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Rissi Palmer heralds Beyoncé's country music success for black artists

Only a handful of black women artists have broken through into the US country charts.

Beyoncé has become the first black woman to ever top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart in the modern history of country music, thanks to her country debut, Texas Hold ‘Em.

Where country music's relationship with black artists has often been difficult, black communities in America have been reacting to Beyoncé's success and seeing it as a significant moment and possible turning point.

After Beyoncé's surprise release of Texas Hold ‘Em and 16 Carriages during the Super Bowl, fans and industry insiders speculated if the music would be embraced by the traditional country industry.

But before Beyoncé took the top spot in the charts and made history there's been a handful of black women in the country music scene who've had chart success. Rissi Palmer is one of them - she was the first African American woman to chart a country song since Dona Mason in 1987, breaking a 20 year wait.

She's been opening up about Beyoncé's chart success and the struggles black women still face in the country music world.

(Photo: Rissi Palmer performing. Credit: Chris Charles)

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10 minutes