Episode 53: More than Charley Pride - African Americans in 70s Country
PLAY LIST
Color Him Father by Linda Martell (1970)
Kiss an Angel Good Morning by Charley Pride (1971)
Bluebird by Timothy Brown (1975)
She’s My Rock by Stoney Edwards (1973)
Don’t Let the Green Grass Fool You by O.B. McClinton (1972)
Help Me Make it Through the Night by Tina Turner (1974)
Fairy Tale by the Pointer Sisters (1974)
SUMMARY
The roots of country music are black and white. So, why do most people think of country as a white person's genre? This episode considers answers to that question and examines the contributions that African American artists made to country music in the 1970s. Most people can name Charley Pride, who became the frame of reference for every African American of that era who made country music. But why didn’t his success lead the success of other African Americans when there were clearly others who wanted a career in country? And what statement was Robert Altman making with his Tommy Brown character in Nashville, anyway? Country music is a storytelling genre, but the industry has been very reticent to hear the stories of all who have something to say.
SOURCES
American Masters. 2019. “Charley Pride: I'm Just Me.” PBS.
Browne, David. 2020. “Linda Martell: Country's Lost Pioneer.” Rolling Stone, September 2, 2020.
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Corcoran, Michael. 2020. “Country Charley's Pride Sans Prejudice | MichaelCorcoran.net.” Michael Corcoran. https://www.michaelcorcoran.net/8729-2/.
David, Browne. 2020. “Linda Martell: Country's Lost Pioneer.” Rolling Stone, September 2, 2020.
Deusner, Stephen M. 2013. “Revisiting the Strange and Wonderful Soundtrack to Robert Altman's Nashville.” Pitchfork. https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/153-revisiting-the-strange-and-wonderful-soundtrack-to-robert-altmans-nashville/.
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Graff, Gary. 2024. “When the Pointer Sisters Played Grand Ole Opry 50 Years Ago, the Staff Thought They Were Kitchen Help.” Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/music/country/pointer-sisters-fairytale-country-grand-ole-opry-1235719482/.
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Harrington, Richard. "Charley Pride: Pride In His Country". The Washington Post (1984). Charley Pride. Rock's Backpages. Accessed March 8, 2025. http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/charley-pride-pride-in-his-country.
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Hudak, Joseph. 2023. “Tina Turner's Solo Debut was a Country Album. Why Hasn't the Genre Claimed Her as its Own?” Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/tina-turner-country-music-album-legacy-1234741627/.
Leverett, Les, Andrew R. Chow, and Jimmie Rodgers. 2019. “In Country Music, Ken Burns Explores the Genre's Black Roots.” Time. https://time.com/5673476/ken-burns-country-music-black-artists/.
Meacham, Jon, and Tim McGraw. 2019. “Country Music Should Be Political. After All, It Always Has Been.” Time. https://time.com/5652782/what-is-country-music/.
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Whittaker, Dave. 1970. “Talented Black Artists: Martell.” The Macon News (Macon), April 11, 1970.