Playlist: People of Color and Country
I love country music because it reminds me of home. More specifically, it reminds me of my dad.
Country music served as the soundtrack to all my fondest childhood memories with my dad. When I hear country music I think of us driving through the mountains to go fishing. I think of him working on his car late at night in the garage. I think of sweating in the stands at the rodeo on a hot summer day, the two of us sharing a roast turkey leg the size of my head.
All of this sounds pretty stereotypical to people until they find out my dad is Asian.
That’s because major record labels and media companies have somehow convinced people around the world that country is the music of white people. Specifically, white Republicans who tend to be less than friendly towards immigrants and people of color. This is sadly a narrative that many of people color have also accepted and normalised themselves, equating country music with MAGA hats and white nationalism. And though there are certainly shitty country artists who pander to that narrative and that demographic (see Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town”), those of us who grew up with real country know better.
Country is a genre with a long history rooted in blues and folk music, dating back to the 17th Century when the banjo was introduced to North America by enslaved people from western and central Africa. Country music was invented by Black people. And that is why, from its very beginnings, country has been the music of the marginalised, the oppressed, and the poor. It makes perfect sense then that many people of color, from many different marginalised identities, would connect with country music.
My dad grew up in Texas and Colorado in the 1960s and '70s, both places where cowboy culture is an integral part of local heritage. He worked at Shepler’s Western Wear in Denver for years alongside my grandma, eventually working his way up to the head of the boot department. He, like me, went to the rodeo with his dad and his siblings every summer. Is there anything more country than that?
Despite many non-country-lovers misconceptions, there is nothing unique about my dad’s experience. There are many POC country fans and more importantly, there are many POC country musicians, who are not redefining the genre but reclaiming it.
Beyoncé made her country-pop debut earlier this year with Cowboy Carter, drawing inspiration from Black legends of country like Linda Martell. But Miss Martell is just the tip of the iceberg, and if you’re interested in discovering more country music from POC artists, look no further than Antlers’ People of Color and Country playlist, featuring Native-American, Asian-American, African-American, and Latinx country stars.
From old-school country heroes like Charley Pride to new-school country-folk artists like Sunny War, this playlist runs the gamut of POC country music with a little something for everyone, no matter what your tastes are.
Enjoy xx
