**Beyoncé's latest album 'Cowboy Carter' spotlights Linda Martell, a pioneer and trailblazer who paved the way for Black country music artists, as she was the first commercially successful Black female artist in the genre.
In 1985, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson started a band called The Highwaymen. The group earned a Grammy nomination in 1990.
“Audiences adored them,” says Lisa Kristofferson, “but they couldn’t know how great those men really were together behind the scenes. It was a decade of rolling laughter and love. Johnny Cash and Kris’ last words to each other were ‘I love you.’ Same to Waylon. That’s rare for men, and it was real.”
“Me and Kris?” Willie Nelson writes. “I think we are about as close as friends can be. I think we understand all we need to understand about each other.”
“We need to have music that contributes to the well-being of the spirit. Music that cradles people’s lives and makes things a little easier. That’s what I try to do, and what I want to do. You don’t want to close the door on hope.” - Merle Haggard