, have a way of disguising the status quo as just,
but that doesnt excuse individuals, or bands, from ignorance and complicity.
In the spirit of expecting more, the copycat Lady A needs to have another
name change.
This is just the beginning of what will be a long conversation. In the past,
Ive made a point to write about sexism in country music. I havent given the
same energy to racial justice. As weve seen with artists like Mickey Guyton,
these issues have more in common than just being wrong, theyre linked
together. Moving forward, Im committing to raising my expectations and
holding the music and community I love, along with myself, to higher
standards. Its the only way change can happen.
by Katie Beekman June 17, 2020
Black squares. Thoughts and prayers. Heart emojis and hashtags. That about
sums up the country music communitys response to the recent uprisings for
racial justice that were sparked by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna
Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so many others. Instead of using their platforms to
advocate for change and denounce white supremacy, many country artists have
been reprehensibly quiet.
As a longtime fan of the genre, Id be lying if I said I was surprised by the
silence. Artists flowery calls for peace and unity might as well be
plucked from the lyrics of hit songs like Tim McGraws Humble and Kind or
Luke Bryans Most People Are Good. Fear of backlash for taking a stance is
so prevalent in country music, the presumed resulting downfall for doing so
has its own verb: getting Getting Dixie Chicked. But dont get me wrong.
This isnt the time to lament artists avoidance of anything political or
make excuses for a culture that skirts around the controversial. Its time
to get specific. We need to talk about country musics relationship with
white supremacy.
Before there was country music and R&B, there was hillbilly or old
time music and race records. Hillbilly music was strictly sung by white
people, while race records were exclusively recorded by Black people. But
the music itself? It was all the same kind of sound. Predominantly poor
Southerners, white and Black, had been swapping songs, techniques and styles
for years. Long before the recording industry, which got its start in the
1920s, could officially start to segregate the music by using different
labels. Hank Williams, for example, learned to play guitar from the Black
street performer Rufus Tee-Tot Payne. Lesley Riddle, a Black musician,
accompanied A.P. Carter of the Carter Family on song-collecting trips
throughout Appalachia.
Of course, appropriation is important to this story too. Few people know of
Tee-Tot Payne or Lesley Riddle, but Hank Williams and the Carter Family are
country music legends. How many other influential Black musicians have been
forgotten, only to have their contributions live on, credited to white
performers? The history of the banjo provides another example. Today, the
banjo is a decidedly country instrument associated with whiteness. But it has
African origins. The banjo was a plantation instrument solely played by
enslaved people decades before blackface entertainers popularized it in
minstrel shows in the 1830s.
The institutions dedicated to telling country musics story have played a
part in preserving the myth of its essential whiteness. Three out of the 139
members of the Country Music Hall of Fame are Black. The label executives who
guide country musics future have contributed as well. When Charley Pride was
first releasing records in 1967, his label didnt send promotional pictures
of him to radio. Darius Ruckers country career was only made possible by his
previous success as the Hootie and the Blowfish frontman. The narratives
surrounding the careers of newcomers Kane Brown and Jimmie Allen are examples
of this too. As successful Black country artists, they have been tokenized
simultaneously used to represent industry inclusion and made to feel like
they dont belong. This is acutely insulting when so many hit songs on
country radio today are heavily influenced by hip hop and R&B. Thomas Rhetts
rise to fame was bolstered by synths and drum machines. Sam Hunt literally
raps on almost all of his songs. Their acceptance as country has been met
with criticism, but Rhett and Hunt, both white, have been accepted
nonetheless. The same cant be said for Lil Nas X. Old Town Road was
excluded from Billboards Hot Country chart for not being country enough
a move that echoes the decision to separate genres by race from nearly 100
years ago.
This history has cultivated a culture that is not only unwelcoming of non-
whiteness, but distinctly anti-Black. A few weeks ago, I came across a post
that some of countrys more outspoken artists were sharing on their Instagram
stories. Rachel Berry, a Black country music lover, shared the nervousness
shes experienced while attending concerts. Before buying tickets, she looks
up the name of the town/city and then racism, when she wants to stand up
for a song, she worries what if someone yells a racial slur at me? and
when she walks through a festival full of confederate flags, Berry writes
that she feels uneasy. Her story went viral and for good reason. Everything
she wrote seems obvious upon reading it. But having gone to quite a few
country music concerts myself, I have to confront the less obvious fact that
my whiteness has shielded me from those kinds of worries. When Ive seen
confederate flags waving in the parking lot of a concert venue or printed on
a fans T-shirt, I have had the privilege of merely looking away. How many
Black country fans havent seen their favorite artists in concert for their
own safety?
In a similar vein, how many Black country artists havent been given the
chance to be seen? Unsurprisingly, many of the racial justice movements
biggest advocates in country music have been Black country artists
themselves. Every single day since George Floyds murder, Ive watched Mickey
Guyton speak out, share information, write articles, give interviews and
release her new, timely song Black Like Me. She shouldnt have to educate
the industry that has, for the most part, rejected her talent, but thats
what shes been doing. Alongside fellow Black country artists like Rissi
Palmer and Rhiannon Giddens, Guyton is demonstrating the importance of Black
women specifically in country music. While Black men have been tokenized,
Black women have been excluded almost entirely.
Unequivocally, Black people belong in country music. Giving in to the idea
that country music is white music means giving up on Black country artists,
Black country fans, country musics real, albeit messy, history and the
essence of country music itself telling the truth.
The widespread use of sayings like anything but country prove that the
genres reputation remains rooted in whiteness. As Prof. Nadine Hubbs
explains in her book Rednecks, Queers & Country Music, that phrase works
because country music is not only associated with whiteness, but a particular
kind. The picture of the person youre imagining, the stereotypical country
music fan, is layered with labels any good white person knows to avoid.
Poor, uneducated, old-fashioned. This, in and of itself, is problematic not
only because its classist, but because its a distraction from the problem
at hand. Scapegoating country music fans curtails accountability because
ignoring the fact that all white people benefit from and take part in
sustaining the myth of white supremacy ends up reinforcing it.
And, for the most part, the stereotypical country music fan doesnt exist. In
2019, a country music listeners average household income was $81,100 and,
from 2014 to 2019, country music audience growth within the African American
population was 55 percent. Its necessary to dispel cliches because writing
off an entire genre, and its fanbase, as helplessly backwards isnt helpful,
especially when country music is as popular as ever.
Country music festivals and concert venues must follow NASCARs lead and ban
the confederate flag. Beyond acknowledging the historical contributions Black
people have made to country music, the industry needs to recognize, and give
opportunities to, todays Black country artists, producers, songwriters,
musicians everyone. This includes hiring Black professionals to fill
administrative roles and positioning them to become industry executives. And
the culture has to change. We need to expect more from the industry, artists,
fans and music itself.
On June 11, I woke up to a stylized, russet-colored announcement that one of
my favorite bands was changing their name. I was stunned. And over the moon.
Lady Antebellum was officially becoming Lady A. The group was taking action
to denounce the connotations antebellum, meaning pre-war, has with slavery.
But the shockwaves kept coming. First, it was the realization that the racist
implications of the bands name hadnt crossed my mind in years. The meaning
of antebellum isnt news to me. The need to look out for confederate
symbolism in the country music world isnt news either. And still, I had
normalized it. A few hours later, I found out that the real Lady A, a Black
blues singer, hadnt been consulted about the switch. Both revelations made
me red with embarrassment. What else have I been missing? Systems, including
the country music industry, have a way of disguising the status quo as just,
but that doesnt excuse individuals, or bands, from ignorance and complicity.
In the spirit of expecting more, the copycat Lady A needs to have another
name change.
This is just the beginning of what will be a long conversation. In the past,
Ive made a point to write about sexism in country music. I havent given the
same energy to racial justice. As weve seen with artists like Mickey Guyton,
these issues have more in common than just being wrong, theyre linked
together. Moving forward, Im committing to raising my expectations and
holding the music and community I love, along with myself, to higher
standards. Its the only way change can happen.