35 Facts About Linda Martell

Linda Martell was born on Thelma Bynem; June 4,1941 and is an American singer.

Linda Martell became the first commercially successful black female artist in the country music field and the first to play the Grand Ole Opry.

Linda Martell made several appearances on country music television programs and released two more singles with Plantation.

Linda Martell made her first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry during this time.

Linda Martell then retired from the country music industry in 1974 following a lack of success.

In March 2024, Linda Martell was featured on two tracks of Beyonce's eighth studio album Cowboy Carter, including "Spaghettii", which generated her first Grammy Awards nomination.

Linda Martell's father was a sharecropper while her mother worked many hours at a chicken slaughterhouse.

Linda Martell's father was a preacher, which inspired her earliest music.

Linda Martell sang gospel music at church and was drawn to country music.

Linda Martell's sister left the group soon after and Martell was a solo act for the first time in her career.

Linda Martell offered to arrange for a demo record to be made, but Martell originally declined his offers thinking he was a "kook".

However, after much encouragement, Linda Martell accepted his proposal and Rayner became her manager.

Linda Martell then flew to Nashville where she met producer Shelby Singleton.

Linda Martell met with Singleton who convinced her to record as a country singer.

On May 15,1969, Linda Martell signed a management contract with Rayner and signed with Singleton's Plantation record label the next day.

Linda Martell recorded the song in one 12-hour work session.

Linda Martell's version reached number 33 on the Billboard country chart in 1970.

Linda Martell's final charting single was issued around the same time titled "Bad Case of the Blues".

Linda Martell soon made television appearances on The Bill Anderson Show and Hee Haw in 1970.

Linda Martell made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry radio broadcast after Rayner played her recent record for an official at the company.

Linda Martell later recalled that performing as a black country artist was often challenging.

Linda Martell remembered being taunted by white audiences, who often shouted racial slurs while she was performing.

The name-calling continued to cause her professional conflict, but Linda Martell continued performing nonetheless.

Linda Martell then left her contract with Plantation and cut several tunes for a different label.

Linda Martell continued to perform in a band on weekends where they entertained functions such as family reunions, weddings and fraternity celebrations.

Linda Martell became a topic of conversation in 2020 after country artist Rissi Palmer named her Apple Music podcast after Martell's 1970 album, Color Me Country.

In 2024, Linda Martell appeared on Beyonce's country-focused eighth studio album Cowboy Carter.

Linda Martell made two spoken-word appearances on the tracks "Spaghettii" and "The Linda Martell Show".

Linda Martell herself drew similar connections when discussing the way she approached recording "Color Him Father" in the studio.

Linda Martell was among country music's first black artists to have commercial success.

Linda Martell was honored with the Equal Play Award at the 2021 CMT Music Awards.

Jacobs brought one child from his first marriage and the family lived in Nashville while Linda Martell was signed to Plantation Records.

Linda Martell discussed her domestic life with Ebony magazine in 1970, explaining the challenges associated with being a traveling performer while being a wife and mother.

Jacobs' business partner and Linda Martell then started a romantic relationship.

Together, the couple traveled and lived in several states before Linda Martell returned to South Carolina.