Even if we are to give “Lady A” credit for their gesture, we must also acknowledge that it should be but the catalyst of far deeper work
The band formerly known as Lady Antebellum. Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images We’d seen the hollow statements, the black Instagram squares, and corporate press releases. We scrolled past them like the advertisements they were, the vague attempts to sell some off-brand version of liberty and justice that no one was interested in buying.
There is this idea — a convenient, if falsified, explanation — that country music has a complicated past. But the truth is that the history of this genre — with its roots snaking deep into rich, southern soil, then watered by the gospel, blues, and soul of Black folk — isn’t complicated at all. When recorded music began to emerge as a viable revenue generator in the 1920s, the music industry was as segregated as the country itself; the music, however, wasn’t.
There is always one, of course — a Charley, a Mickey, a Darius — that execs, and even fans, will point to as they attempt to skirt the deeper issues, unwittingly revealing those issues in startling clarity. Years ago, while veteran country songwriter Bobby Braddock and I were discussing O.B. McClinton, a Black country artist of the 1960s and ’70s, he explained that this has always been the Nashville way.
But the timing of Lady A’s revelation isn’t the most important question to ask right now. The better question — for Lady A and for all of country music — is whether this move, however provocative, is enough. And the answer is far easier to deduce: It’s not. Never mind that the A in Lady A still stands for Antebellum.
Nigeria Latest News, Nigeria Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Country trio Lady Antebellum changes its name: 'We are regretful and embarrassed'Amid nationwide protests against racism, the country group Lady Antebellum announced that it was dropping a word associated with slavery from its name.
Read more »
Everything to Know About the Media’s Reckoning With RacismTop leadership has departed from Bon Appétit, Condé Nast Entertainment, the New York Times, Refinery29, and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Read more »
Belgium's colonial-era King Leopold faces reckoning as anti-racism protests growWhen the Black Lives Matter protests reached Belgium, they targeted the bloodstained legacy of King Leopold II.
Read more »
Lady Antebellum drops 'Antebellum' from group's name, becomes Lady ACountry music group Lady Antebellum announced they are dropping 'Antebellum' from the band's name and will be called Lady A now.
Read more »
Country Music’s Lady Antebellum Changes Band Name Over Word’s Association With SlaveryThe multiple-Grammy\-winning country music band Lady Antebellum has changed its name to Lady A due to the word antebellum’s association with slavery. “When we set out together almost 14…
Read more »
ViacomCBS Names Bruce Gillmer President of Music, Music Talent, Programming & EventsViacomCBS has named Bruce Gillmer president of music, music talent, programming & events, effective immediately. According to the announcement, Gilmer will report to president/CEO Bob Bakish an…
Read more »