Beyoncé just released her new album, Cowboy Carter, which features over 27 songs. The tracklist features a series of featured musicians, including several homages to some of the country music pioneers, such as Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and Linda Martell.
Today's generation knows the first two names mentioned above, but not everyone is familiar with Martell. Let's explore the singer's personal life and learn about her massive contribution to the country music genre.
According to Rolling Stone, the musician's career began in 1970 when she released her album Color Me Country. This was a massive milestone for the Black community, as she was the first Black female artist to release a major project in the country music industry.
Her success didn't stop there. She debuted at the Grand Ole Opry, making history once again as the first solo Black woman country musician to grace the venue.
Fast-forward to 2024, Beyoncé paid homage to Linda Martell by featuring her in two of her songs: "Spaghettii" and "The Linda Martell Show."
"I am proud that Beyoncé is exploring her country music roots... What she is doing is beautiful, and I'm honored to be a part of it. It's Beyoncé, after all!" Martell, now 82 years old, said in a statement after Cowboy Carter's release.
Linda Martell's Early Beginnings in Music
The outlet noted that Martell didn't start her career in the country genre. During her early days, the singer, who was born Thelma Bynem, established a girl group called the Anglos along with her sister and cousin. At the time, they recorded songs for small record labels.
Unfortunately, their careers as a trio didn't take off, which resulted in their disbandment. The musician was later discovered by an entrepreneur who heard her sing country tracks at an Air Force base.
She later met Shelby Singleton Jr., who suggested that she should stop making pop songs and focus on creating country tracks.
"I was a little bit shocked! I was mostly doing pop. But he said, 'You gotta go country,'" she said in a 2020 interview.
In addition, she was not comfortable with the record label's name, Plantation Records, but she had no choice but to sign under the company's name.
Linda Martell's Life After Music
Linda Martell may have been successful at first, but she revealed in an interview that she had a hard time as country fans who weren't that familiar with a Black woman singing country songs occasionally taunted her.
She later parted ways when Singleton and the record label shifted their focus to building Jeannie C. Riley's career. Since then, her career has never recovered.
Later in life, Martell sang at clubs and bars, became a singer on a cruise ship, and became a record store owner in New York. She later moved back to South Carolina to work as a bus driver for the Batesburg-Leesville school district and occasionally sang for a local band called Eazzy.
It seemed people had forgotten the musician over the past few decades, but her name is making rounds again after Beyoncé paid homage to her.
Today, her grandchild, Quia Thompson, who couldn't believe seeing her grandmother's name on Beyoncé's album, is working on a documentary called Bad Case of Country Blues The Linda Martell Story and decided to raise funds for the project through GoFundMe.
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