Loni Love Instagram – On Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé shines a spotlight on country pioneer Linda Martell, whose 1970 LP, Color Me Country, was the first major country album released by a Black woman. ______________________________________________________Martell became the first Black female artist to play the Grand Ole Opry but faced discrimination throughout the course of her career. _____________________________________________________ When one promoter for a show in Texas found out she was Black, they canceled the show. When she was taunted for the way she pronounced words, she sought counsel from her management group — who told her to develop a thicker skin. Martell’s career fizzled out pretty quickly, in part fueled by the racism she faced. She learned early on while on tour not to respond to the name-calling that would taunt her. “A lot of times, you feel like saying, ‘OK, look here, I don’t wanna hear that. Please quit calling me names like that.’ But you can’t say that. You can’t say anything,” she told Rolling Stone. “All you can do is do your singing and try your best to forget about it.” She left Nashville in 1974.. and now at 82 years young. She’s on a Beyoncé album!!!