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My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future
Alice Randall, award-winning professor, songwriter, and author with a “lively, engaging, and often wise” ( The New York Times Book Review ) voice, offers a lyrical, introspective, and unforgettable account of her past and her search for the first family of Black country music.
Country music had brought Randall and her activist mother together and even gave Randall a singular distinction in American music she is the first Black woman to cowrite 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 DeFord Bailey, Lil Hardin, Ray Charles, Charley Pride, and Herb Jeffries who, together, made up a community of Black Americans rising through hard times to create simple beauty, true joy, and sometimes profound eccentricity.
What emerges in 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. As country music goes through a fresh renaissance today, with a new wave of Black artists enjoying success, 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.
Country music had brought Randall and her activist mother together and even gave Randall a singular distinction in American music she is the first Black woman to cowrite 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 DeFord Bailey, Lil Hardin, Ray Charles, Charley Pride, and Herb Jeffries who, together, made up a community of Black Americans rising through hard times to create simple beauty, true joy, and sometimes profound eccentricity.
What emerges in 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. As country music goes through a fresh renaissance today, with a new wave of Black artists enjoying success, 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.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published April 9, 2024
69 people are currently reading
5869 people want to read
About the author
Alice Randall
19 books169 followersAlice Randall (born Detroit, Michigan) is an American author and songwriter. Randall grew up in Washington, D.C.. She attended Harvard University, where she earned an honors degree in English and American literature, before moving to Nashville in 1983 to become a country songwriter. She currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee and is married to attorney David Ewing.
Randall is the first African American woman to write a number one country hit. Over 20 of her songs have been recorded, including several top ten and top forty records; her songs have been performed by Trisha Yearwood and Mark O'Connor.
Randall is also a novelist, whose first novel The Wind Done Gone is a reinterpretation and parody of Gone with the Wind. The Wind Done Gone is essentially the same story as Gone with the Wind, only told from the viewpoint of Scarlett O'Hara's half-sister Cynara, a mulatto slave on Scarlett's plantation. The estate of Margaret Mitchell sued Randall and her publishing company, Houghton Mifflin, on the grounds that The Wind Done Gone was too similar to Gone with the Wind, thus infringing its copyright. The lawsuit was eventually settled, allowing The Wind Done Gone to be published. The novel became a New York Times bestseller.
Randall's second novel, Pushkin and the Queen of Spades, was named as one of The Washington Post's "Best fiction of 2004."
Randall is the first African American woman to write a number one country hit. Over 20 of her songs have been recorded, including several top ten and top forty records; her songs have been performed by Trisha Yearwood and Mark O'Connor.
Randall is also a novelist, whose first novel The Wind Done Gone is a reinterpretation and parody of Gone with the Wind. The Wind Done Gone is essentially the same story as Gone with the Wind, only told from the viewpoint of Scarlett O'Hara's half-sister Cynara, a mulatto slave on Scarlett's plantation. The estate of Margaret Mitchell sued Randall and her publishing company, Houghton Mifflin, on the grounds that The Wind Done Gone was too similar to Gone with the Wind, thus infringing its copyright. The lawsuit was eventually settled, allowing The Wind Done Gone to be published. The novel became a New York Times bestseller.
Randall's second novel, Pushkin and the Queen of Spades, was named as one of The Washington Post's "Best fiction of 2004."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
April 8, 2024
This release could not have come at a better time! With Beyoncé's country era in full swing, My Black Country gave me such lovely knowledge about the history of Black people in country music. I'm excited to see how this book continues bringing awareness to the Black people that are pillars of country music. I really enjoyed Alice Randall's writing and am so glad I got to enjoy this book! Thank you so much to Atria/Black Privilege Publishing, Alice Randall and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.
April 24, 2024
It took me a long time to finish this because, to be honest, I don’t have much of an interest in country music. Why would I pick up a book like this if I don’t? I was expecting something broader—similar to an anthology—and a bit more encompassing than what this turned out to be.
This was something more personal and specific; which is fine if you’re familiar with Alice Randall, or her work, but not so much if you’ve never heard of her or understand why she’d be important in the pantheon of “Black Country”.
If anything, the more I read, the more it became clear Randall felt cheated out of becoming someone of greater significance; she never quite got her due and perhaps feels a little bitter? Disappointed? Hard to say but the message that came across was, “what if I’d been allowed a true chance to shine? What could I have become”?
It’s a theme throughout the book, as she drops names only the truest of fans would recognize, and details the numerous chances she never got because someone didn’t take her vision seriously.
I will admit it was maddening to hear how easily she was bamboozzled out of her one big break; she missed out on a loft sum when an unscrupulous “friend” decided to take credit for for “XXX’s and OOO’s”—Randall’s biggest and most well-known hit.
That said, I walked away feeling a little less than sorry for her because the situation, as relayed, seemed avoidable; if anything, Randall came away looking more foolish than duped.
Aside from that, there’s a lot of unnecessary information? Like the train ride she took in order to write this book? I’m not sure it was necessary to know every detail of that journey; it certainly didn’t add anything to the story as a whole. It felt a bit like filler.
Even more, many of the encounters she speaks of—with more famous people like Quincy Jones, Charley Pride, and Aretha Franklin—felt more like someone name dropping than someone actually trying to make connections to whatever story she was attempting to tell.
There were numerous moments like that in this book, where a big name would be mentioned—Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Reba McIntyre, etc.—and Randall would make an attempt to show how she contributed, or was connected, in some way to the way those people made their way into the country ranks on a larger scale.
Kind of like a Six Degrees of Separation using herself as point one.
It made for a read that felt disjointed in places and uninteresting in others.
Overall, it was interesting to learn a few tidbits about well-known artists like Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and Charlie Pride—and I know more about Linda Martell, DeFord Bailey, and Lil Harding—but, as a whole, I think you need a deeper I.Q. into country music to truly enjoy this book.
This was something more personal and specific; which is fine if you’re familiar with Alice Randall, or her work, but not so much if you’ve never heard of her or understand why she’d be important in the pantheon of “Black Country”.
If anything, the more I read, the more it became clear Randall felt cheated out of becoming someone of greater significance; she never quite got her due and perhaps feels a little bitter? Disappointed? Hard to say but the message that came across was, “what if I’d been allowed a true chance to shine? What could I have become”?
It’s a theme throughout the book, as she drops names only the truest of fans would recognize, and details the numerous chances she never got because someone didn’t take her vision seriously.
I will admit it was maddening to hear how easily she was bamboozzled out of her one big break; she missed out on a loft sum when an unscrupulous “friend” decided to take credit for for “XXX’s and OOO’s”—Randall’s biggest and most well-known hit.
That said, I walked away feeling a little less than sorry for her because the situation, as relayed, seemed avoidable; if anything, Randall came away looking more foolish than duped.
Aside from that, there’s a lot of unnecessary information? Like the train ride she took in order to write this book? I’m not sure it was necessary to know every detail of that journey; it certainly didn’t add anything to the story as a whole. It felt a bit like filler.
Even more, many of the encounters she speaks of—with more famous people like Quincy Jones, Charley Pride, and Aretha Franklin—felt more like someone name dropping than someone actually trying to make connections to whatever story she was attempting to tell.
There were numerous moments like that in this book, where a big name would be mentioned—Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Reba McIntyre, etc.—and Randall would make an attempt to show how she contributed, or was connected, in some way to the way those people made their way into the country ranks on a larger scale.
Kind of like a Six Degrees of Separation using herself as point one.
It made for a read that felt disjointed in places and uninteresting in others.
Overall, it was interesting to learn a few tidbits about well-known artists like Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and Charlie Pride—and I know more about Linda Martell, DeFord Bailey, and Lil Harding—but, as a whole, I think you need a deeper I.Q. into country music to truly enjoy this book.
August 15, 2024
“If you strain can you catch the trace of the Black folk whitewashed out of the rural South, the rural West, out of rural America on Country radio and records but somehow still present in Country songs?”
I learned a lot from this memoir and I really enjoyed it. As a country music fan, I love hearing perspectives of musicians and songwriters that don’t fit the stereotypical mold of the straight, white, male country music star. This book provides background on country music history, and expands on the ways Black artists have always been the origin and heart of country music.
I also appreciated reading about Alice Randall’s life, especially the stories behind some of her songs and her collaborative process of creating the companion album to this memoir.
I hope this book reaches wide audiences of music lovers and helps bring visibility to Black Country artists, history, and influence.
I learned a lot from this memoir and I really enjoyed it. As a country music fan, I love hearing perspectives of musicians and songwriters that don’t fit the stereotypical mold of the straight, white, male country music star. This book provides background on country music history, and expands on the ways Black artists have always been the origin and heart of country music.
I also appreciated reading about Alice Randall’s life, especially the stories behind some of her songs and her collaborative process of creating the companion album to this memoir.
I hope this book reaches wide audiences of music lovers and helps bring visibility to Black Country artists, history, and influence.
April 9, 2024
thank you to netgalley and atria books for this copy to review.
half memoir half history lesson this book took me on a journey through the author’s life and through the history of people who were erased from history books and museums. i was unable to put this down my whole read. i practically read this in one sitting. there was no point that dragged down the pacing. each discovery and reveal of the way black people have had their credit and livelihood snatched away from them kept me thirsting for more history and knowledge. the author frames these lessons with her own story and how country music, specifically black country music, shaped her life every step of the way. this was an enjoyable and educating read.
half memoir half history lesson this book took me on a journey through the author’s life and through the history of people who were erased from history books and museums. i was unable to put this down my whole read. i practically read this in one sitting. there was no point that dragged down the pacing. each discovery and reveal of the way black people have had their credit and livelihood snatched away from them kept me thirsting for more history and knowledge. the author frames these lessons with her own story and how country music, specifically black country music, shaped her life every step of the way. this was an enjoyable and educating read.
November 6, 2024
Part memoir, part oral history, part Nashville history, part country music history. This book weaves them all together, through many threads and circles and chapters and then keeps going, spinning out into delicious rhythm and feeling, and finally brings it all back home again. I bought the book after seeing Alice Randall at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville on October 26, 2024, and she was captivating and inspiring. Country music isn’t something I know a lot about, but I always want to learn more about things so here we are. It’s vivid and filled to the brim with people I’ve never heard of, some people I have, lots of places I’ve been to and a lot of places I haven’t.
Idk if spoiler alerts should be a thing here, but there is a lot of white-washing of country music that I had no idea happened and Randall tries to uncover some of those lost artists and she’s doing a fantastic job of it, of bringing the “lost” musicians and artists back out into the mainstream where they can get the recognition that they deserve.
If you want to learn a little about Nashville, a lot about country music, and a little more about how they intersect in one very interesting woman’s life, this is the book for you.
My surprise hit of 2024. It’ll be hard to top this one.
Idk if spoiler alerts should be a thing here, but there is a lot of white-washing of country music that I had no idea happened and Randall tries to uncover some of those lost artists and she’s doing a fantastic job of it, of bringing the “lost” musicians and artists back out into the mainstream where they can get the recognition that they deserve.
If you want to learn a little about Nashville, a lot about country music, and a little more about how they intersect in one very interesting woman’s life, this is the book for you.
My surprise hit of 2024. It’ll be hard to top this one.
August 3, 2024
Wonderful book that combines history, memoir, and travelogue with style, flair, and strong opinions. I enjoy Alice Randall as a novelist who always has history in her plots and whose books are written creatively. My Black Country shares the Black influence on and presence in country music from its beginnings; the attempted white-washing of the country music canon; the Black country singers who couldn't be denied (Charley Price); and known and lesser known singers in the canon. She also shares information about Black and Brown cowboys and her experience as a song-writer in Nashville. I'm not doing this book justice - READ.
October 3, 2024
Rounding 4.5 stars up. Not a perfect 5-star rating simply because I listened on audiobook which, probably contrary to expectations, made the reading experience less enjoyable. It was difficult to keep track of all the names at times without seeing them in print and I found the author's speaking cadence a bit annoying at times. However, her tearful reading of the section about Aretha Franklin at the Ryman was powerful.
As a white man, this was an uncomfortable read, but one I'm glad I stuck with. I loved learning new artists to check out to expand my country go to's. There is also a companion album on Spotify with the Alice Randall songbook that is excellent.
As a white man, this was an uncomfortable read, but one I'm glad I stuck with. I loved learning new artists to check out to expand my country go to's. There is also a companion album on Spotify with the Alice Randall songbook that is excellent.
March 13, 2024
This book brought to light so many interesting tidbits of country music’s history. Specifically its Black roots and Black influences over time. From the start of country to country music today, from well known to little known artists, including songwriters and singers both male and female this book provides plenty of ah-ha moments. If you enjoy country music but don’t know its full history….this is a must read book.
May 26, 2024
This was a ton more memoir than I expected or desired, but definitely shows how country music has been whitewashed from the get-go. Of course, the people who need to read this, won’t.
Cons: Due to Randall’s writing style, I spent a lot of time confused about when and where the narrative was taking place.
Pros: Very informative about Country’s history; names names (and even home addresses); introduced me to contemporary artists I hadn’t heard of, but will check out.
Cons: Due to Randall’s writing style, I spent a lot of time confused about when and where the narrative was taking place.
Pros: Very informative about Country’s history; names names (and even home addresses); introduced me to contemporary artists I hadn’t heard of, but will check out.
April 11, 2024
Thanks to the publisher, via Edelweiss, for an advance copy for honest review.
This book is densely packed with history, knowledge, anecdote, and documentation. At a time when the real, Black history of country music is being discussed and brought to the forefront of the conversation, this book is going to be an essential part of the conversation.
This book is densely packed with history, knowledge, anecdote, and documentation. At a time when the real, Black history of country music is being discussed and brought to the forefront of the conversation, this book is going to be an essential part of the conversation.
June 13, 2024
Mind-blowing to behold the erasure of Black artists from the received history of country music. I thought I was pretty well informed about that topic; turns out, I wasn’t. There’s a CD of Randall’s songs, performed by Black country artists, bearing the same name that’s a perfect complement to this book.
April 14, 2024
A very nice historical perspecitive, with a touch of today included. Listening to the audiobook version was very poetic.
July 8, 2024
A prominent Black academic, novelist and songwriter combines personal memories with a history of Black Country artists from DeFord Bailey to Rhiannon Giddens and beyond.
June 5, 2025
Pros:
-loved finding out so much info about the history of black country music
-made me appreciate Beyonce and the cowboy Carter album even more
Cons:
-I was bored with the writing style. I thought there were many connections left out.
While I don’t enjoy country music myself nor do I know any history behind it, it was great to read from a different perspective.
-loved finding out so much info about the history of black country music
-made me appreciate Beyonce and the cowboy Carter album even more
Cons:
-I was bored with the writing style. I thought there were many connections left out.
While I don’t enjoy country music myself nor do I know any history behind it, it was great to read from a different perspective.
September 5, 2024
I listened to the audiobook. 4.25 - 4.5 rounding up.
This book is part memoir and part history lesson. While listening to it, I went on numerous deep dives on Google, YouTube, and Spotify to discover black country artists. This memoir opened my eyes and heart a little wider.
I did start over about an hour and a half in to focus and follow the format, which alternates between black country history and memoir.
This book is part memoir and part history lesson. While listening to it, I went on numerous deep dives on Google, YouTube, and Spotify to discover black country artists. This memoir opened my eyes and heart a little wider.
I did start over about an hour and a half in to focus and follow the format, which alternates between black country history and memoir.
May 17, 2025
For anyone with shit to say about Cowboy Carter, may I present…. THIS. I feel like I know the author as a close friend after having read (or more specifically listened to her read) this — which I consider a major benchmark of success for memoir. At times I wanted slightly more connective tissue between the history lessons and the lived experiences, but all in all I found that this walked the line between educational and entertaining remarkably well. I also enjoyed listening to the accompanying musical album.
February 15, 2025
Randall brings the receipts on how the roots of country are from the Black community. I’m already familiar with artists like Allison Russell and Rhiannon Giddens, and I learned a lot about DeFord Bailey and Lil Hardin. Anyone arguing that Beyoncé shouldn’t have won an award for her country album needs to read this book, after they listen to the album, of course! As an added bonus, an album of contemporary black female singers perform some of Alice’s songs on an album “My Black Country:The Songs of Alice Randall.” Darn good listening for any race.
May 16, 2024
Definitely more autobiography than… I don’t know… historical nonfiction?
It’s that too, but much more from the author’s perspective.
Fine… but not what I expected.
It’s that too, but much more from the author’s perspective.
Fine… but not what I expected.
March 2, 2024
I considered myself lucky that I won a copy of My Black Country in a Goodreads giveaway. I enjoy country music and travel to Nashville from time to time. I was a fan of Charlie Pride growing up and love the music of Ray Charles. With that as my base, I hoped to learn a whole lot more about the contributions of black artists to the industry over the years. I was not disappointed.
This was an enjoyable, informative book. I repeatedly found myself having to put it down to jot notes about specific singers and songs that I want to look up afterwards. The author's research was impeccable, and her experiences and first-hand stories were engaging (sometimes exciting, sometimes sad). I enjoyed learning about historical Nashville and will try to remember what I read next time I travel there.
I found the author’s passion about this project to be contagious and hope she posts interviews on YouTube following the book release. Having said that, there was a short section in which I lost a little interest in the second half of the book when she strayed from Nashville.
I look forward to hearing the accompanying album which iTunes shows will be released in April.
Thanks to Atria Books for the ARC. The above opinions are my own.
This was an enjoyable, informative book. I repeatedly found myself having to put it down to jot notes about specific singers and songs that I want to look up afterwards. The author's research was impeccable, and her experiences and first-hand stories were engaging (sometimes exciting, sometimes sad). I enjoyed learning about historical Nashville and will try to remember what I read next time I travel there.
I found the author’s passion about this project to be contagious and hope she posts interviews on YouTube following the book release. Having said that, there was a short section in which I lost a little interest in the second half of the book when she strayed from Nashville.
I look forward to hearing the accompanying album which iTunes shows will be released in April.
Thanks to Atria Books for the ARC. The above opinions are my own.
April 2, 2025
I liked this book a lot less than I expected. It does make some good points about racism in the music industry, and there are some nice turns of phrase and powerful descriptions.
However, I didn't get on with the overall tone. Randall comes across as quite mean and cutting, not just when she's discussing her experiences with white people - which would be understandable - but when talking about Black people she loves. It's hardly in line with the "nurture-centered capitalism" she espouses (but the less said about that, the better).
The passage where she sneers at her travelling companions for smelling of the sleeper train shampoo is a memorable example. In another passage, she abandons a chicken she is being paid to care for backstage, having taken the job for the connections she hopes to garner.
There is a lot of namedropping in the book, in one case extending over three pages of little else. There are also some uncomfortably explicit sex scenes that feel wildly out of place in a memoir that is attempting to chart the history of an under-represented genre.
Finally, the chronology is at times difficult to follow, and I spotted some mistakes that should have been caught by the publisher. At one point Ewan MacColl is referred to as Irish (he was born in Northwest England to Scottish parents, and it was an important part of his musical philosophy that the songs he sang should reflect that).
I would have dnf'd this book if I hadn't been reading it for one of the more difficult prompts on a book challenge. I don't think I'll be reading any more of Randall's work.
However, I didn't get on with the overall tone. Randall comes across as quite mean and cutting, not just when she's discussing her experiences with white people - which would be understandable - but when talking about Black people she loves. It's hardly in line with the "nurture-centered capitalism" she espouses (but the less said about that, the better).
The passage where she sneers at her travelling companions for smelling of the sleeper train shampoo is a memorable example. In another passage, she abandons a chicken she is being paid to care for backstage, having taken the job for the connections she hopes to garner.
There is a lot of namedropping in the book, in one case extending over three pages of little else. There are also some uncomfortably explicit sex scenes that feel wildly out of place in a memoir that is attempting to chart the history of an under-represented genre.
Finally, the chronology is at times difficult to follow, and I spotted some mistakes that should have been caught by the publisher. At one point Ewan MacColl is referred to as Irish (he was born in Northwest England to Scottish parents, and it was an important part of his musical philosophy that the songs he sang should reflect that).
I would have dnf'd this book if I hadn't been reading it for one of the more difficult prompts on a book challenge. I don't think I'll be reading any more of Randall's work.
June 12, 2024
This is good. At times I wished it was more of an anthology than a memoir, but I appreciated the look back at names I didn't know and was less familiar with. I was hopeful for insight and information on Rissi Palmer, and was happy she was featured in the book. Randall's writing style made for some long or strange narratives at times, but I still enjoyed this overall.
I received my ARC as part of a Goodreads giveaway.
I received my ARC as part of a Goodreads giveaway.
November 24, 2024
Spectacular
May 8, 2025
4/5
Okay, it normally wouldn’t take me this long to get through a book like this, but I felt a little bait and switched by the bookstore where I discovered this. As a mood reader I literally only want to read what I’m in the mood for. If I’m not in the mood, I will struggle. And that’s what happened here. I found this in the history section under music. I wanted something strictly history soooo bad because I just wanted to learn. But this ended up being more memoir than history. It had sprinkles of history, but more so to provide context. Maybe if I read the synopsis it would’ve been clear, but I’m not always a synopsis reader. I just love going into things blind!!! Also the subtitle was a little misleading. It really made me believe this was strictly history. So with that, I docked it a star.
But overall, a great read! More often than not, memoirs get a 5 star rating from me, but again, my mood reader self struggled hard. As country music lover, I really enjoyed learning bits about the roots of country music and hearing her experience in the industry.
Okay, it normally wouldn’t take me this long to get through a book like this, but I felt a little bait and switched by the bookstore where I discovered this. As a mood reader I literally only want to read what I’m in the mood for. If I’m not in the mood, I will struggle. And that’s what happened here. I found this in the history section under music. I wanted something strictly history soooo bad because I just wanted to learn. But this ended up being more memoir than history. It had sprinkles of history, but more so to provide context. Maybe if I read the synopsis it would’ve been clear, but I’m not always a synopsis reader. I just love going into things blind!!! Also the subtitle was a little misleading. It really made me believe this was strictly history. So with that, I docked it a star.
But overall, a great read! More often than not, memoirs get a 5 star rating from me, but again, my mood reader self struggled hard. As country music lover, I really enjoyed learning bits about the roots of country music and hearing her experience in the industry.
December 5, 2024
This a great documenting work. Listening to Alice read out loud her own writing is very powerful. Her breaking to tears while reading the passage where the “Confederate Gallery” sign was covered to make room for Aretha Franklin’s performance at the Ryman Hall is very moving.
There are extensive references, which is wonderful but also makes it hard to move along with the reading. I stopped at every new name to search and listen to songs and any video that happened to be documented on YouTube. Truly amazing, but a hard task combined with an autobiography and mentions and name droppings that go back and forth in time throughout the book. It made it hard to follow. All in all, it’s still well worth it as it pays homage to people who really deserve to be known and have their story told in the history of country music in the USA.
There are extensive references, which is wonderful but also makes it hard to move along with the reading. I stopped at every new name to search and listen to songs and any video that happened to be documented on YouTube. Truly amazing, but a hard task combined with an autobiography and mentions and name droppings that go back and forth in time throughout the book. It made it hard to follow. All in all, it’s still well worth it as it pays homage to people who really deserve to be known and have their story told in the history of country music in the USA.
October 24, 2024
An important read exploring Black history and Black country music. A strong Black woman’s memoir, truly lifting up all the women around her and giving due credit to the men as well. Honest and genuine, Randall’s writing is full of passion and love.
I found it very interesting learning about the music publishing industry and how non-singer songwriters are employed and how they collaborate with music producers and both singers and other songwriters. So much collaborating and sharing ideas with other writers. The music industry is sooo complex and has so many layers—it’s fascinating and exciting to learn about.
I found it very interesting learning about the music publishing industry and how non-singer songwriters are employed and how they collaborate with music producers and both singers and other songwriters. So much collaborating and sharing ideas with other writers. The music industry is sooo complex and has so many layers—it’s fascinating and exciting to learn about.
April 13, 2024
A little esoteric, but interesting nonetheless.
May 28, 2024
Definitely a lot of names that I wasn't familiar with, but I'm looking forward to diving into those artists who helped cultivate what country is today
July 26, 2025
thoughtful history of the origins of country music and it’s black forefathers and mothers. I feel like the author intersected with just about everyone. Loved the part about Aretha Franklin!!
July 3, 2025
"When you hear a song on the radio, it's probably already a year or two old already. At the Bluebird, I heard songs so new their author had barely memorized them. I heard where the music was going, not where it had been. I heard where the music would never go, but should. I heard truths so hard they couldn't be told on the radio or a record."My Black Country leaped out at me as it sat atop a shelf in my local indie bookshop. Growing up in a small southern farm town, country music was a staple--whether you absolutely loved it or not--and I felt I knew quite a bit about its history and legendary performers; however, after spying a back-cover endorsement by one of my favorite musicians, Rhiannon Giddens, I decided to dive into this in hopes of learning more about Black artists that had been overshadowed or erased throughout country music history.
When I first picked up My Black County, I expected to encounter a recollection of artists I had not heard of and more insight into the forgotten roots of country music. However, Randall's work focuses much more on the My in the title and reads as a blend of personal history, travelogue, and memoir with a sprinkling of other stories and connections to the larger country music world. Randall's life story of making it as a non-singing songwriter in Nashville is an extremely important one, especially as she reveals both exciting and devastating moments that inspired her songs, but there were times (as I listened to the audiobook) that it was hard to follow her train of thought. When she takes her family on the Amtrak trip, things started to go off the rails a bit; however, through her stories of family, I was excited to make the connection between Alice and her daughter, Caroline, an author and poet whose career I had already been following for many years. When the book returns to Nashville, the story starts to shift back to a more historical focus.
In hindsight, I feel this work leaned too heavily on vignettes from Randall's life and not enough on the history of the founders of Black country music - DeFord Bailey, Lil Hardin, Ray Charles, Charlie Pride, Herb Jeffries, to name a few (hopefully at least two of these names would be instantly recognizable even by non-country music fans). I wish this book had a bit more about each of their career paths and more clear connections for how each paved the way for or inspired the next (it does leave the reader wanting to conduct more research into their lives), but Randall still provided an adequate mix of general history stories including the influence of Black cowboy songs on the origins of country music, the whitewashing of Black presence in both country music and media (films), the Black musicians who struggled for acceptance, and those who finally landed a spot on the Opry stage.
Near the end of the book, I was thrilled to see a chapter dedicated to Black artists who are currently reclaiming their rightful place in the country music landscape, including two of my favorite artists, Rhiannon Giddens and Allison Russell. Seeing as how Randall would go on to collaborate with numerous musicians to record the My Black Country: The Songs of Alice Randall album (a must-listen companion to this work), I feel this would have been a great opportunity to share something more than a quick name drop or reference to which instruments they play and awards they may have won; to have interviewed these amazing artists about the Black country music legends or songs that inspired their love for this style of music would have really brought the book full circle ...maybe that's another book for another time, but one that I would love to read.
Overall, My Black Country is a worthwhile read that I hope continues to bring awareness to some of the forgotten pillars of country music and to promote the careers of some of the current artists who are continuing to blaze new trails in the genre. Although Randall's story often highlights things that were taken from her, she claims the last step of being a victim "is to see that's not your whole story. It's what you make, not what they take, that counts" and I'm so glad Randall is alive to see the day when so many Black musicians, especially females, are having success in the world she helped create.
January 3, 2025
Alice Randall is a fascinating person who has lived a fascinating life. Her passionate interest in the black ancestry of country music is palpable and contagious. That may be why I found this book so incredibly frustrating. Randall has written a stream-of-consciousness collection of memories, historical vignettes, metaphorical connections, geographical trivia, and personal epiphanies. The meandering narrative kept teasing me with interesting topics without providing enough detail, history, or depth to satisfy my desire to understand. Understanding the "white washing" erasure of Black artists from the history of the country music genre is an important subject, and I wanted to learn more about their creative lives and their impact on popular music. I finished the book knowing that Alice Randall has a powerful affinity for these struggling artists and their legacies, but I don't feel like I learned a whole lot about them.
Randall uses heightened, dramatic language that invests great importance to the episodes she recounts from her very full life, but I was never sure exactly what was going on. It felt to me like the prose formed a smoke screen around her life and around the history of black country music. The line between imagined and real events blurred things further, and there was just so much that I wanted to know more about. Her turbulent unconventional upbringing could easily fill up a memoir, but the details she shares here feel like a trailer for that other book. As for her own career, she describes her path to songwriting, but in a cinematic way that felt magical and a little unreal. What is the work, the process, of composing a country song with a collaborator or on one's own?She describes complicated, fascinating people, but they remain mysterious with vague motivations and vague personalities. Most of Randall's heroes get their names dropped into her pantheon, but they don't feel like real people. Lil Hardin and Deford Bailey get more attention than most, and they were clearly inspirations to Randall. We learn some tidbits about their lives and careers, but I don't know what they were like and I have no comprehensive sense of the context in which they lived. By page 165, when she takes her family on a black country pilgrimage via Amtrak, I was ready to get off the train.
My experience with this book improved somewhat thanks to YouTube and music streaming. I was able to listen to some of the songs she described as milestones in her "Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future." That at least gave me a aural context for some of the tales in this book. I enjoyed a lot of the tunes on "My Black Country: the Songs of Alice Randall," the album released with the publication of the book. The songs and performances stand up well on their own. But aside from introducing me to these artists in the first place, I am not sure that Randall's book did much to deepen my enjoyment or understanding of the music.
Randall uses heightened, dramatic language that invests great importance to the episodes she recounts from her very full life, but I was never sure exactly what was going on. It felt to me like the prose formed a smoke screen around her life and around the history of black country music. The line between imagined and real events blurred things further, and there was just so much that I wanted to know more about. Her turbulent unconventional upbringing could easily fill up a memoir, but the details she shares here feel like a trailer for that other book. As for her own career, she describes her path to songwriting, but in a cinematic way that felt magical and a little unreal. What is the work, the process, of composing a country song with a collaborator or on one's own?She describes complicated, fascinating people, but they remain mysterious with vague motivations and vague personalities. Most of Randall's heroes get their names dropped into her pantheon, but they don't feel like real people. Lil Hardin and Deford Bailey get more attention than most, and they were clearly inspirations to Randall. We learn some tidbits about their lives and careers, but I don't know what they were like and I have no comprehensive sense of the context in which they lived. By page 165, when she takes her family on a black country pilgrimage via Amtrak, I was ready to get off the train.
My experience with this book improved somewhat thanks to YouTube and music streaming. I was able to listen to some of the songs she described as milestones in her "Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future." That at least gave me a aural context for some of the tales in this book. I enjoyed a lot of the tunes on "My Black Country: the Songs of Alice Randall," the album released with the publication of the book. The songs and performances stand up well on their own. But aside from introducing me to these artists in the first place, I am not sure that Randall's book did much to deepen my enjoyment or understanding of the music.
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