Color Me Country (Sun Records 70th / Remastered 2022) Linda Martell

• 1Bad Case of the Blues (Remastered 2022)02:31
• 2San Francisco is a Lonely Town (Remastered 2022)03:04
• 3The Wedding Cake (Remastered 2022)02:32
• 4Tender Leaves of Love (Remastered 2022)02:49
• 5I Almost Called Your Name (Remastered 2022)02:09
• 6Color Him Father (Remastered 2022)02:41
• 7There Never Was a Time (Remastered 2022)02:52
• 8You're Crying Boy, Crying (Remastered 2022)02:22
• 9Old Letter Song (Remastered 2022)02:38
• 10Then I'll Be Over You (Remastered 2022)01:54
• 11Before the Next Teardrop Falls (Remastered 2022)02:07
• Total Runtime27:39

Info for Color Me Country (Sun Records 70th / Remastered 2022)

Newly remastered! Linda Martell was the first African-American woman to make the country charts and to appear at the Grand Ole Opry, and helped lay the groundwork for future artists of color in the genre. Despite multiple TV appearances, a dozen appearances at the Opry, and some big hits - including "Color Him Father", "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" and "Bad Case of the Blues" - her 1970 debut album, Color Me Country, would also be her last.

"I am so happy that so many people seem to love my singing. I love country music, I always have and I never thought in a million years that this would ever be. It has been a long road and I hope that you all continue to enjoy the album. I truly appreciate all of your support." (Linda Martell)

In August of 1969, Linda Martell (born Thelma Bynem) made history when she became the first African-American woman to appear on the Grand Ole Opry. However, she didn’t begin her career singing country music. Instead, she made her recording debut as a member of the group The Anglos in 1962 with R&B songs “A Little Tear (Was Falling From My Eyes)” and “The Things I Do For You.” The group also recorded for Vee-Jay records and Vee-Jay’s subsidiary Tollie Records. When the group disbanded, Martell continued solo as an R&B artist until a single performance thrust her into the world of country music.

After Martell was asked to sing a country song at the Charleston Air Force Base, she was discovered by Nashville agent Duke Rayner, who then worked to secure demos and eventually a deal with Plantation Records. In 1969, she released her first single, the top-25 hit “Color Him Father,” and in 1970 made appearances on Hee Haw and The Bill Anderson Show. That same year she released her second single, “Before the Next Teardrop Falls,” which also landed in the Country & Western Top 40, followed by her one and only album Color Me Country on Plantation Records. This album has finally been re-released in its entirety by Real Gone Music, with liner notes by Bill Dahl.

Color Me Country is a body of work that makes it clear that Linda Martell was a talent that needed to be heard. This collection includes her first single, “Color Him Father,” a dynamic cover of The Winstons’ original song about accepting your stepfather. Martell’s immense vocal ability is undeniable on tracks like “San Francisco Is a Lonely Town,” and “Then I’ll Be Over You.” And on tracks like “Bad Case of the Blues,” “The Wedding Cake,” and “There Never Was a Time,” she is masterfully rooted in the country& western vocal and musical styling.

Linda Martell

Digitally remastered

Linda Martell
was born in Leesville, South Carolina. the daughter of pastor Clarence Bynem. Her singing was developed in a gospel group consisting of three of her brothers. Her first recorded work was fronting a group called the Anglos, a single recorded in 1962 for the Fire label. In 1964 she recorded for the Tollie label as part of the Angelos that included her brother Elzie Lee. In 1969, she joined Shelby Singleton's Plantation Records and had a top-25 hit with "Color Him Father." She made television appearances on The Bill Anderson Show and Hee Haw in 1970. She released a second single, "Before the Next Teardrop Falls", which reached No. 33 on the Billboardcharts. She recorded one more charting single, an album and made 11 more appearances at the Grand Ole Opry before ending her recording career in 1974.

A January 22, 2014 broadcast of a Swedish TV program entitled Jills veranda – Nashville (transl: Jill's Porch – Nashville) documented the search for and interview of Linda Martell.

The stars of the show travel to South Carolina to meet Martell, discuss her music and why she abandoned her recording career. Martell reveals she decided to return to South Carolina because her children were small and she didn't feel she could keep up the pace of touring, which was impacting her health. She worked in education for much of her life but provides few details.

This album contains no booklet.