Rayna Roberts, Alice Randall Highlight Black Contributions to Country Music at Nashville Event

The contributions of Black country music artists have been marginalized, minimized, and in some cases completely erased from the history of the genre. A group of songwriters, singers, activists and journalists aimed to break the record Wednesday during a live debate in Nashville. Entitled “Act III: A Conversation Around 'Three Chords and the Real Truth'”, the event was presented by Black Music Action Coalition and the organization's co-founder, president and CEO, Willie “Prophet” Stigers.

Scholar and songwriter Alice Randall, who co-wrote Trisha Yearwood's 1995 Number One “XXX's and OOO's (An American Girl),” kicked off the event in conversation with moderator Naima Cochrane and took the audience through what she called “the first black family. Country.” “Black genius is constantly dismissed in America,” said Randall, before highlighting the influence on the genre of artists such as DeFord Bailey, Charley Pride, Ray Charles and Lesley Riddle – who largely shaped the family's music Carter.

Rayna Roberts — one of the featured artists on Beyoncé's cover of “Blackbird” on Cowboy Carter — and Daisha “The Rap Girl” McBride eventually joined Cochrane and Randall to further the conversation. “This is Music City, not only that Country Music city. There is room for everyone here,” McBride said. “There are other items here that deserve some shine as well.”

Roberts, backed by her band, would go on to perform at the end of the event, showcasing a voice that won raves from Carrie Underwood to Mickey Guyton. CMA apparently noticed, too: Roberts was recently added to the CMA Fest nightly concert lineup at Nissan Stadium, where she'll perform the national anthem on Thursday, June 6. (She'll play her own songs on the Hard Rock Stage the next day.)

Along with the country history panel, the event included an announcement from BMAC that it is developing guaranteed income legislation for communities in the state of Tennessee. Representative Justin Pearson — one of the “Tennessee Three” — was on hand to discuss the initiative with Stigers and Mayor Michael Tubbs of Mayors for Guaranteed Income. “We must collectively organize, mobilize and energize to push for legislation that will guarantee an income for people in the state of Tennessee,” Pearson said.

The Nashville event was the third in a series of national panels organized by BMAC to address Black inclusion and recognition in the country music industry. Act II took place in Los Angeles in April, while Act I kicked off the campaign in New York in March. Act III was built around the Report 2022 “Three Chords and the Actual Truth: The Manufactured Myth of Country Music and White America,” a 45-page look at Black contributions to country music and how they've been undermined.

BMAC presented the Nashville event in partnership with PulseSongwriters of North America, Mayors for Guaranteed Income and The Ogunlesi Group.