Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) on Wednesday will welcome professor, songwriter, and author Alice Randall, and country music legend Rosanne Cash, in a conversation moderated by Charlamagne tha God, on Randall’s new book, My Black Country.
Following the popularity of Beyoncé’s pivot to country on “Cowboy Carter,” Black country artists are being celebrated for their success, and this event will continue the long-overdue conversation about Black artists’ profound influence on the country music genre, according to a news release.
The book, My Black Country, is a celebration of the most American of music genres and the radical joy in realizing the power of Black influence on American culture.
Randal is the first Black woman to co-write a number one country hit, Trisha Yearwood’s “XXX’s and OOO’s.” Randall found inspiration and comfort in the sounds and history of the first family of Black country music: DeFord Bailey, Lil Hardin, Ray Charles, Charley Pride, and Herb Jeffries who, together, made up a community of Black Americans in the genre.
What emerges in My Black Country is a celebration of the radical joy in realizing the power of Black influence on American culture. As country music goes through a fresh renaissance today, My Black Country is the perfect gift for longtime country fans and a vibrant introduction to a new generation of listeners who previously were not invited to give the genre a chance.
Alice Randall, in conversation with Rosanne Cash and Charlamagne tha God, will take place on Wednesday, April 10 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm, at Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Branch, located at 10 Grand Army Plaza.
