Country is often defined as American folk music that has Celtic, African and Evangelical Christian influences.
"When all three of those things are present, we are likely with a country song," Alice Randall told KCUR's Up To Date. "So in fact, all country is Black Country."
A New York Times bestselling author, award-winning songwriter and a professor at Vanderbilt University, Randall is the author of the new book “My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music’s Black Past, Present, and Future.”
"My Black Country" weaves together personal narrative with academic research to paint a picture of country that no longer excludes the Black luminaries who made the genre what it is today.
"My job is to help people know those truths," she said.
- Alice Randall, award-winning songwriter, author and Vanderbilt University professor
