A00205 - The Integration of Country Music

 It is almost 3:00 am and I am in a timeshare unit in Palm Springs. I just finished trolling the television stations and was stopped when I came across this classic Tracy Chapman song being sung by the good ol' boy, Luke Combs on CMT -- Country Music Television



"Fast Car" was written and made famous thirty-five years ago as a pop/folk song by the Grammy Award winner Tracy Chapman, an African American. 


Soon after the Luke Combs version -- a version that retains Chapman's female gender references -- aired, another song came on featuring two current stars of country music, Mickey Guyton and Kane Brown, both of whom are African American.


Some of us remember the good old days when the only black face at the CMA (Country Music Association) events was dear ol' Charley Pride.  Well, that was fifty years ago, and while the country may be more segregated than it was fifty years ago, it is encouraging that at least the country music is not.

Peace,

Everett "Skip" Jenkins
Palm Springs, California 
October 27, 2023

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