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