Black artists put folk and country music in spotlight at Word of South
Country music has been made by and loved by Black people since it’s conception. For just as long, Black people have been overlooked and disregarded in the genre by fans and executives.
Groups like the Black Opry Revue, and closer to home, the Word of South, a Festival of Literature & Music, want to change that. They invite you to discover, support and enjoy the Black artists that make magic in this space.
One of the most valuable aspects of country music is its versatility and diversity in sound. Country, blues, folk, and Americana music often overlap or weave together — these artists explore all of those sounds and intersections.
Past Word of South festivals have featured the artists Amythyst Kiah, Allsion Russell, Yasmin Williams, Son Little, Buffalo Nichols and more — all African-American artists dabbling in these different sounds. This year, the festival is teaming up with the Black Opry Revue, an organization whose mission is to showcase the diversity in sound and stories that Black artists offer to these genres.
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On Saturday, April 27, at Word of South, the artists Leon Timbo (1:30 p.m.) and Ally Free (3:30 p.m.) will do solo shows, each backed by other Black Opry musicians.
Timbo’s country sound incorporates equal measures of vintage soul, gospel, folk, R&B and even modern blues making for a unique experience that some have described as "transparent soul."
Jacksonville-native Timbo is currently on the road supporting his new music, and has just finished touring with 2x-Grammy Award-winning bassist Marcus Miller, during his residency with Blue Note New York, which included two sold-out shows.
Ally Free is a singer/songwriter from Huntsville, Alabama, who's played at venues and bars/restaurants in the surrounding areas of their hometown such as Sidetracks Music Hall, Mars Music Hall, Rhythm on Monroe, Stovehouse and The Princess Theatre in Decatur featuring Robert Cray, to name a few.
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Free has also played Panoply Arts Festival and Microwave Dave Day in Huntsville, as well as The Bigfoot Blues Festival in Tennessee, which was headlined by The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band along with many other talented artists, and the prestigious Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island with The Black Opry.
At 1:30 p.m. Sunday, April 28, at the Salvation South Stage, Timbo and Free will play together with the Opry backing band. Word of South 2024 also features the African-American banjo player Tray Wellington and the multi-instrumentalist (and former member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and Our Native Daughters supergroup) Leyla McCalla.
Countdown to Word of South
What & when: Leon Timbo (1:30 p.m., FSU Credit Union Stage) and Ally Free (3:30 p.m., Club Downunder Stage) will do solo shows on Saturday, April 27, each backed by other Black Opry musicians; at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday at Salvation South Stage
Where: Cascades Park
Full schedule: wordofsouthfestival.com
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Black artists brings country music to Tallahassee's Word of South
