When the Grammy-nominated husband-and-wife duo The War & Treaty — who have created their own sound by blending genres like country, soul, Americana and gospel — booked Celebrity Family Feud, they immediately thought of which blood relatives they would invite to the famed game show. But the couple thought: Let’s showcase a family of Black singers in the country and Americana genres.
So, they invited Rissi Palmer, who in 2007 became the first Black woman to reach Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart in 20 years; Valerie June, the acclaimed musician who weaves together sounds like blues, country, rock, soul, gospel and Appalachian folk; Dom Flemons, the Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist who played in the old-time string band The Carolina Chocolate Drops; and country-hip-hop hybrid Breland. The episode, where they’ll take on Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Earth, Wind & Fire, will air Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
“So many family members were either too busy or really didn’t want to do it, and I decided, ‘I think we need to use this time to speak to our country music genre and let them see a united front with Americana artists and country artists,’” Michael Trotter Jr. tells The Hollywood Reporter. “We reached out to a couple of our friends who we respect and admire, and they said yes. That’s how our country music family came together.”
He adds, “I wanted Earth, Wind & Fire to look at us and be proud to see that they’ve influenced artists of all genres, especially artists that look like them.”
Tanya Trotter says they selected Palmer because she “was the first person that actually inspired us to get into the Americana genre. … We had a show at some little coffee shop in North Carolina and Rissi came, [and] she encouraged us to do it.” She explains after meeting June at the Americana Music Honors & Awards and making a connection. “Not even two or three weeks later, her people reached out to us and Valerie June was the first person to take us out on tour with her,” she explains.
Michael Trotter Jr. says Breland “was the first person to actually ask us to write in Nashville” and they wanted to include Flemons “for the reasons of the Carolina Chocolate Drops,” the group that also featured Pulitzer Prize-winning singer-songwriter and scholar Rhiannon Giddens.
The Trotters admit that they are huge fans of Family Feud and Celebrity Family Feud, so booking the game show is sentimental. “Hearing about doing the show was very emotional for me because my mother was watching that show up until she passed away in the hospital. Prior to Michael and I marrying, we would watch it together. When Michael and I married, they would watch it together. It’s been a staple in our family to watch that show,” Tanya Trotter reveals.
“My mom and I, too, watch that show a lot,” Michael Trotter Jr. chimes in. “So when Ty and I were actually discussing who we would have on the show, I was actually appalled at my mother. I want to go on record saying this. I could not believe she turned me down. She did not want to go on the show.”
“I could not believe it. I was so upset. Oh, I was fuming. But she had her reason, and I understood later on,” he adds.
The War & Treaty — who recently opened for The Rolling Stones — released their major-label debut, Lover’s Game, to critical acclaim last year and made history at the 2023 CMA and ACM Awards, becoming the first Black performers to be nominated for duo of the year at both shows. Their decision to highlight Black musicians in the country and Americana genres comes in the same year Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter emerged as a cultural piece of art that sparked think pieces about Black artists reclaiming the genres they created. That album helped raise the profiles of several Black artists in country music like Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, Tanner Adell, Reyna Roberts, Willie Jones and Shaboozey, who has made history with his hit, “A Bar Song (Typsy).” The track is spending its sixth week on top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and second on top of the all-genre Hot 100 chart.
“I think that what Beyoncé has done is wonderful for them, and may they continue to open doors for others that look like them, other young artists that want to do what they do,” Tanya Trotter says. “I think when you’re in position, make sure you’re using your platform to keep expanding, and I’m hoping that that’s what happens with Brittney and with Shaboozey and with Tanner Adell. They will use their platform to keep growing and to keep eyes on other artists who are coming up behind them or next to them.”
