If you watched the Grammys this year, you probably caught Beyoncé's acceptance speech when, at long last, she landed the album of the year.
Beyoncé said she hoped to keep pushing forward and opening doors. And her album, Cowboy Carter, which won the Grammy for best country album, evokes the spirit and energy of the Chitlin Circuit. It also serves as a door to the past, shining a light on forgotten country music trailblazer, Linda Martell, and highlighting the roots of country music in her lyrics.
The Chitlin Circuit was a network of music venues across the country, but especially in the South, that employed Black musicians, allowing them to perform freely in these spaces, which were mostly owned and operated by Black people. Although the circuit happened because a lot of places were segregated, it kicked off the way we see the music industry operating today, like having multi-city tours. The circuit even paved the way for genres today like jazz, blues, and rock and roll.
With only seven city stops countryside, the Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin Circuit Tour, is reminiscent of the Chitlin Circuit.
But Beyoncé's not the only artist to look back to the Chitlin Circuit. Kendrick Lamar, who netted an armful of Grammys this year, talks about the life of two Black musicians who performed in the Circuit in his song, “Reincarnated.”
He doesn’t mention the names of the artists but it’s believed to be John Lee Hooker, the “King of the Boogie,” and either Dinah Washington, the “Queen of Blues,” or Billie Holiday. In the song, Lamar talks about how he embodies the spirit of these artists to be who he is today.
Even artists who aren’t explicitly referencing the Chitlin Circuit owe something to it. Musicians who honed their craft on the Circuit include Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, and Little Richard, to name a few.
Dr. Michelle Scott, a history professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, said she believes this moment reflects a time of artists trying to get back to the roots of their genres.
“I think, particularly in our current moment, to misremember the foundations of Black history is to do an injustice to the roots of American history at large,” she said. “We need to remember the stories of challenges, obstacles and oppression, but also the joy and the leisure of this lived experience.”
Dr. Nashid Madyun is the executive director at Florida Humanities. He said he thinks this moment reflects the paradox in the statement “Chitlin Circuit.”
“Chitlins [chitterlings], if you understand part of the body, it comes from in the pig, and the history of taking something that's considered nothing, or the scraps, and making something out of it,” he said. “That was the nature of Jim Crow and segregation, and that the opportunities for artists were next to nothing. So, making a nod back acknowledges that maybe African Americans are looking for a foothold in underrepresented genres.”
While the Chitlin Circuit may have been seen as second-tier, it actually boosted the economy in Black communities by making Black people become entrepreneurs. They ran the clubs that operated in the circuit. And due to the nature of the business, it created more job opportunities for Black people like costume designing, or owning a hotel for the musicians to stay in when they traveled.
And it was a community effort. Everyone was involved in supporting the acts and getting the word out about artists coming to town. From the bus drivers transporting them, to the barber shops where fliers were posted. Everyone got involved and a lot of people who weren’t even musicians were able to make a living.
“You know, everything about the Chitlin Circuit wasn't just this second-tier theater situation,” Scott said. “It was also an experience for Black communities to foster unity together, amongst dance, amongst music, amongst comedy, in a time, in a space in the country where they were saying that their lived experiences weren't worthy. They were able to challenge that within these communities of these Chitlin Circuit spaces.”
You can hear more from Dr. Michelle Scott during WUSF and Arts Axis Florida’s Chitlin Circuit Chronicles event at the Tampa Bay History Center on Wednesday, Feb. 19. She’s on a panel that will talk about the impact of the Chitlin Circuit in Tampa. The event’s sold out, but you can still register here to watch the live stream.
