Ray Charles complained that black singers of his era were sometimes “typecast, much like an actor”. His 1962 album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music caused such a stir that it makes the current row over the genre of Atlanta rapper Lil Nas X’s song Old Town Road look like a storm in a teacup. Charles’s magnificent album ended up being one of the most influential in the history of country music, even though it was initially banned on country radio playlists because of the colour of his skin. The fallout from Billboard’s decision in late March to remove Lil Nas X’s song from its country charts has divided Nashville. “Whenever you’re trying something new, it’s always going to get some kind… To continue reading this article Start your free trial of Premium Access all Premium articles Subscriber-only events Cancel any time Free for 30 days then only £2 per week Try Premium Access one Premium article per week Register for free Register for free to continue reading this article Register Or unlock all Premium articles, free for 30 days Start trial Already have an account? Login Want to learn more? View all subscriptions
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