Conversation and Performance: The Black Country Music Association and the Black Opry

The Black Country Music Association was established by Cleve Francis in 1995, and since 1996, it has been led by songwriter and performer Frankie Staton. The association focused on building community, organizing showcases in Nashville, and educating fans about Black performers in the country music genre during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The work of spotlighting Black Americana, blues, country, and folk artists and connecting Black fans continues through the Black Opry. This initiative was founded in April 2021 by Holly G, a country music enthusiast from Virginia, and has since evolved into a national performance series known as the Black Opry Revue, now overseen by Holly and her co-director, Tanner Davenport. In an upcoming program, Davenport, Holly G, and Staton will share insights into their organizations’ histories, their impact within the music industry, and their future objectives. The program, hosted by museum writer-editor Angela Stefano Zimmer, will also include performances from Denitia, Valierie Ellis Hawkins, Staton, and Joe West. This event serves as a means of supporting the museum’s exhibition, American Currents: State of the Music.