Linda Martell

Linda Martell (born Thelma Bynem, June 4, 1941), is an American rhythm and blues and country music singer. In August 1969, she became the first African-American woman to perform at the Grand Ole Opry.[1]

Linda Martell
Birth nameThelma Bynem
Born (1941-06-04) June 4, 1941
Leesville, South Carolina, U.S.
GenresRhythm and blues, country music
Occupation(s)Singer
InstrumentsVocals
Years active1962 - 1974

Biography

Linda Martell was born in Leesville, South Carolina.[2] the daughter of pastor Clarence Bynem. Her singing was developed in a gospel group consisting of three of her brothers. Her first recorded work was fronting a group called the Angelos, a single recorded in 1962 for the Fire label. In 1964 she recorded for the Tollie label as part of the Angelos that included her brother Elzie Lee. In 1969, she joined Shelby Singleton's Plantation Records and had a top-25 hit with "Color Him Father." She made television appearances on The Bill Anderson Show and Hee Haw in 1970. She released a second single, "Before the Next Teardrop Falls", which reached No. 33 on the Billboard charts. She recorded one more charting single, an album and made 11 more appearances at the Grand Ole Opry before ending her recording career in 1974.

A January 22, 2014 broadcast of a Swedish TV program entitled Jills veranda – Nashville (transl: Jill's Porch – Nashville) documented the search for and interview of Linda Martell. The stars of the show travel to South Carolina to meet Martell, discuss her music and why she abandoned her recording career. Martell reveals she decided to return to South Carolina because her children were small and she didn't feel she could keep up the pace of touring, which was impacting her health. She worked in education for much of her life but provides few details.

In a 2020 interview with Rolling Stone, Martell expanded upon her experiences in the music industry and why she had to retire. She explained that her manager Shelby Singleton signed her to his record label Plantation Records which, despite Singleton denying that the name he had chosen had any racist connotations, made her feel very offended. Speaking of being forced to remain on the label, Martell stated “I didn’t like it but that’s the name he wanted. There was very little that Shelby touched that didn’t turn to gold, and he knew it”. Additionally, she cited racist abuse as another key factor in choosing to end her recording career, detailing how audience members would frequently shout abuse at her while she was on stage, how the promoter of one of her shows cancelled her performance when he saw that she was black and how a show executive on Hee Haw approached her during rehearsals and tried to instruct her to pronounce her words correctly. Seeking counsel from Charley Pride, Martell was advised that she had to try and develop a thick skin and get used to the name calling with Singleton recommended she refrain from addressing the audience at her shows in any capacity. Of this experience, Martell admitted to using alcohol to help her get through her shows stated that “a lot of times, you feel like saying, ‘OK, look here, I don’t wanna hear that. Please quit calling me names like that.’ But you can’t say that. You can’t say anything. All you can do is do your singing and try your best to forget about it”.

The final issue that prompted Martell's career to end came when Singelton informed her that he was going to start promoting Jeannie C. Riley (who became an overnight sensation with her hit "Harper Valley PTA") over her, causing her to part ways with him. Despite Martell's original contract stating that she could sign with another label, Singleton threatened to sue any company that tried to sign her, with Martell explaining that “he blackballed me so no one else would record me. It ruined my reputation in country music. Shelby had a lot of power during that time”. Although she attempted to reboot her career over the next twenty years, Martell eventually took a job driving a school bus and teaching children with learning disabilities. Following a battle with breast cancer in 2004, she retired and moved in with her daughter.[3]

Discography

Albums
Title Album details
Color Me Country

Singles
Year Single Peak positions Album
US Country
[4]
1969 "Color Him Father" 22 Color Me Country
"Before the Next Teardrop Falls" 33
1970 "Bad Case of the Blues" 58
"You're Crying Boy, Crying" —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

References
  1. Don Rhodes, "Linda Martell". The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Ed. (Chicago: Sourcebooks, Inc., 2004), p. 326.
  2. Brennan, Sandra. "Linda Martell biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
  3. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/linda-martell-black-country-grand-ole-opry-pioneer-1050432/
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 257. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.


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