Sphere Magazine

Rissi Palmer Transforming (A) Country?

November 2nd, 2007

By Thomas Nakanishi

Country is not a very multicultural genre, in terms of artists or fans. It brings to mind people like Reba McEntire, Faith Hill, Garth Brooks and others whose songs reach over 75 million adults every week on radio; whose videos rotate constantly on CMT; and in particular instances artists like Shania Twain and LeAnn Rimes who mashed a pop-country sound into the mainstream. Yet, for all that it is as a genre, country music and its story-telling through folks-y, blues-y tones never got play on my family’s car radio dial and could not be found as a genre in my iTunes Library.

That all changed when I came across Rissi Palmer.

When you hear Rissi Palmer sing or watch her “Country Girl” video, you
realize just how “country” she is and how there is a space for black in country. The first Black female artist on the Billboard Country Music charts since 1987, Palmer turned down Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis’ deal to be a pop/hip-hop artist a few years ago to follow her love of country music. Now she’s the talk of those country music radio programs as her song rises up the charts.

It’s not just that she’s a Black performer in a white genre that makes her special. Palmer can sing, strum her guitar and lead a group of men to create a fresh and genuine country sound that is gaining fans (and haters, I’m sure.) At the helm, she is creating a new image of what it means to be Black in America.

It’s easier said than done to have any impact on a mainstream consciousness of the Black experience that seems mostly informed by COPS, rap and other Black characters on TV. When Bill O’Reilly is relieved after eating in Harlem and when the case of the Jena Six illustrates just how weak we are a nation. As blatant racism persists so visibly in the 21st century, knowing that Palmer is a rising “Country Girl” and is starting to win over the hearts of those 75 million listeners gives me hope.

She may not transform a country with her music alone, but by giving
country music a spark with a new sound and possible connection with established country music fans with her stories, lyrics and videos, perhaps Palmer will have an impact after all.