Beyoncé’s ‘The Linda Martell Show’ single is named for a trailblazer you need to know

Beyoncé’s eagerly awaited new album contains a song named for a woman who looks to have been an inspiration for the project.

Beyoncé’s eagerly awaited new album contains a song named for a woman who looks to have been an inspiration for the project. “Act II: Cowboy Carter” drops Friday. While the superstar singer has said “This ain’t a Country album. This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album,” the first two singles released, “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” are definitely giving that flavor. As is the tracklist released Wednesday. Among the 27 titles listed on the new album is “The Linda Martell Show.” Here’s more on the groundbreaking artist who may have served as a muse for Beyoncé. According to Beyoncé, her new album “was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t.” It’s a sentiment Martell can likely relate to. Born Thelma Bynem in South Carolina in 1941, the singer faced tremendous odds in the 1960s, when she attempted to find success in country music as a Black woman.