Entertainment

William Nash, Professor of American Studies and English, Middlebury When Beyoncé released “Texas Hold ‘Em,” the first single from her new country album, “Cowboy Carter,” it elicited a mix of admiration and indignation. This is not her first foray into the genre, but it is her most successful and controversial entry. With “Texas Hold ‘Em,” Beyoncé became the first Black woman to have a No. 1 song on the country charts. At the same time, country music stations like KYKC in Oklahoma initially refused to play the record because it was “not country.” Many non-listeners stereotype country music as being white, politically conservative, militantly patriotic and rural.