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Hey there, Sorry Staters. Just a quick one for me this week.
So, recently we bought a collection that had a lot of country music, specifically country rock related to The Byrds, Eagles and the whole scene connected to the Troubadour Club and L.A. canyons. This dude had all the side projects and related albums that key figures played on. He was a big Gram Parsons fan for instance, so look for those records hitting our bins over the next few weeks. In amongst the collection was a good amount of bluegrass also and I know Rachel has been having fun going through that part. The other day in the store we had a mini festival, playing some of them. I enjoy me some classic country and can take some vintage bluegrass every now and then.
If there’s one thing that is certain, nothing brings people of different cultures and backgrounds together more than music. Food being a close second. Because of my love of music and thirst for new sounds and chasing down connections, I soon discovered that in the studios when making music, particularly soul music and country, race had no place. It was about the music and how well you played or could sing that mattered most and not the color of your skin. A lot of white musicians played on soul records and plenty of black artists played country too, although you don’t hear about that too much. Everyone has at least heard about Charlie Pride and knows Darius Rucker, Lil Nas X, and that Ray Charles did country, but when it comes to female country singers, you must think for a second.
I’ve had a record in my collection for a while by a singer named Linda Martell called Color Me Country that came out on the Plantation label in 1970. It’s not bad and worthy of investigation for fans of the sort of country records that Plantation label mate Jeannie C. Riley was making. You know? Harper Valley P.T.A.
Martell was from South Carolina and was spotted singing county songs at a gig on an Air Force base. She was set up to record a demo, which made its way to Shelby Singleton, owner of the Plantation and SSR labels. He signed her up and recorded the one album with her and put out several singles. One called Color Me Father, which had been made popular by the soul group The Winstons, was a sizable hit. She is notable for being the first black female singer to appear on the Grand Ole Opry, and followed that up with over a dozen other performances at the famed venue. She was also the first black female singer to feature on TV show Hee-Haw, and for a minute was poised for potential stardom. Unfortunately, a fall out with her manager over money and a lawsuit he brought caused problems. Her label also told her they would give promotional priority to Jeannie C. Riley, who was taking off simultaneously. Martell left her contract and recorded demos to shop to other labels. Singleton at Plantation did not like this and basically blackballed her career in the music industry. This and the strain of performing in front of often abusive white audiences pretty much put an end to her career in country, although she stayed active as a performer for a couple more decades. In more recent years, her contribution to the world of country music has been acknowledged, and in 2021 she received the Equal Play Award at the CMT Music Awards.
As for the record itself? It’s not bad and the cover of Color Me Father is decent. A nice blend of a soul-ish vocal with country backing. Elsewhere songs such as You’re Crying Boy, Crying and I Almost Called Your Name are all the equal of quality county pop records that were being made at that time. I really like the Jeannie C. Riley records and if you do too, then you’ll enjoy the songs on Color Me Country, as I am sure they were cut by a lot if not all the same musicians. I always assumed that the record was a cheap one as everything else I have found on the label has been, but even those Jeannie records are climbing up in value these days, and a look at current Discogs prices show folks want Linda Martell now too. Have a listen to the songs I linked to, and keep an eye out for this one in your local record store bins.
Cheers everyone and see you next time.
-Dom