Color Me Country: A Celebration of Black Women Who Shaped Country Music

by Kelly McCartney (Editor), Rissi Palmer (Editor), Rhiannon Giddens (Illustrator)

Multitalented Grammy Award winner Rhiannon Giddens paints women of color up-front and center-stage in this vibrant homage to some of country music’s first and finest. Featuring a coloring sheet on the back of the jacket!

In 2020, Linda Martell, the first Black woman to play on the legendary Grand Ole Opry, celebrated the fifty-year anniversary of her debut album. That record, Color Me Country, marked a vital milestone for generations of Black and brown female musicians. Mining a bounty of stories and packed with resources, this collective tribute to artists like Martell—who have defiantly loved a genre that didn’t always love them back—pairs nearly twenty mini-biographies with playful portraits in full color by Rhiannon Giddens, a musical legend in her own right. Each profile is a love letter to pioneers in country, Americana, and roots music who set the stage—or grace it today—with guts and soul. From the trailblazing Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who braved racism and sexism to infuse gospel with the blues, to “Queen of Rock” Tina Turner; from Odetta, the Voice of the Civil Rights Movement, to the heady vocals of Valerie June; from the Pointer Sisters to Our Native Daughters, Color Me Country challenges stereotypes to inspire young readers, especially Black or brown girls with a dream, to lift their voices high.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

56 pages, Hardcover

First published May 5, 2026

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

For Country Music lovers, for those who will love to read and learn about these Black Women who led the way, despite hardships and denials. They entered country music with talent and innovation. Eighteen women's biographies are included, accompanied by small, artful pictures of them. There is an intro, a few additional Black women with brief bios at the back, with two pages of recommended songs for listening, the Project Background described, brief bios of the contributors, source notes, and acknowledgments! Wow, with so much terrific material, readers will like the Index at the end, too! It's a book that will entertain and will teach you!
Thanks to Candlewick Studio, an imprint of Candlewick Press, for my copy!