Maren Morris was the darling of the 2020 CMA awards, taking home Single of the Year and Song of the Year for her record “The Bones†and finally Female Vocalist of the Year. In her third acceptance speech of the night, a clearly emotional Morris chose to shine some light on some unsung heroes of country music: Black female artists. “There are some names in my mind that I want to give recognition to because I’m just a fan of their music and they are country as it gets and I just want them all to know how much we love them back,†Morris said after thanking the other women in her category and her team. “Just check out their music after this. It’s Linda Martell, Yola, Mickey Guyton, Rissi Palmer, Brittney Spencer, Rhiannon Giddens,†said Morris, shouting out Black female country singers, none of whom performed at the ceremony or were nominated for any awards.
“There are so many amazing Black women that pioneered and continue to pioneer this genre, and I know they’re going to come after me — they’ve come before me — but you’ve made this genre so, so beautiful,†Morris continued, directly addressing Black women in country. “I hope you know that we see you. Thank you for making me so inspired as a singer in this genre.†Leave it to a class act like Morris to recognize and highlight the often under-sung contributions of Black women to culture, specifically in the genre of country music. She’s got good bones, a good heart, and good taste.