The first Black woman to perform in Nashville’s legendary Grand ‘Ol Opry, Martell’s groundbreaking music blended elements of Gospel, Country, and R&B, leading her to become the first Black woman to land mainstream success in the Country genre. Her 1970 album, Color Me Country, hit number 40 on the US Country charts.
Martell was awarded with Country Music Television’s Equal Play Award in 2021, with a musical tribute by Darius Rucker, Rissi Palmer, Mickey Guyton and Carrie Underwood, in recognition of her contributions to Country as a Black woman.
On COWBOY CARTER, Martell’s rich voice carries the listener through two of Beyoncé’s tracks, Spaghettii” and “The Linda Martell Show,” each of which find her discussing the concept of “genre” in music and the beauty of blending them together to create something fresh.
