Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’: Meet the Women Who Star in ‘Blackbird’
Beyoncé featured four black country singers for her cover of the Beatles hit “Blackbird.” Learn more about their careers and what inspires their music.
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter not only focuses on black cowboys and horse riding culture in her music, the superstar also continues to campaign for these issues through her foundation.
Most recently, the “Cowboy Carter” creator partnered with the annual Bill Picket Rodeo and provided $500,000 in grants through her BeyGood Foundation and its Black Equestrian Program, which supports programs that promote black cowboys, cowgirls and ranchers.
Founded in 1984, the Bill Picket Rodeo is considered the first African-American rodeo association to “honor black cowboys and cowgirls and their contribution to building the West,” according to its website. The invitational rodeo is now in its 40th year and is considered the longest-running black rodeo in the United States and a leading event in black equestrian culture.
The BeyGood Foundation accompanied the rodeo and made several stops in Atlanta and Los Angeles, where the charity awarded grants and programs worth thousands of dollars.
Of course, the megastar released her critically acclaimed album on March 29th and has since made history and broken several records. In addition, she has put black country artists in the spotlight and reignited the conversation about black artists and country music and its roots.
Before sharing the album with the rest of the world, Beyoncé talked about the creation of the five-year project and alluded to her performance at the 2016 CMA Awards.
In a post on Instagram, she wrote: “This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience I had years ago when I didn’t feel welcome… and it was very clear that I wasn’t. But because of that experience, I dug deeper into the history of country music and studied our rich music archive.”
“It’s a beautiful feeling to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while amplifying the voices of some people who have dedicated so much of their lives to educating people about our musical history,” she wrote. “The criticism I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to push the boundaries imposed on me. Act II is the result of a challenge to myself and the time I took to mix and blend genres to create this work.”
And it’s clear that the impact of “Cowboy Carter” goes far beyond the music.
Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network’s Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok And X as @cachemcclay.
