Where Y'ALL really means ALL
.png)
Lavender Country broke barriers with their 1973 studio album. While it went under the radar at the time, it has been reassessed as one of the most important Americana LGBTQ+ albums of all time. It set the stage for what we see today – artists like Brandi Carlile, Joy Oladokun, and Adeem the Artist soaring and causing cracks in the pink ceiling.
Many other artists are making noise of their own – from multi-instrumentalist Jake Blount to singer-songwriter Mya Byrne and folklorist Jessye DeSilva. Artists are making art and thriving on their own terms – with many finding recognition, including Allison Russell, who recently earned several nominations for the 2023 Americana Honors & Awards.
For all the headway, there has been little improvement in mainstream recognition. That’s where Country Everywhere and Rainbow Rodeo and others come into the picture. Here, you can find resources to discover new, fresh talent in our Directory, as well as News & Events and other essential information. With a focus on LGBTQ+ talent, we uplift queer voices and hope you’ll join us in pushing the boundaries even further.
Country music is three chords and the truth after all, and we deserve to have our stories heard, too.
our folks
Featured Profile :
Lauren Oxford
Above all else, Lauren Oxford wants to let you in. An award-winning songwriter and folksinger, she crafts songs that reward close, careful listening. Her lyricism pushes the boundaries of what it means to be open, pulling universal revelations from personal excavations and weaving them alongside imagery that unfolds like a painting, tangible and real, into the room. She uses alternate tunings to create unexpected chords and colors in her music that feel like their own kind of imagery, and she isn’t afraid to stretch the limits of a voice that sounds like the earth after rain. Lauren’s trademark strength, however, is the ease with which she throws open every door and window of her soul, wielding a rare and arresting vulnerability like a beacon of light. Her goal is always to create a space for listeners to feel seen, known, loved, and safe enough to step in alongside her. For those who do, the result is a powerfully cathartic and healing experience that feels like group therapy. As a solo performer, she has played shows from Seattle to Atlanta, from the Bay Area to Chicago, in the United Kingdom, and in & around her home in East Tennessee. Lauren is also one fourth of folk “queertet” The Starlight Darlins, along with Sage Christie, Gray Buchanan, and Emily Johnson-Erday. The strength of their first EP, recorded live at the Walnut Valley Festival and released in 2022, has led to two separate tours in the Southeast and Pacific Northwest.
