Rissi Palmer and Miko Marks have been laying the foundation for country musicians and fans who are Black for almost 20 years. Back in the early 2000's both women experienced the trials and tribulations of being Black women in country. Despite their success and large growing fanbase, both were separately discouraged by the ceilings and roadblocks they encountered from the white-dominated industry. Even though they nearly quit music, they discovered a deep and meaningful ally and friend in each other. Now, both are back in the spotlight in a different era that has seen a rise of Black musicians and The Black Opry in Nashville. Recently, Rissi and Miko have been touring together and we got them both on to talk about their parallel experiences, friendship and what they've been up to recently. It was a sincere honor and a blast to speak with these inspiring women.

This month The Bluegrass Situation is highlighting The Black Opry as their artist of the month. Basic Folk, a part of The Bluegrass Situation Podcast Network, is proud to present this episode in collaboration with our BGS motherhost. 

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