Of course, Beyoncé can make a country album
Black musicians helped shape the music genre
This column is about Beyoncé. First, humor me while I talk about my niece.
My niece is a smart young woman. My niece sometimes doesn’t know what she is talking about.
Two things can be right at the same time.
My niece and I got into a spirited debate while singing karaoke at her parents’ Cleveland house over the holidays. The topic was Luke Combs’ version of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” vs. Tracy Chapman’s version of the song she blessed the world with back in 1988.
Fact: My niece is a smart young woman who does not know what she is talking about when it comes to “Fast Car.”
She wrongly thinks Combs’ version is superior to Chapman’s, something I think he would disagree with vehemently.
As I — a smart not that old or young woman — told her, Combs’ “Fast Car” is very good, but come on, it is not Tracy Campman’s “Fast Car” good.
No one can ever Fast Car better than Tracy Chapman can Fast Car.
Full stop. Period. Get your life together. Cleveland native Tracy Chapman is Cleveland native Tracy Chapman.
“A lot of Black people like country music, too,” my niece retorted as if it were a revelation.
It definitely 1,000% is not.
Of course, Beyoncé can make a country album
This isn’t Texas it’s Columbus, Ohio, but country is among the many genres of music we listen to here. I have a particular affinity to old and pop country. I am talking Dolly, Willie, Johnny, Patsy, Kenny, Conway, and my girl Reba.
My Garth Brooks’ “The Hits” CD helped get me through my studies at
Ohio University. Years later, Martina Mcbride laughed when I asked her “Where would you be if you weren’t here with me?” when I interviewed her way back in 2014.
“Probably drinking a beer somewhere,” the icon told me.
Americans are not as foreign to other Americans as Americans have been led to believe. Black musicians helped shape country music and many of us like country music artists as much as any other American.
It is no wonder that Beyoncé Knowles-carter does. She’s from the Lone Star State just like George Strait, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and my girl Tanya Tucker.
Beyoncé is as trademark American as George Strait, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and my girl Tanya Tucker.
She hails from Houston just about an hour southwest of Saratoga, Texas, the birthplace of George Jones who many consider one of the greatest country singers of all time.
All this being true, it is weird that
anyone is questioning why my girl Beyoncé would put out two country singles, “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” and announced a full “Act II” album.
Even more bizarrely, some country stations that have banned her songs, illogically justified the decision.
It is far stranger that Keith Urban from New Zealand and Shania Twain from Windsor, Canada, are country stars. Rooted partly in Appalachian ballads, the blues and other musical traditions, country music is as American as it comes and draws from the diversity of this nation.
As Josephine Chu pointed out in a 2021 USA TODAY column, Native Hawaiians brought the steel guitar to the mainland. The banjo was brought to America by West African slaves.
Perhaps some people just can’t stand Bey. Perhaps some of the backlash against her hit country song is yet another example of American racism making people say and do ridiculous things.
“I requested ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ at my local country radio station (KYKC) and after requesting, I received an email from the radio station stating ‘We do not play Beyoncé on KYKC as we are a country music station,’” the user wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Of course, Dolly loves Bey
Queen Bey can sing country if she wants - she is country. Listen to her accent. She is from Texas, y’all.
(Apologies to Texans. This born and bred Ohioan typed “y’all” only to make a point. I know it is your thing. I ain’t Texas.)
Hard to stop iconic talent from being iconic and talented. Artists stretch themselves, often breaking down barriers in the process. It is a good thing for us all.
Lord knows the world couldn’t stop Queen Dolly Parton from putting out a rock album or, for that matter, jump into the world of pop and leaving her mark on Hollywood.
It is awesome that Dolly and other country music artists have congratulated Beyoncé, one of the most decorated entertainers in modern history, for her latest milestone: becoming the first black woman to secure the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.
“I’m a big fan of Beyoncé and very excited that she’s done a country album,” Dolly wrote. “So, congratulations on your Billboard Hot Country number one single,” Parton wrote Thursday on her social media accounts, once again proving why so many Americans love her.
My niece, an unabashed member of the Beyoncé Beehive who would prefer the world call herself Aryoncé, and I may never agree on who sang “Fast Car” best — I am 1,000% right — but I know we both are looking forward to Bey’s country album.
This ain’t Texas, but who knows, maybe one day she will take a place among my favorite country artists. Dolly, Willie, Johnny, Patsy, Kenny, Conway, my girl Reba and Beyoncé?
We shall see, but I wouldn’t bet against Texas on this one.
Amelia Robinson is the Columbus Dispatch’s opinion editor. She likes country but is far from Texas.