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7 Things to Know About Country Pioneer Linda Martell, Who Appears on Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’
On Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, the superstar salutes pioneering country artist Linda Martell, the first Black woman to play the Grand Ole Opry in 1969.
Born Thelma Bynem, Martell grew up in South Carolina and first tried to make it as an R&B performer in a trio with her sister and cousin, billed as Linda Martell & the Anglos, before switching to country after a Nashville furniture store owner, William “Duke” Rayner,” saw her singing on an Air Force base and convinced her to come to Nashville, bankrolling her demo. Rissi Palmer’s essential Apple Music popcast, Color Me Country, takes its name from the album. Making her debut in 1969, she received two standing ovations, she told Rolling Stone, and went on to appear a dozen times on the revered stage.
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