Hi, Francis B. Country has always had female stars. I'm not disputing that. But I'm sure any of the women you've mentioned would agree that when it comes to radio play and sales, male stars have long dominated the genre and continue to do so. Billboard's Hot Country Songs and Radio Airplay charts back this up. This even plays out on Broadway in Nashville, where almost all of the celebrity-owned bars are owned by male stars.

As for Black acts in country, yes, there have been a few successful male Black acts since Charley Pride, but the genre has yet to produce a single Black female star. Note that my kicker is speaking specifically about "mainstream" country, which would include only about three of the acts you've mentioned. As I say in the article, Micky Guyton is mostly a press and Grammy darling. "Black Like Me" was not a chart or radio hit. The biggest country star in 2022 is Morgan Wallen, the same guy who was caught on camera using the N-word. That says a lot. In fact, maybe it's not that nothing has changed in Nashville, but in some ways, things have actually gotten worse.