6 Black Country Singers Who Have Made History, Including Beyoncé

The feat: First Grand Ole Opry performer

Although the Grand Ole Opry aired for the first time as the WSM Barn Dance two years prior, the radio show was truly born on December 10, 1927, when announcer George D. Hay first referred to the program by its now iconic title. The first performer to take the stage that night was one of country’s earliest stars: DeFord Bailey.

Born in December 1899, Bailey overcame a bout with polio at age 3 to become a talented musician. Hay dubbed him the “Harmonica Wizard” for his skill with the instrument. He also played guitar and did yo-yo tricks, according to the Country Music Hall of Fame. However, DeFord quit music in 1941 following a disagreement over song licensing. He died at age 82 in July 1982.

The feat: First Black female Grand Ole Opry performer

Linda Martell is considered the first commercially successful Black female country artist. Born Thelma Bynem in 1941 in Leesville, South Carolina, she began singing as a child at her Baptist church. She then formed an R&B group called The Anglos with her sister and cousin when she was a teenager.

After a DJ suggested her now-famous stage name, Martell released the 1969 single “Color Him Father,” which peaked at No. 22 on the Hot Country Singles chart. No other Black female artist charted that high until Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” reached No. 1 in 2024. Also in 1969, Martell became the first Black female solo artist to play the Grand Ole Opry.

Martell remains a huge influence in modern country. In 2021, she received the CMT Equal Play Award, which recognizes trailblazing artists in the genre.

The feat: First Black Country Music Hall of Fame inductee

Charley Pride, widely considered the genre’s first Black superstar, was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000. He was the first Black country singer to receive the honor and is still one of only three along with DeFord Bailey and Ray Charles.

Born in March 1934, Pride idolized Jackie Robinson and attempted a professional baseball career in the Negro American League before transitioning to music. It was the right call—he was named the CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1971 and went on to have 29 No. 1 country hits before his 2020 death at age 86.

The feat: First Black solo artist with a diamond-certified country song

The longtime frontman of Hootie & the Blowfish, Darius Rucker embarked on a country solo career in the late 2000s. The 58-year-old has achieved massive success since, particularly with “Wagon Wheel” from 2013.

Rucker’s version of the song, originally released in 2004 by Old Crow Medicine Show, became Diamond-certified in October 2022 after selling and streaming 10 million units. “Wagon Wheel” was only the fourth country song ever to achieve that status, according to Music Row magazine. The others are “Cruise” by Florida Georgia Line, “Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton, and the remixed version of “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X and featuring Billy Ray Cyrus.

The feat: First Black songwriter to win CMA Song of the Year

Tracy Chapman’s career-defining song “Fast Car” peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988 and earned the singer a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. But thanks to Luke Combs’ omnipresent 2023 cover, the 60-year-old and her song made history again more than 30 years later.

Combs’ version of the track was named Song of the Year at the CMA Awards in November 2023, making Chapman the first Black songwriter to win in the category. The two performed a surprise duet of “Fast Car” at the 2024 Grammys, where Combs was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance.

The feat: First Black woman with a No. 1 country song

Beyoncé showed she is a true Renaissance artist with her 2024 release Cowboy Carter and its biggest single. “Texas Hold ‘Em.” The track reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart that February, making the Texas native the first Black woman artist to achieve the feat.

Beyoncé is also one of five musicians ever to have chart-toppers on the Hot Country Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs lists. She joins Justin Bieber, Morgan Wallen, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Ray Charles.