Beyonce made country music history in February 2024. The country legend herself—Dolly Parton—has spoken out about Queen Bey’s chart-topping country hit, “Texas Hold ‘Em.” As the first Black female artist to hit #1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, Beyonce received congratulations and well wishes from Dolly on social media.
Entertainment Tonight reported that Dolly posted her sweet message to Beyonce online on February 22nd. She told her fans and followers that she’s a “big fan of Beyonce and very excited that she’s done a country album,” and then Dolly did a shout-out right to Beyonce. She wrote, “So congratulations on your Billboard Hot Country number one single. Can’t wait to hear the full album!”
Beyonce has faced criticism in the industry for her choice to record country music. But Dolly Parton is no stranger to controversy, and she’s spoken out for other artists in trouble, most notably Britney Spears. In July 2021, Dolly appeared on What Watch Happens Live With Andy Cohen. She discussed Britney’s conservatorship battle and revealed some eye-opening things.
While Dolly claimed, “I try to not get involved in other people’s business,” she also admitted, “I understand all those crazy things. I went through a lot of that myself through a big lawsuit in my early days with Porter Wagoner trying to get out on my own.” Dolly told Andy, “I hope that all turns out the way that it should” for Britney.
KYKC Refused to Play Beyonce on Their Station
The country music controversy with Beyonce started at the radio station KYKC in Oklahoma. A user on X reported that they had requested “Texas Hold ‘Em,” and they received an email back from KYKC stating, “We do not play Beyonce, as we are a country music station.”
Once the Bey Hive heard about it, KYKC got swamped with angry phone calls and messages on social media. Entertainment Tonight spoke with Roger Harris about the controversy.
Roger is the GM at KYKC’s parent company, South Central Oklahoma Radio Enterprises. He told ET that when the song request came in, Beyonce was not considered a “country artist.” He added, “It would have been the same situation if someone had asked the station to play the Rolling Stones.”
But Roger also claimed that the station “didn’t know” Beyonce would be dropping “country songs” after the Super Bowl, and he said, “We did not have access to these songs since we are a small market station.”
Roger insisted, “We are a minority-owned station. We have supported Beyonce for as long as she’s been around.” He said that KYKC is now playing Beyonce’s country songs, and they “have nothing against Beyonce. We love Beyonce.”
Beyonce Has always Celebrated “Cowboy Culture”
Beyonce fans weren’t surprised that she’s putting out a country album. As a Texas-born-and-raised singer, writer, and performer, Beyonce has displayed her love of the genre before on songs like “Daddy Lessons” from her Lemonade album.
Tina Knowles Lawson is Beyonce’s mom and business partner. She spoke out about the controversy online and revealed her family’s long-time love of cowboy culture.
Tina’s message on social media read, in part, “We have always celebrated Cowboy Culture growing up in Texas.” She added, “We also always understood that it was not just about it belonging to White culture only,” and Tina reminded everyone that there is a “huge Black cowboy culture” in Texas.
Tina also asked, “Why do you think that my kids have integrated it into their fashion and art since the beginning?” She wrote, “It’s really funny,” and claimed she laughs when people ask her why Beyonce wears cowboy hats because the family has been going to rodeos and dressing up in Western fashion since Beyonce and her sister Solange were kids.
Tina wrote that Solange “did a whole brilliant Album and Project based on Black Cowboy Culture. It definitely was a part of our culture growing up.”
Beyonce’s country-themed album, Renaissance: Act II, will be released on March 29th. But “Texas Hold ‘Em” isn’t her first song to chart on Billboard’s Hot Country list. Beyonce’s “16 Carriages” hit the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Country Chart when it landed at #9.
