Independent country music recording artist Rissi Palmer is not surprised by the feedback she has received about her new Apple Music radio show “Color Me Country Radio,” which explores Black, Latinx and Indigenous voices in country music. She has heard everything from, “Is this a limited series? You’re going to run out of people to talk to!” to “Why does everything have to be about race?”
As an artist formerly signed to a mainstream label, Palmer knows all about the erasure of Black artists and culture that happens on the mainstream country music scene. Since becoming an independent artist, she has been able to be more vocal about the industry’s slow pace in embracing diversity and inclusion. Host Frank Stasio spends the hour with Palmer, discussing her long musical career; early, eclectic influences; the home she has made in Durham; and her latest venture, “Color Me Country Radio.” She will also discuss her next appearance, as part of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s 5th Annual Shout & Shine Showcase, an online event slated for October 3.
