First Family of Black Country

The Story Behind the Mural

Left to Right: Alice Randall, Carlos DeFord Bailey, Elisheba Israel Mrozik and Terry Vo (Harrison McClary/Vanderbilt University)

In celebration of Juneteenth, a mural honoring Black country music artists was unveiled on June 19, 2024, at the building that formerly housed Vanderbilt Printing Services. Local artist Elisheba Israel Mrozik created the mural, drawing inspiration from stories and history featured in Vanderbilt professor and award-winning songwriter Alice Randall’s book, My Black Country. Titled First Family of Black Country, the mural is the result of a collaboration between Vanderbilt, Randall and Mrozik. It honors the legacies of DeFord Bailey, Lil Hardin, Ray Charles, Herb Jeffries and Charley Pride—pioneering figures in the evolution of country music. The mural is located in the historic Edgehill neighborhood, where Bailey was a long-time resident.

The mural celebrates the trailblazing legacies of five pioneering Black country music artists whose contributions have left an indelible mark on the genre. First Family of Black Country, honors the lives and legacies of (left to right) Lil Hardin, Charley Pride, Herb Jefferies, DeFord Bailey, and, Ray Charles. These figures challenged racial boundaries and ushered in new sounds and perspectives that shaped the evolution of country music.

Black Country Artists Depicted

Lil Hardin

Lil Hardin was an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader during the 1920s. She often collaborated on several influential recordings with her then-husband, jazz legend Louis Armstrong. Randall credits Hardin as the “mama of Black country.” Smart and forward-thinking, Hardin played a significant role in musical innovations from her complex harmonies and improvisational tactics on the piano to her arrangement of early jazz standards. She not only created the basis for Black country but also helped advance the development of the jazz genre, a space typically dominated by men, and thrived in the music business industry, promoting both her career and launching the trajectory of Louis Armstrong blue.

Charley Pride

Charley Pride was an American singer, guitarist, and professional baseball player who is considered one of the most successful country music performers of all time. He was the first Black performer to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry and had numerous hit songs throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

Herb Jefferies

Herb Jefferies, also known as the "Bronze Buckaroo," was an American actor, singer, and cowboy who was active in the 1930s and 1940s. He was one of the first African-American leading men in Western films, challenging the racial stereotypes of the time. Jefferies was born in 1910 in Detroit, Michigan. Jefferies starred in five feature films and helped create and personify the nostalgia motif of country music encouraging his audiences to value the nostalgia and embrace eccentricity. As Alice Randall describes, Jefferies was the "granddaddy of Black Country eccentric." By refusing to be regulated to segmented spaces, roles, and costumes, he generated unexpected sights and sounds of Black liberation. Jefferies was echoing the Black cowboys of the past and paving the way for future Black cowboys, artists, and eccentrics.

DeFord Bailey

DeFord Bailey known as the “harmonica wizard” was an American harmonica player who is considered one of the earliest stars of the Grand Ole Opry. He was the first African American performer to appear on the Opry and helped popularize the harmonica as a lead instrument in country and blues music. Alice Randall considers Deford Bailey to not only be the “Father of Black Country” but also the “Father of Country” and “Country’s first superstar” Bailey recorded several hits in the 1920s and 1930s including “Pan American Blues” and “Muscle Shoals Blues” and was known for his innovative playing style. In 2023, The City of Nashville renamed Horton Avenue in the Edgehill Community to Deford Bailey Avenue.

Ray Charles

Ray Charles affectionately known as “Brother Ray” by his peer musicians was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist who is considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Alice Randall refers to Ray Charles as the “Mayor of Black Country”. Starting in the 1950s through 1980s he helped shape the genres of R&B, soul, and country music, with hit songs like "Georgia on My Mind," "I Got a Woman," and "Hit the Road Jack." In 1985, he reached the top of the Country Charts with the song “Seven Spanish Angels” Charles was known for his innovative style that blended gospel, blues, and jazz, and he was a pioneer in the integration of black and white musical styles.

Collaborators Behind the Mural

Elisheba Israel Mrozik

About the Artist: Elisheba Israel Mrozik is a Fine Artist and International Award-Winning Tattooist who graduated from Memphis College of Art 2006 with a BFA in Computer Arts. After moving to Nashville in 2007, she worked as a freelance artist before opening One Drop Ink Tattoo Parlour and Gallery in 2011, which has since relocated and serves as her fine art and tattoo studio; One Drop Ink Tattoo Parlour and Gallery in 2011, which has since relocated and serves as her fine art and tattoo studio; One Drop Ink is an active member of the Nashville community, and Elisheba is an Award Winning Tattoo Artist who was featured on the TV show Inkmaster, specializing in realism, watercolor and illustrative realism while working to provide art spaces for disenfranchised people and pursuing her goals of traveling the world and creating art with her family as a loving mother and devoted wife.

Alice Randall

About the Author: Alice Randall is a New York Times best-selling novelist, award-winning songwriter, educator, food activist, and memoirist. A graduate of Harvard University, she holds an honorary doctorate from Fisk University, is on the faculty at Vanderbilt University, and credits Detroit’s Ziggy Johnson School of the Theater with being the most influential educational institution in her life. She is widely recognized as being one of the most significant voices in 21st century African-American fiction, the only Black woman in history to write both a number one Country song (XXX’s and OOO’s) and an ACM video of the year (Is There Life Out There? starring Reba McEntire).

About Vanderbilt Community Relations: The Vanderbilt Community Relations team serves as a facilitator, connector and convener for local external partners and Vanderbilt University students, staff, faculty and resources. Community Relations supports nonprofit organizations financially and in partnership through the Community Impact Fund, convenes campus partners through the Vanderbilt University Community Engagement Collaborative and facilitates collaborative programming with nonprofit and neighborhood partners.

To learn more about the mural, read the Juneteenth mural unveiling article.

First Family of Black Country Mural