The legendary country music star Dolly Parton is speaking out to praise singer Beyoncé after her song “Texas Hold ‘Em” hit number one on the Billboard Hot Country charts.
Parton Praises Beyoncé
“I’m a big fan of Beyoncé and very excited that she’s done a country album,” Parton, 78, said in a statement posted to her Instagram last Friday. “So congratulations on your Billboard Hot Country number one single. Can’t wait to hear the full album!”
This came days after Beyoncé, 42, made history as the first black woman to score a No. 1 hit in the history of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, according to The New York Post. Written as a nod to Beyoncé’s Texas roots, as she was born and raised in Houston, “Texas Hold ‘Em” also hit number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart today.
Beyoncé released both “Texas Hold ’Em” and another country song “16 Carriages” earlier this month, and her full country album known as “Renaissance II” is set to drop on March 29.
Related: Dolly Parton, 78, Reveals The ‘One Thing’ That Could Make Her Quit Country Music – ‘If My Husband…’
John Schneider Slams Beyoncé
Though Beyoncé has enjoyed much critical success, as she is the most-nominated female artist in Grammy historywith 88 career nominations and 32 wins, not everyone is happy to see her enter the world of country music for the first time. The former “Dukes Of Hazzard” star John Schneider went so far as to compare Beyoncé to a urinating dog in response to her new country album.
“The lefties in the entertainment industry just won’t leave any area alone, right?” Schneider was asked in a recent interview, according to Daily Mail. “They just have to seize control over every aspect, don’t they?”
“They’ve got to make their mark, just like a dog in a dog walk park. You know, every dog has to mark every tree, right? So that’s what’s going on here,” Schneider replied.
In response, Grio published an op-ed that made this all about race by titling it, “Beyoncé is making a country album. White people like John Schneider need to get over it.”
“Let’s understand that ‘lefties’ in this case isn’t a political statement; it’s a euphemism for a word I can’t type here, but it starts with an ‘N’ and ends with a hard ‘ER,’” the op-ed read.
Related: ‘Dukes Of Hazzard’ Star John Schneider Celebrates First Birthday Since Losing His Wife
Oklahoma Radio Station Controversy
The Oklahoma radio station KYKC also came under fire when a fan claimed that it had refused to play “Texas Hold ‘Em” when the song was requested.
“I requested Texas Hold ‘Em at my local country radio station (KYKC) and after requesting, i received an email from the radio station stating ‘We do not play Beyoncé on KYKC as we are a country music station,'” the fan wrote in a social media post that quickly went viral.
Beyoncé’s fans immediately descended on the radio station to express their fury, with many accusing KYKC of “racism.” The radio station soon responded by explaining what had actually happened, indicating that there was simply a misunderstanding.
“We initially refused to play it in the same manner if someone requested us to play the Rolling Stones on our country station,” general manager Roger Harris told TODAY. “Fact is we play Beyonce’ on TWO of our other stations and love her…she is an icon.”
“We just didn’t know about the song….then when we found out about it, we tried to get the song….which we did and we have already played it 3 times on YKC, our country station,” he explained. “We also play her on 105.5, KXFC-FM and KADA-FM 0n 99.3.”
With emotions running high about Beyoncé’s new country songs and upcoming country album, perhaps Parton just wanted to keep the peace by issuing her statement of support. Nobody brings us together like Parton, so maybe her statement will convince some naysayers to give Beyoncé’s country songs a listen!
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