Three things you need to know about Linda Martell, the first Black woman to perform at the Grand Ole Opry

Her dream was to become one of the Black trailblazers in a genre that was dominated by white acts. She knew it was not a walkover given that she was African American and a woman as well. It was rare for a Black woman to do country music in the 1960s but that was the space Linda Martell chose to break barriers.

She rose to become one of the most popular African-American women country music singers after the release of her single “Color Him Father”, according to Rolling Stone. Martell became the first African-American woman to perform at the Grand Ole Opry in the sixties. Here are three other facts you need to learn about the singer.