G recently answered some questions in advance of the tour’s Dayton appearance.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Credit: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Q: Black Opry seems like it’s been embraced by a lot of people since you started. Has that been the case or has there been pushback?
A: There is definitely some pushback. I don’t want to minimize that because the pushback is the reason we had to start it in the first place. What we need to focus on is the people that support it and we’ve had some great supportive people. We’ve proven now that we are so large in numbers that, at the very least, we can’t be ignored. That’s always going to be there but we’re having a great time. The fact we just came off our second performance at Newport Folk Fest is a huge deal considering we’ve only been touring for two years. We have the right people in our corner, so we’re really excited to be in a space where everything is rolling in the right direction. People are feeling good.
Q: How big of a pool of artists are you drawing from to book these revue shows?
A: The final count we had of people that have either submitted or we have identified is about 250. We have a ton of artists to choose from. Unfortunately, not all of the artists that have applied have the freedom to travel or the resources. We do our best to figure that out and get as many different people on stage as we can.
Q: Were the artists responsive?
A: Oh, yes. From the beginning, one of the common responses from the artists we worked with was they were waiting for something like this to come along. There just wasn’t anybody providing that platform or space for them. It’s been a breath of fresh air not only for the industry but also for the artists that have been at this for a long time. I can see how a lot of people might look at this and think we’re finding new artists but so many of these artists have been doing this for like 10 or 15 years and nobody has ever given them chances. It’s very special to us to be able to provide opportunities that are so long overdue for these artists and get them in front of the audiences they deserve to be in front of.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Credit: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Q: Did you have any idea you’d find so many artists?
A: No. I wasn’t even really looking for artists to be honest. I was looking for other Black people that were fans of country music. I’d always been told it was strange to like country music as a Black person. I always felt like I was one of very few, so I was trying to find other Black people that loved country music. I had no idea people I’d find would be artists. It’s been a really beautiful thing to be able to connect all of these people because the artists feel isolated as well. I feel so fortunate I’m in a position to be able to bring everybody together.
Q: Have you been able to connect with other Black fans?
A: No, not as much as I’d like. This has grown so much and spiraled so far out of control in the best way that I had to divert my attention to the things that were most pressing. Because we had so many artists reach out so quickly, a lot of the attention (was) focused on that end of it. How to get more people of color to these shows and see these artists is something we’re actively trying to figure out. We want to diversify that country music fan base as well. One of the obstacles for Black people who love country is music is it doesn’t always feel safe going into those spaces. One of our goals is to figure out how we diversify the audiences and how we reach Black people and let them know we are making something with this, too. Our stories are being told and the concerts we (offer) are safe spaces.
Q: What is your relationship with the various Levitt venues?
A: We’ve played other Levitts. We played in Dayton last year. This will be our second time back there. I don’t get to go to all the shows, but I did go to that one and it was one of the most special shows I’ve been to of ours. There were houseless people that were kind of walking the streets and we saw the way everybody was treated equally, lovingly and respectfully. It meant so much to us to be able to be in that space and provide a moment of community and connection for anybody that wanted to show up. There is a thread between what the Levitt Pavilions do and the work we do in that we both want to create community, and that’s what I loved so much about it.
Contact this contributing writer at 937-287-6139 or donthrasher100@gmail.com.
HOW TO GO
What: Black Opry Revue presents Larysa Jaye, Carmen Dianne, Whitney Monge, Julie Williams and Roberta Lea
Where: Levitt Pavilion, 134 S. Main St., Dayton
When: Friday, Aug. 11 at 7 p.m.
Cost: Free
More info: www.levittdayton.org
Artist info: www.blackopry.com
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