A Curated Conversation: The Wavemakers Series

The Wavemakers Series started as a conversation between our Senior Director of Live Events, Joe Student, and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Rissi Palmer, whose own story led her to help create new opportunities for emerging artists of color. Rissi shared more about the vision for the program and why it is so instrumental in supporting the careers of underrepresented artists and enhancing the diversity and vibrancy of music in the community. 

Carolina Theatre: Can you share some of the highlights of your own journey as an artist since you released your debut country album in 2007?  

Rissi Palmer: 

• With the release of my 2007 single, “Country Girl,” from my debut self-titled country album, I became the first Black female country artist to hit Billboard’s Hot Country Charts since Dona Mason in 1987. I also became one of iTune’s Top 5 Best-Selling Country Artists with her digital Country Girl EP distributed exclusively by Starbucks Entertainment. 

• I have independently released a children’s album, Best Day Ever, The Back Porch Sessions EP (2015), and REVIVAL (2019), which Rolling Stone recently hailed as one of the Top 25 Country Soul Albums of all time. 

• Now in its fourth season, my Apple Music radio show, Color Me Country Radio with Rissi Palmer, is a celebration of diversity and inclusion. I have created the program in an effort to rectify the historical omissions and amplify the contributions of people of color within the country music space. 

• My nonprofit Color Me Country Artist Grant Fund has awarded more than $175,000 in the past 4 years to artists of color in country music who are building their music careers. 

• I will be one of the performances taking place during Rhiannon Giddens’ inaugural Biscuits & Banjos Festival next year. A celebration of Black Music, Art, and Culture, the 3-day festival will take place in downtown Durham, NC from April 25-27, 2025. 

• I am among the 2024 Billboard Country Power Players. I am also the recipient of the SONA (Songwriters of North America) Warrior Award and the prestigious Icon Award in recognition of her pioneering efforts, commitment to excellence, and trailblazing spirit. 

• In 2023,I was one of nine artists to be highlighted in the American Masters: In The Making series that featured short documentaries on artists whose work influences American culture today. Directed by Dilsey Davis, my documentary, RISSI PALMER: STILL HERE, premiered globally on PBS. 

• In 2022, I was highlighted in the GRAMMY Museum’s Power of Women In Country Music exhibit along with several other global superstars and contemporary artists. That same year, I also received two GRAMMY nominations in the Best Children’s Music Album Category for my contributions on the 1 Tribe Collective album, All One Tribe, on which I performed my self-penned song, “Little Black Girl, Little Black Boy,” and for the 123 Andres album, Activate, on which I sing on the duet “I Just Can’t Sit Down”. 

• In 2023, I released my latest single, “Still Here,” featuring country artist Miko Marks. The song, co-penned by me, Miko, Deanna Walker, and producers Steve Wyreman and Justin Phipps, became a Top 25 single on the Americana Music Charts. 

CTD: Can you tell us more about Color Me Country Radio and how it has helped to support and highlight emerging artists of color?  

RP: In 2020, Linda Martell, the first Black woman to play the Grand Ole Opry and to chart a song on the Billboard Country Chart, marked fifty years since her debut. Her album, Color Me Country, was the foundation on which I, and every Black woman in country music who came after her, have built a career, whether we realized it or not. 

Linda’s story moved me to launch my own radio show, Color Me Country with Rissi Palmer on Apple Music Country, in August 2020. The goal was to shine a light on artists of color in country, Americana, and roots music, and to challenge listeners to reconsider their perceptions and stereotypes surrounding people of color within this musical landscape. With that platform, Kelly McCartney (radio host, advocate, and founder of the Rainey Day Fund) and I established the non-profit Color Me Country Artist Grant Fund to help support emerging artists of color in 2021.
 

CTD: What is the vision behind The Wavemakers Series and how did you develop the series with the Carolina Theatre?  

RP: The Wavemakers series began as a conversation between Joe Student and I back in 2022. The two of us set out to create a series that celebrated diverse voices and provided a platform for discovering new artists from a variety of backgrounds and musical styles. I love Durham and believe that this is a community that is extremely open to new and interesting art and music, so it seemed like the coming together of all these things that I’m really excited about. I’m also extremely passionate about giving opportunities to people, paying them fairly, and giving them an opportunity to shine. I’ve been given those chances many times during my career and want to pay that forward. Add to that, I grew up watching MTV Unplugged and know the power of stripped-down performances and direct storytelling. It’s really important for people to know you. Artists can sometimes be very one-dimensional in that you hear them on the radio or only see them on stage. One of the things I’ve learned through performing over these years is that people really like stories. They want to know the story behind the song. What inspires you? What makes you tick? Why should I buy into you?                

CTD: How can people support the artists in the series and how has it helped to evolve the culture of music and the arts in the Durham community?  

RP: The biggest way to support the artists and to evolve the culture of Durham’s creative community is to simply show up. Support artists making original music. Buy tickets. Buy tickets for a friend. Actually buy music, not just stream it. Buy merch. Like and share posts. That’s it. Those very simple things can add up and change the trajectory of someone’s career. 

The Wavemakers Series is the culmination of everything that makes Durham such a beacon for the arts: creativity, passion, inspiration, collaboration, and diversity. Programs such as these support emerging and underrepresented artists and help to introduce the community to new musical genres and perspectives. The series is currently fully underwritten by the Carolina Theatre and you can help us to sustain it into the second half of 2025 and beyond through your support. 

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