Resurrection Our Way: On Beyoncé, Linda Martell, and Staging Our Own Renaissance

While “Cowboy Carter” brings country music’s black roots to the forefront, Beyoncé reminds us of the infinite power of legacy.

Have you ever been invited to a spot, only to seek out out that you just were obviously not welcome there?

Lord knows I’ve been there more times than I could anticipate or count. Each time this humiliation doesn’t diminish; but increasingly I’m learning the best way to emerge from these moments unscathed, stronger and brighter, within the hope that I’ll leave these places higher than once I arrived.

Well, continuing the era of turning lemons into lemonade, Beyoncé’s recent album ‘Cowboy Carter’ she tries to point out how she handled similar experiences. According to Beyoncé, her recent album “was born out of an experience I had many years ago where I didn’t feel welcome… and it was very clear that I wasn’t.” Many assumed that the experience in query was the general public moment during which she was invited to perform “Daddy Lessons” on the 2016 Country Music Association Awards (CMA) – the moment she selected former industry darling The Dixie Chicks (now known simply as “The Chicks”) to hitch her on stage – only to find that she is an unwelcome presence.

“Some were outraged that Beyoncé and the Dixie Chicks, ostracized from the country music community, were allowed to perform at the 2016 CMA Awards,” Gerren Keith Gaynor reported for Grio on the time. Angry country music fans then forced the CMA to remove all traces of Beyoncé from its online recaps in a shocking gesture that amounted to erasure. While some have speculated that political differences between Beyoncé, The Dixie Chicks and the CMA’s core fans led to her performance being faraway from their platform, such erasure of disparate voices stays unprecedented within the entertainment industry. As an additional insult, despite removing it from its website and social media, the CMA continued to advertise free downloads of the performance in a very exploitative manner.

Instead of specializing in the anti-black comments and reception that Beyoncé experienced in purist country music circles, the Texas native staked her own claim to the genre and re-located our pioneers, giving them an area to talk and sing for themselves. He joins a growing procession of Black artists who’ve leveraged each the moment and the genre’s true legacy to reclaim their place within the country music industry.

In several tributes on “Renaissance, Act I” on “Cowboy Carter,” Beyoncé pays homage to the country music pioneer, designating her album break as “The Linda Martell Show.” While Martell herself questions the meaning of “genres,” Beyoncé pays homage to other black forebears in country music, surrounding her listeners with a sonic majesty that evokes the tradition of restorative justice and liberation theology present in Hebrews 12:1-2: :

It’s no coincidence that Beyoncé pays tribute Linda Martell, the primary black woman to perform on the Grand Ole Opry in 1969. Capturing the essence of overcoming adversity and emerging with a legacy for future generations, Martell significantly influenced the genre together with her album “Color me, country” in 1970, marking a historic moment as the first major release by a black female artist in country music.

With the long-awaited release of “Cowboy Carter,” the newfound interest in Martell’s contributions, including the documentary and awards, highlights an overdue shift toward inclusivity and appreciation for diverse country music narratives and legacies.

Martell’s tributes not only celebrate her contributions, but also symbolize the resurrection of her story, reflecting Easter’s profound message of rebirth and triumph over oppression. We are reminded that there is always someone who has prepared the way for us to do what we do, big or small. We must say their names as in meditation, considering them a prayer of thanksgiving for the continuation of the work.

As I think about Resurrection Sunday both as a theologian and musicologist, given my cultural upbringing, personal experiences, and academic and spiritual training, themes of empowerment and renewal are central to this commemoration by Christian believers. In African American culture, even if we do not believe or follow Christian practices, at the core of what we have experienced as a nation – and, as a result, the culture that has emerged for us as a people – speak parallel and unifying representations of hope, transformation, and empowerment. But aren’t these aspects of our lives what help us survive difficult situations, especially those in which we are told we don’t fit in?

In the Black prophetic tradition, our experiences as a people have deep meaning rooted in our history and are beacons that illuminate the source of the strength needed to overcome all pain, misery and conflict. This light illuminates our ability to embrace the promise that we will never be alone through all of this – and the ways in which we have “made it” – collectively and individually. Just as we understand that energy can never be created or destroyed, our ancestors understood us as energy beings for whom even death is not the end, but spiritually and physically it can be the beginning of something new.

The Good Friday premiere of Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” and the tribute to Linda Martell embody the essence of Easter’s message of resurrection, bringing untold stories to light and celebrating the revival of cultural narratives we have long needed to know and celebrate. It is a moving reminder of our ongoing journey toward justice and representation, ensuring that the legacies of ancestors like Martell are remembered and honored. Through this album and the tributes it contains, we are invited to reflect on broader themes of holding space, redemption and resurrection, highlighting the importance of remembering and celebrating those who have paved the way for a more inclusive and equitable future.

The Rev. Dr. Alisha Lola Jones is a faith leader helping people navigate a dynamic world, as a consultant to numerous arts and faith-based organizations and as Professor of Music in Contemporary Societies on the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. She is an award-winning creator (Oxford University Press). For more information please visit DrAlisha.com.

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