To better understand the connection between the pop star and the country and western vibe of her album Cowboy Carter, which won three awards at the 67th Grammy awards in Los Angeles: Best Country Album, Best Country Duo/Group Performance, and the long-coveted Best Album of the Year, anyone who is perplexed by Beyoncé’s 2024 foray into country music only needs to travel to her home state of Texas. Even though Beyoncé stated when the album was released, “This ain’t a country album… it’s a Beyoncé album,” it is evident that it pulls from a variety of sources, such as the lengthy tradition of Black cowboy culture and country music..
Texas has a long history of being connected with cowboys, especially Houston, the singer’s hometown. The city has unquestionable cowboy credentials, as does the African American community in Texas and the larger American West, and is home to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, one of the biggest rodeos in the world. On the other hand, the cowboy has traditionally been associated with white faces.
