CNN —
Black country music is in the spotlight thanks to the success of Beyoncé’s latest album, Cowboy Carter, and the rise of artists like Nigerian-American singer Shaboozie, and Dusty & the Stones are capitalizing on that energy.
Cousins Gazi “Dusty” Simelane and Linda “Stones” Msibi worked together on their grandparents’ farm in the southern hills before forming a country music band. Their story may sound like a typical country band origin story, but the duo isn’t from the American South, but Mooihoek in the small African country of Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland).
The troubles of rural America may seem far removed from South Africa, but when Dusty’s brother introduced him to the music of Donnie Williams and Dolly Parton, he found parallels to his own in their ballads about small-town life. Their grandfather was a preacher, who played harmonica for them at a young age and taught them the values of perseverance and hard work, key elements of raising a country star.
“I realized this was the genre of music that I belonged in,” Stones told CNN.
Dusty & the Stones’ songs tell stories of their community and personal experiences, and their 2022 debut album, Mooihoek Country Fever, touches on a variety of themes from family to faith.
“I have stories and experiences that I want to share with people, and I feel like I can share them better through country songs,” Dusty said.
They play guitar, write their own songs, create danceable music and cater to local musical tastes by singing in their native Swati as well as English, but despite their differences, they insist their music is firmly country.
After breaking out at local music festivals, Dusty & the Stones received international acclaim and in 2017 won the Texas Sounds International Country Music Award for Duo of the Year, becoming the first African act to win the honour.
Since their win, another Eswatini artist, Cleopatra Metula, won three awards at the same event. In recent years, many more artists have entered the Swazi country music scene, including Zweli Masuku, S’butjas Dlamini, Kazumwe and Alfred Gama.
Dusty & the Stones reached new heights in 2023 when they performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, the pinnacle of success for country musicians. Founded in 1925, the radio station and its attached music venue has hosted numerous country legends.
Though the duo has been together for years, their recognition has come at a time of transition in country music: With the release of Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter,” black country artists are demanding to be heard and recognized for their contributions to the genre.
Black artists have influenced country music since its inception in the early 20th century, when it grew out of a folk, blues, and gospel background. Artists like Charley Pride, who began his career in the 1960s, and Ray Charles, who had the hit country album “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music,” are just two of the Black musicians who influenced the genre.
Today, both African-American and African musicians play country music. The careers of artists such as Willie Jones, Breland, and Luvshvud in the United States, Esther Konkara and Sir Elvis in Kenya, and Ogaku Jay Oke in Nigeria attest to the presence of black artists in the genre.
The Stones point out that country music existed in Eswatini before Dusty and the Stones. They were inspired and mentored by the late president of the local Country Music Association, Zomboze Dlamini, who organised a country music festival in 2018 and still supports jamborees and country music shows.
Black country artists often say they face challenges in a predominantly white industry, despite their historical and current contributions: A documentary about Dusty & the Stones’ experience at the 2017 Texas Awards chronicled the hostility they received from members of their local backing band, and numerous Black country artists have come forward to share their own experiences with racism in the industry.
Dusty & the Stones hope to see more opportunities for country artists in Eswatini, but also want people to know that country music is already popular beyond U.S. borders, especially in Africa, and that it’s nothing new.
“Country music is not just an American genre anymore. It certainly started in America, but it’s now a global genre,” Dusty said.
