Country Music’s Black History with Rhiannon Giddens & Brittney Spencer

Ariana Marsh

June 3, 2024

Harper's BAZAAR

Interview

Rhiannon Giddens and Brittney Spencer discuss their journey as country musicians, highlighting the struggles of Black artists in the industry and the current transformative phase of country music.

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Interview

Four-panel image: 1) Rhiannon Giddens Black Woman in vibrant purple patterned dress with red head wrap sitting on a stone bench. 2-4) Brittney Spencer a Black woman in denim jacket, playfully posing with a bubble gum bubble, in various expressions.

Photo Credit:

Serena Brown/ The New York Times/ Redux & Catherine Powell

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Rhiannon Giddens, Brittney Spencer, Black History, Black Country Music

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Country Universe

The longest-running country music blog, Country Universe was founded on and remains committed to the fact-based notion that country music has never been the exclusive purview of artists who are straight, white, Christian, Southern, and (mostly) men. When focusing on either the genre's history or its present, CU takes a "big tent" approach to the broader country universe and believes that a foundation of empathy makes country music an essential part of our shared popular culture.

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Gay Ole Opry Playlist

Karen & the Sorrows have been building queer country community in Brooklyn by running the Queer Country Quarterly and the Gay Ole Opry (gayoleopry.com) since 2011. Most of these bands have come to play for us, but some we're still wishing on!

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