 | |
Type of site | Blog, music news |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Founded | April 18, 2021 |
| Founder(s) | Holly G. |
| URL | blackopry.com |
Black Opry is an American music website and touring revue. It was founded in April 2021 by Holly G. as a means of raising awareness for Black musicians in country music.
The Black Opry was started in April 2021 by Holly G., a writer and flight attendant from Virginia. She was inspired to create a website dedicated to Black country music singers, in response to a study done by a musicologist which found that fewer than one percent of artists played on country radio in the preceding 20 years were artists of color. She began contacting various Black country artists through social media platforms in order to help raise awareness of their music. Holly G. has stated that she was inspired by Color Me Country, a podcast hosted by Black country singer Rissi Palmer which also discusses country music artists of color. [1] Holly G. also cited as inspiration an incident in February 2021, when a recording of country singer Morgan Wallen using the racial slur nigger was publicized, leading to criticism and increased discussion of racial roles within country music. [2] [3]
The intent of the Black Opry is to allow Black country music artists to tour and perform. [4] The Black Opry lists Black artists in the genre through its website, and through national tours under the name Black Opry Revue. [5] In mid-2021, Holly G. and the Black Opry hosted a five-day concert focused on Black country artists, which included acts such as Rissi Palmer and Miko Marks. This was followed in September 2021 by the first performance under the Black Opry Revue name at New York City's Rockwood Music Hall. Tylar Bryant, Lizzie No, Roberta Lea, Joy Clark, and Jett Holden performed at this event. [6] The Black Opry Revue also performed at Exit/In in Nashville, Tennessee, in December 2021 with Canadian singer Allison Russell. In February 2022, the Revue performed in Chicago and Washington, D.C. [1] [4] The Black Opry held a first-anniversary party at City Winery in Nashville on April 18, 2022. This party was sponsored by the television network CMT. [7]
In mid-2024, Holly G. founded Black Opry Records in association with Thirty Tigers. The label's first signee is Jett Holden. [8]
The Grand Ole Opry is a regular live country-music radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the time of year. It was founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as the WSM Barn Dance, taking its current name in 1927. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment, it is the longest-running radio broadcast in U.S. history. Dedicated to honoring country music and its history, the Opry showcases a mix of famous singers and contemporary chart-toppers performing country, bluegrass, Americana, folk, and gospel music as well as comedic performances and skits. It attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world and millions of radio and internet listeners.
George Hege Hamilton IV was an American country musician. He began performing in the late 1950s as a teen idol, switching to country music in the early 1960s.
Jackie Keith Whitley was an American country music singer and songwriter. During his career, he released only two albums but charted 12 singles on the Billboard country charts, and 7 more after his death.
Ryman Auditorium is a historic 2,362-seat live-performance venue and museum located at 116 Rep. John Lewis Way North, in the downtown core of Nashville, Tennessee, United States. It is best known as the home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974. It is owned and operated by Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. Ryman Auditorium was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and was later designated as a National Historic Landmark on June 25, 2001, for its pivotal role in the popularization of country music. A storied stage for Rock & Roll artists for decades, the Ryman was named a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Landmark in 2022.
Holly Audrey Williams is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She is the granddaughter of Hank Williams, the niece of Jett Williams, daughter of Hank Williams Jr., half-sister of Hank Williams III, and aunt of Coleman Williams. Williams has released three studio albums: The Ones We Never Knew in 2004, Here with Me in 2009 and The Highway in 2013. The Highway was released on Williams' own label, Georgiana Records, and reached No. 146 on the Billboard 200
Eureka High School, located in Eureka, Missouri, is a secondary school in the Rockwood School District. Eureka High School was the first high school in what would become the Rockwood School District. The high school opened in 1908 and was fully accredited within four years.
Rissi Palmer is an American country music artist. Palmer debuted in 2007 with the single "Country Girl", which made her the first African-American woman to chart a country song since Kathy Bee in 1988. "Country Girl" peaked at No. 54 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, and served as the lead-off single to her self-titled debut album, which also produced the Top 100 hit "Hold On to Me". Also in 2008, Palmer covered "No Air", an R&B hit originally performed by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown. She is also the host of Apple Music Country's show Color Me Country Radio with Rissi Palmer.
Linda Martell is an American singer. She became the first commercially successful black female artist in the country music field and the first to play the Grand Ole Opry. As one of the first African-American country performers, Martell helped influence the careers of future Nashville artists of color.
Miko Marks is an American Americana singer based in Oakland, California. She was born in Flint, Michigan. She attended from 1990 to 1994 Grambling State University in Louisiana where she got her degree in Political Science. She later moved to San Francisco. Marks was named Best New Country Artist at the 2006 New Music Weekly Awards.
Maren Larae Morris is an American singer and songwriter. Rooted in the country genre, her music blends in elements of pop, R&B, and hip hop. Morris has won multiple accolades including a Grammy Award, an American Music Award, five Country Music Association Awards, and five Academy of Country Music Awards.
Morgan Cole Wallen is an American country pop singer. He competed in the sixth season of The Voice, originally as a member of Usher's team, but later as a member of Adam Levine's team. After being eliminated in the playoffs of that season, he signed to Panacea Records, releasing his debut EP, Stand Alone, in 2015.
Carly Pearce is an American country music singer and songwriter. Her material contains elements of both traditional and contemporary country-pop music. Pearce began performing professionally in her teens, appearing on several albums of bluegrass material in the 2000s. After moving to Nashville, Tennessee, she began gaining more widespread notice.
The 56th Academy of Country Music Awards were held on April 18, 2021, in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast from various locations around Nashville. The evening was co-hosted by Keith Urban and Mickey Guyton. The ceremony involved no ticketed audience due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but featured a limited number of health care workers.
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 2021.
Lainey Denay Wilson is an American country singer-songwriter. She performed at an early age, before going to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue a career as a country performer. In 2014, she released her first album on Cupit, followed by a second on Lone Chief in 2016. Wilson secured a publishing deal and later released an extended play (EP) in 2019 which included the song "Things a Man Oughta Know". In 2020, it was issued as a single through the BBR Music Group and eventually reached number one on the American country songs chart.
The 2021 CMT Music Awards, the 55th edition of the awards ceremony, were held in Nashville, Tennessee on June 9, 2021. Kane Brown and Kelsea Ballerini were hosts of the ceremony.
"Country Girl" is a song recorded and performed by American country music artist Rissi Palmer. It was composed by Palmer, along with Sarah Majors, Cory Rooney, Shannon Sanders and Dan Shea. It was released as Palmer's debut single on June 4, 2007 and reached a charting position on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It was the lead single for Palmer's self-titled debut album, issued on October 23, 2007. The song received mixed reception from critics following its release.
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 2022.
Bailey Lynn Zimmerman is an American country singer. In 2022, he charted the singles "Fall in Love" and "Rock and a Hard Place", which both reached number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. His debut album Religiously. The Album. was released on May 12, 2023. This album also includes the singles "Religiously" and "Where It Ends".
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 2023.