This is an incredible story of courage and the true definition of a “trail-blazer”. Linda Martell took the stage at the Grand Ole’ Opry in 1969 at a time when this country was in turmoil over issues such as race and she proceeded to carve out a place for herself in a history that up until that point had been an impenetrable piece of stone. Due to circumstances surrounding her she was too quickly removed from that stage and squeezed into remote corners of the music industry to be lost forever but thankfully in 2024, Beyoncé took note of this woman’s accomplishments and made sure she received the attention and respect she deserves.
Linda Martell, a.k.a. Thelma Bynem, was born June 4, 1941 in Leesville, South Carolina. The daughter of pastor Clarence Bynem and one of five children. Singing began for Linda in Leesville's St. Mark's Baptist Church, where she, her sister and three brothers sang in the choir. When Linda turned 16, her voice seemed a natural for rhythm and blues and she began singing around her home state with her sister, a cousin and her brothers who formed a band called The Anglos. In 1961 she changed her name at the suggestion of a local DJ who said she needed a better stage name. The DJ suggested she looked like a “Linda” – and Linda Martell & The Anglos were born.
In 1962 The Anglos recorded " A Little Tear (Was Falling From My Eyes)" b/w "The Things I Do For You" on Bobby Robinson's Fire Records. Unfortunately, the single was never promoted and didn’t sell. The group also recorded two singles for Vee-Jay records and Vee-Jay’s subsidiary label Tollie Records as The Angelos in 1963 with "Lonely Hours" written by Linda b/w “Just Like Taking Candy From A Baby”, and “Bad Motorcycle (Wooden Wooden)” b/w "Backfield In Motion" written by Linda’s brother Elzie Bynem, both single releases were produced by Ray Stevens and both saw no real financial return for their efforts.
In 1969 during a performance at Charleston Air Force Base in South Carolina, the crowd requested that Linda sing country music songs in place of her usual R&B lineup. As she sang a couple of familiar tunes, the crowd cheered with approval sparking the attention of future manager Duke Rayner. Convinced she could be a country-singing star, Rayner flew Linda to Nashville where she recorded a country version of the upbeat song “Color Him Father” by The Winstons.
The year 1969 was a whirlwind for Linda; she was signed by Shelby Singleton to Plantation Records and her song became a national hit, making the Top 25 charts. That same year Linda made her first appearance on the stage of the Grand Ole’ Opry in August 1969, receiving two standing ovations and making her the first black woman to appear on the Grand Ole’ Opry’s stage and radio program. Two years earlier, Charlie Pride had made his first appearance on the Grand Ole’ Opry stage, making him the first black male artist to do so. In 1970, Linda’s debut album “Color Me Country” was released. In total, Linda appeared 11 times on the Grand Ole’ Opry international radio program. She appeared on the American television variety show, Hee Haw and The Bill Anderson Show that same year.
Linda decided to leave Plantation Records in 1974 due to artistic and personal differences with Shelby Singleton. Because she was still under contract, he threatened to sue anyone that tried to record her music - ostracizing her and bringing her music career to a screeching halt. Linda found other ways to remain active in music. For about two decades, she sang and performed in small clubs throughout the United States. This included California, Florida, and New York City. In these different places, she held various jobs, including entertaining on a cruise ship and opening a record shop. In 1991, she returned to South Carolina to be closer to her children. To make a better living, she became a bus driver for her home region's school district. She also continued to perform in a local band on weekends where they entertained functions such as family reunions, weddings, and fraternity celebrations. While many residents of her local area were not aware of her former success, co-workers at her school building were. In one high school assembly, the principal spoke of her earlier work stating: "Others study about black history. But we have black history right here in our very own school."
In the mid-2000s, Linda retired from her public-school career and performed for the last time publicly in 2011 with her band, Eazzy. In January 2014, the Swedish TV program entitled Jills veranda – Nashville (translated as Jill's Porch – Nashville) documented the search for and interview of Linda Martell. The show's hosts traveled to South Carolina to meet Linda, discuss her music and why she abandoned her recording career. The hosts also performed some of Linda’s songs with her live on camera. She became a topic of conversation in 2020 after country artist Rissi Palmer named her Apple Music podcast after Linda’s 1970 album, “Color Me Country”. Linda became a supporter of 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 Linda's granddaughter to help finance the production of a documentary about her career and struggles as a black performer in Nashville. In 2024, Linda appeared on Beyoncé's country-focused eighth studio album Cowboy Carter. She made two spoken-word appearances on the tracks "Spaghetti" and "The Linda Martell Show". On Instagram, she commented, "I am proud that Beyoncé 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!"
