Holly G Loves Linda Martell “Color Him Father”

Holly G has been quite busy during the pandemic times — she created the Black Opry in April 2020, while the rest of us were still wiping down our groceries. With a goal of inviting everyone sitting outside the traditional Nashville music table, the Black Opry has taken off, from New York to an upcoming Nashville show in December.

Holly G discusses her favorite one hit wonder with Sloane Spencer, and shares an unlikely history of how Linda Martell came to record her one hit wonder, “Color Me Father.” Plus, they discuss the politics of country music in a musical scene where some got unfairly pushed aside over the years, and how the Black Opry hopes to diversify Nashville in short order.

List of links

• The Black Opry
• Black Opry on Twitter
• Linda Martell
• Rolling Stone feature on Linda Martell
• Linda Martell’s CMT award coverage in the Tennessean
• Plantation Records
• Shelby Singleton
• “Color Him Father” by Linda Martell
• Documentary by her granddaughter Marquita Thompson
• Grand Ole Opry
• Hee Haw
• Linda Martell on Hee Haw
• Original “Color Him Father” by the Winstons
• The Amen Break by the Winstons, most sampled drum break in music
• The vocal version of “Amen” (similar to what Sloane Spencer grew up singing in church in Atlanta)
• “Amen Brother” by the Winstons
• Carolina Beach Music
• Richard Lewis Spencer
• Curtis Mayfield
• Otis Redding
• Frankie Staton
• Black Opry Revue in NYC
• Black Country Music Association article in Rolling Stone
• Black Country Music Association’s old Blogspot site
• Exit/In Black Opry Revue show
• What is a songwriters’ round?
• Jewly Hight’s NPR piece on AmericanaFest Black Opry House
• AmericanaFest music conference and festival
• Cam
• Maren Morris
• Leslie Fram at CMT
• Darius Rucker
• Jimmie Allen
• UMG Nashville Cindy Mabe — the record label exec’s letter regarding Mickey Guyton, 2021 (full text at the bottom of the article)

Music mentions

• Rissi Palmer’s Color Me Country
• Lizzie No (who is a guest on our other podcast, Bubble Bottles)
• Mickey Guyton
• Miko Marks
• Brittney Spencer