The Black Opry is Changing the Way We Think About Country Music

Throughout country music’s storied history, you often hear names like Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton—these larger-than-life figures who have all impacted the genre in their own right. However, there is a glaring omission to all these conversations: Black musicians and artists. Not only is there a rich legacy of Black country and Americana musicians often overlooked in important conversations surrounding the genre, but there is also a forgotten history of the influence of African instruments—specifically the banjo—and spiritual hymns that were the foundations for the genre.

Although there have been exceptions to the rule—Charley Pride and Linda Martell are names that may immediately come to mind—overall, the industry has consistently favored white artists, which has created an outward appearance that country music is made by and for white people. However, hidden behind the industry giants is a community of Black musicians quietly bringing their talents and perspectives to the genre. Many Black country music fans, like Black Opry founder Holly G., historically haven’t been able to enjoy their favorite musicians because of the genre’s unsafe and unwelcoming environment made up of majority white conservative fans. Following the summer of 2020 and the growing Black Lives Matter social justice movement, Holly began to dive into other people’s work on creating space for Black artists in the country music community and was inspired to amplify them herself.

Black Opry began as a blog on April 1, 2021. Holly G. was a flight attendant writing artist profiles as a side gig/passion project—in an effort to give a spotlight to talented people shut out of predominantly white spaces. Since then, the project has exploded into a community of musicians, fans and artists who have created a community to support and lift up Black musicians in country, Americana, blues, folk and roots music. Black Opry now runs a live show that tours the U.S. called the Black Opry Revue, celebrating Black musicians nationwide. Holly and fellow Co-Director Tanner D. (both of whom have elected to have their full names kept anonymous) have also launched WXPN’s Black Opry Residency, an Artist To Watch program and partnership with the University of Pennsylvania’s non-commercial public radio station to amplify Black Americana musicians looking to carve out and reclaim their space in the industry.

Now approaching their third anniversary, Holly is pleasantly surprised she has been able to take on the role of Co-Director full-time while continuing to sustain interest and excitement among the fans and musicians about the work Black Opry has been doing. “I definitely thought it would be a trend and fade out after a while. I was hesitant to quit my job when I did because I was thinking, ‘I don’t know how long it’s going to matter to people,” she admits. “But looking back, it makes sense. There is a big misconception that country music became popular and then Black artists started doing it. Most artists we work with have been making the same music for 10 or so years. It’s not a trend for them. It is who they are.”

With such a fantastic roster of artists—including Tylar Bryant, Denitia, Grace Givertz, The Kentucky Gentlemen and Samantha Rise—they have been traveling around the states with the Black Opry Revue showcase and garnered attention from other Black musicians and Black fans—but also from white audiences who may disagree with the messaging surrounding the predominantly white industry and the fans that it attracts. “People are so excited when they find this whole community, an ecosystem of Black artists doing this thing,” Holly says. “It shocked me to see the demographic of people supporting what we’re doing. Honestly, for the past three years, it has been mostly middle-aged white people. A lot of the feedback I get from them is ‘We love country music, but we’re also not the people that the country music industry tells you country music fans are.’ And so, for them, it’s been a relief to support country music in a way where they don’t feel guilty because they’re not supporting people that don’t line up with the things that they believe in or agree with.”

The conversation around Black people in country music has exploded following Beyoncé’s announcement of Act II and making history as the first Black woman to debut at #1 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs Chart. Holly is figuring out how to capitalize on the explosion of interest from Black fans in this historic moment. “We’ve got all of these Black fans that have come forward and are interested in learning more about country music, which I’m so excited about,” she says. “That was my goal for 2024. I was like, ‘I’ve got to figure out how we expand our fan base to people that look like us, and so the audience can reflect who’s on stage.’ It’s really difficult to do. It felt like I was hitting a brick wall. But as soon as she announced it, everyone flooded in. Now, it’s the pressure of trying to make sure that we expose people in a way that keeps them around. It’s difficult to convince somebody to enjoy a genre of music they’re not particularly interested in, right? If you love hip-hop and a new rapper comes out, it’s easy for you to like to get interested. But we’re talking to people who typically don’t have an interest in country music.”

With one of music’s biggest superstars diving into country music, the industry will undoubtedly continue to shake up—and Holly is more interested in seeing how the industry reacts to the influx of new country music fans inspired by a Black female artist. There is no denying Beyoncé has influence, but trying to take down a cultural bastion isn’t an easy task. “The mainstream industry took 100 years to get to where it is right now. Unpacking all of those issues in three months isn’t going to happen,” Holly continues. “Some people like Frankie Staton have been working in country music for 40 years trying to fight against these things and just haven’t gotten anywhere.”

This stagnation in progress is why a movement like the Black Opry is so essential. While the industry lags behind with representation, Black artists have a platform to perform nationwide—while also making connections and building fan-bases they wouldn’t have access to otherwise. While it may not be divided forever, Holly sees it as more worthwhile to focus on creating community outside the industry and interact when it makes sense, like right now. “That’s what we’ve been trying to do with Black Opry: Build something that creates a financial ecosystem for these artists so that they can have sustainable careers without relying on the current industry because I don’t think that they’re going to change,” she explains. “But I think there are so many people like myself willing to put the effort into building something that works better for everybody.”

Another thing that Holly hopes to spotlight is the opportunity to be a space where other marginalized groups can be spotlighted and appreciated. “From day one. That’s something that we’ve been very intentional about. If we’re asking other people to be inclusive, we have to model that. We’re super intentional about making sure that our shows are inclusive of queer and disabled people. And when we look at our lineups, we represent all of what being Black looks like,” she says. “People have different skin tones, backgrounds and perspectives. We’re really just showing that inclusivity can be done. If you go up to a typical country music fan and mention Black country music, you’ll hear Darius Rucker. And so there are models that people think Black Country music is, and if you go to one of our shows—even if it’s a show that only has three artists—they all sound completely different. Part of that is that intersectionality. When people have different experiences, they express them differently.”

Black Opry is also investing in the future of Black country music—expanding from only facilitating live shows to having signed their first recording artist to Black Opry Records, who will be releasing their first project later this year. “I’m really excited to see where that takes us,” Holly says. “We started with just one artist because I had to figure out how to run a record label. So as I’m figuring that process out, I’m hoping by next year, we will be ready to sign a couple more, and we can start putting artists in a position to win.” With so many incredible artists to choose from in their existing catalog of performers, it’s no surprise that things have been going pretty smoothly for their first run at running a label. “The person we chose for this first record is so talented,” Holly continues. “With people who have been in the music industry for a long time, it’s easy for them to get jaded. But this artist has been like 100% in every step of the way, and it’s made everybody around them so excited to work with him that it’s just been the best experience we could have asked for.”

Holly was hesitant at first to dive into the recording industry, especially after watching so many artists being taken advantage of or mistreated by big labels, but through working with David Macias and Thirty Tigers, she realized the impact that Black Opry could make as a positive voice in the industry. “I honestly didn’t want to do it,” she admits. “I have been pushing the idea away for a long time because artists and labels have a very contentious relationship. I never wanted to be a part of anything that hurts instead of helps. But then, after talking with David, I realized we could do it in a way that does help. Just because things exist the way they are for other labels doesn’t mean we have to follow in those footsteps. There is a sustainable way for everybody involved. So it feels like a positive thing and not something exploiting artists.”

As for the future, with so many incredible opportunities emerging left and right, Holly doesn’t often have time to look too far ahead. She admits that, when this whole journey began, she didn’t expect it to become the vast community that it has. She was just running a blog and writing about artists she was passionate about. However, she is always willing to build on the success that Black Opry has already achieved when the opportunities arise. For now, in addition to the incredible work the organization is already doing, she wants to focus on how the Black Opry Revue can facilitate other opportunities for its artist roster.

“I would love to see the tour continue to grow, for those shows to start to sell out and for people in the industry to see it as a place to poach artists,” she says. “I want major artists looking at this tour to figure out who their openers should be. I want bigger artists wanting to come and play with these newer artists. We tend to have a variety of people in various spaces within their careers. It’s great because it allows everybody to learn from each other. That’s one of the ways that we try to create those mentoring and learning opportunities but in a much lower pressure.”

While there is still much to be done in the country music industry regarding elevating Black voices, Holly and the Black Opry are working to create safe spaces for Black musicians and fans to enjoy country music without fear. “There are so many people like myself—Black people who love country music and have felt alone,” she concludes. “It’s inspiring to see those people come forward. I’ve gotten so many messages like, ‘Oh my god, I’ve always wanted to go to country concerts, but I didn’t feel safe there. To hear the reason why I started Black Opry echoed so many times. It feels like we’re doing the right thing.”

Olivia Abercrombie is Paste‘s Associate Music Editor, reporting from Austin, Texas. To hear her chat more about her favorite music, gush about old horror films, or rant about Survivor, you can follow her on Twitter @o_abercrombie.