Leadership / 08.16.23

Black Opry, Standing Up to Obstacles and Finding 'Insurmountable Joy'

Access Staff

Pollstar (08/14/23) G, Holly

Black Opry founder and co-director Holly G writes that her initial vision was to create a digital space in order to foster a community of fellow music lovers, which has since expanded far beyond those aspirations. "After the first in-person meeting of our budding community, Lizzie No invited several of the artists that were present to join her for a writer's round style performance at Rockwood Music Hall [in New York City] just two weeks later," she recalls, adding that venues all over the country were inviting The Black Opry Revue shortly after. Since then, the Revue has performed over 100 shows, highlighting more than 100 Black country, Americana, blues and roots musicians. "We've given these artists a platform to share their music at historic venues like Los Angeles' Troubadour, iconic festivals including Newport Folk Festival, and even across the ocean on Cayamo's Journey Through Song cruise," Holly notes. She viewed the need to build a framework for the Black Opry Revue tour as "an opportunity to build a new model for touring artists while carving a space for Black artists where opportunities are typically scarce." The effort faced obstacles like structural racism, but Holly found that "on the other side of those obstacles is an insurmountable joy. Very often our performances get described as 'magic,' and at the root of that magic is the power of collaboration and uplifting those around you." She concludes, "We don't know that the future of these genres at large will see any systematic change, but each time we do a show we get to watch the artists and everyone else in the room feels the joy of what it would be like if it does."

Read the full story from Pollstar.

Tags: Leadership , Opry