Linda Martell

Linda Martell (born Thelma Bynem; June 4, 1941) is an American singer. She became the first commercially successful Black female artist in the country music field and the first to play the Grand Ole Opry. As one of the first African-American country performers, Martell helped influence the careers of future Nashville artists of color.

Born and raised in South Carolina, Martell listened to country, gospel and R&B music. In her teens, she formed a singing trio with her family titled Linda Martell and the Anglos. During the 1960s, the group recorded a handful of R&B singles and sang alongside other Black performers. However, the group had little success and soon parted ways. Performing as a solo act, Martell was discovered singing country music on an air force base. This led to an introduction to producer Shelby Singleton, who signed her to his Nashville label in 1969. The same year, the label released her country cover of "Color Him Father". The song became a top 25 single on the US Hot Country Songs chart and her debut album followed in 1970.

Martell made several appearances on country music television programs and released two more singles with Plantation. She also made her first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry during this time. She later performed there 12 times. Following a series of business conflicts with her manager (Duke Raymer) and producer, Martell left her recording contract. She then retired from the country music industry in 1974 following a lack of success. Over the next several decades, she lived in various states and continued performing music. To make a living, she worked in public education and returned to South Carolina in the 1990s.

In 2021, the CMT Music Awards honored Martell with the Equal Play Award. In March 2024, Martell was featured on two tracks of Beyoncé's eighth studio album Cowboy Carter, including "Spaghettii", which generated her first Grammy Awards nomination.

Early years Thelma Bynem was born June 4, 1941 as one of five children born to Clarence and Willie May Bynem in Leesville, South Carolina. Her father was a sharecropper while her mother worked many hours at a chicken slaughterhouse. To avoid helping with sharecropping duties, Martell learned to make dinners for her family when she was seven years old. Martell, her sister and cousin then formed a singing trio, which they called The Anglos.

Career 1962–1969: R&B beginnings and musical shift In 1962, The Anglos took an eight-hour bus ride to Muscle Shoals, Alabama where they recorded their first R&B single. Re-named Linda Martell and the Anglos, Fire Records released "A Little Tear (Was Falling from My Eyes)" the same year. The single was unsuccessful. Linda Martell and the Anglos (sometimes credited as "The Angelos") released several more singles on the Vee-Jay label, such as "Lonely Hours". David Browne of Rolling Stone called the song "simmering, forlorn girl-group pop". ) which was released in 1964. This song was composed by Elzie Bynem, who was Linda Martell's brother. It was advertised in the 7 March 1964 issue of Cash Box, and the impression given was that "Backfield in Motion" was to be the A side, and "Bad Motorcycle" the B side. The recordings were issued on Tollie 9003. However, it appears that "Bad Motorcycle" at some later stage turned out to be the A side. "Backfield in Motion" was a Cash Box Newcomer Pick for the week of 14 March 1964. The single did have some potential, and the reviewer in the 14 March issue of Cash Box said it could be flying high in the weeks to come. It did get airplay in Philadelphia and for the week of 1 August, it was one of the seven singles in the Billboard Requests and Good Programming section of the "Analysis of Philadelphia Market" list by Georgie Woods and Jimmy Bishop of WDAS. The song was covered by Joe South and the Believers, and issued on the Columbia label. The credited Composer for that release was L. Martell, who is believed to be her Brother Elzie aka Lee Martell. Interestingly, Joe South's other group, The Chips had recorded for the Tollie label.

The group parted ways after her cousin got married. Her sister left the group soon after and Martell was a solo act for the first time in her career. For several years, she continued singing R&B music. She also met with Singleton who convinced her to record as a country singer. Martell was surprised at the decision. "I was a little bit shocked! I was mostly doing pop. But he said, 'You gotta go country'," she told Rolling Stone in 2020. It climbed to number 22 on the US country songs chart. Its follow-up was Martell's interpretation of "Before the Next Teardrop Falls", which was later covered by Freddy Fender. In August 1970, her debut album was released on Plantation Records titled Color Me Country. The record reached number 40 on the US Country LP's chart. The album was reviewed favorably by Billboard in 1970, which found her country singing style to be authentic. In later years, AllMusic rated the record three and a half stars with similar commentary. Her final charting single was issued around the same time titled "Bad Case of the Blues".

With her new success, Martell was hired by booking agent, Hubert Long, who helped arrange several entertainment opportunities. She also made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry radio broadcast after Rayner played her recent record for an official at the company. In the American south, she was marketed as the "First Female Negro Country Artist" and was put on package shows with country artists Waylon Jennings and Hank Snow. Martell later recalled that performing as a black country artist was often challenging. She remembered being taunted by white audiences, who often shouted racial slurs while she was performing. "You're gonna run into hecklers, and I did...You felt pretty awful," she told Rolling Stone. She also supports the underrepresented voices of BIPOC artists in country music through the Color Me Country™ Artist Grant Fund. In 2021, a GoFundMe campaign was launched by Martell's granddaughter to create a documentary about her career and struggles as a black performer in Nashville.

In 2024, Martell appeared on Beyoncé's country-focused eighth studio album Cowboy Carter. She made two spoken-word appearances on the tracks "Spaghettii" and "The Linda Martell Show". On Instagram, Martell commented, "I am proud that @beyonce is exploring her country music roots. What she is doing is beautiful, and I’m honored to be a part of it. It’s Beyoncé, after all!" At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards "Spaghettii" received a nomination for Best Melodic Rap Performance, becoming Martell's first nomination at the ceremony.

Artistry and influence Martell's musical artistry combined elements of country, gospel, and R&B music.

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

Personal life Martell has been married twice. At age 19, she first wed drummer Clark Thompson. The couple had three children. In 1966, the pair separated and she later remarried business owner, Ted Jacobs. Jacobs also brought one child from his first marriage and the family lived in Nashville while Martell was signed to Plantation Records.

1962 — —

33 56

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— 55 "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Other appearances + List of non-single guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name Title Year Other artist(s) Album "Spaghettii" 2024 BeyoncéShaboozey Cowboy Carter "The Linda Martell Show" Beyoncé