I have a simple question. What does the average country musician look like? Not jazz, nor blues, but country. Imagine:
- cowboy hat,
- jeans,
- plaid shirt,
- beard,
- audio file,
- A middle-aged man (or woman, without a beard of course).
But what kind of man? I don’t think many of us can think of Asian, Indonesian or black men. Not because we don’t appreciate them, it’s simply not the norm.
According to a survey, it is uncommon for only 1.5 percent of the nation’s speakers on the radio over the past two decades to have been black, at least that’s what Dr. Jada E. Watson discovered and shared on her Twitter page. It really starts to get unusual when we think about how many of the best performing black artists in blues and jazz, who also have strong American roots, are just Aretha Franklin, BB King or Ray Charles.
Holly G also noted this strange association with which she spent her daily life as a writer and flight attendant. He loved country music and didn’t understand why he couldn’t find blacks among fans, performers, publishers, or professionals. He wanted to reconnect with country music, so he began looking for communities that also loved and practiced this profession.
The point is the music
When he realized the number of this medium, how active and powerful it was, he felt that his mission was to bring people together and encourage them to compose the music that is their passion and that their feelings really sound like. This is how Black Opry was born.
It began as an online front where black country musicians and their fans came together to promote one another. Holly has worked hard over the past year to move forward on this path, with the help of the Nashville Musical Community. A highlight of her journey was when three-time Grammy-nominated singer Alison Russell gave a concert at Nashville’s legendary Exit/In club, organized by the Black Opry. During the concert, Allison invited all the singers to the stage in the hall, creating a huge choir of about 20 colored skins in the light of rivalry.
It was a unique moment in the history of Nashville country where Holly said in an interview (writes for The Washington Post):
I felt like this was one of those historical moments where we witness something important.
Of course, in addition to every pleasant moment, there are events on the other board of Libra. It is no coincidence that Holly is referred to as Holly G. It is neither an artist’s name nor a nickname. Holly cannot go by her full name in the media because since she started the process, she has surpassed her in a certain field. Not only are many events interpreted as an extension of the musical, some find the whole thing offensive.
It is believed that the problem has been amplified, so that the issue of racism and exclusion has reached an area where it did not exist and has no place. Thanks to this, Holly was threatened several times, hiding her exact identity in the media.
This is not a burden
Regardless, he believes he is attacked primarily by those who either do not want to be aware of the problem and are interested in shedding light on the unpleasant side of things, or those who want to overindulge in racial issues and not preserve art. The value of the initiative in mind. Holly’s ultimate goal is to create a more open and diverse country genre where the production company doesn’t distance itself from the talented black songwriter because it doesn’t consider it marketable enough.
Holi mode, writes The Washington Post:
I feel it is unfair for performers not to go so far as to create their own art. They have to do a lot of extra work to look like a human of any value before they have a chance to show what their art looks like anywhere. I don’t have any special art to share, so I don’t feel the burden to do so. And with the burden I take off them, I help them create this place.
