Tracy Chapman’s song of the year win at the 2023 Country Music Awards marks a milestone in the industry.
Chapman is the first Black woman to win the award.
That got journalist Benjamin Ralph wondering if this is an indication that the country music industry, which has been dominated by artists who are white and male, is becoming more diverse.
Credits
Produced by Benjamin Ralph, Jack Hurley, Koyuki Hayashi
Special thanks to Kandia Crazy Horse and Dr. Jada Watson
Additional photos courtesy of
Prairie Home Companion Town Hall Theatre NYC, NYCArthur, Flickr, CC-BY-NC-SA 2.0 DEED
Prairie Home Companion Minnesota State Fair, Myprontopup, CC-BY-NC 2.0 DEED
Tracy Chapman, Hans Hillewaert, Flickr, CC BY-SA 4.0
Luke Combs, Walt Disney Televison, Flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0
Map of USA with state names sv.svg, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo of Banjo, 19th century, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public domain dedication (CC0)
West African Akonting at the Casa Museo Del Timple, Lanzarote, Spain, Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
[Okeh Race Records Form No.2566], Library of Congress
Country Music Association, Alpha Stock, CC 1.0
Photo of Dr. Jada Watson, University of Ottawa, provided by Dr. Jada Watson
Song Data, provided by Jada Watson
Additional video courtesy of
Striving for Diversity and Authentic Representation in Country Music, Color Me Country, 2021, Apple Music
Shania Twain Accepts the Equal Play Award, 2023 CMT Music Awards, Country Music Television
Cabin in the Pines, Kandia Crazy Horse performance at Water is Life Benefit Concert, 2016
Music
Cabin in the Pines, Kandia Crazy Horse performance at Water is Life Benefit Concert. Song from album “Stampede”, 2014, Bluebilly Records
Man! I Feel Like a Woman, performed by Shania Twain, official music video, from album “Come on Over”, 1998, Mercury Records
Fast Car, performed by Tracy Chapman, official music video, from album “Tracy Chapman”, 1998, Elektra Records
Fast Car, performed by Luke Combs, official live video, from album “Gettin’ Old”, 2023, River House Artists, Sony Music
Future King of Heaven, Zachariah Hickman, YouTube Audio Library
