One of country and Americana music’s most fascinating artists, Queen Esther’s range stretches far and wide creatively. Bold and outspoken, sweet and generous in spirit, her music shines a light on violence against Black Americans, her passion for country music, and the myths that have haunted the South since long before the Civil War. She’s a vocalist, songwriter, lyricist, musician, solo performer, playwright, librettist, essayist, actor, TED speaker and producer. As a bandleader, her projects range from The Hot Five (1920s) to jazz and Americana collectives that shift easily from electric to acoustic. If her wide range of artistic endeavors seems strange to some, Queen Esther will tell you right away that she sees jazz, blues, country and rock ‘n roll as close kin of course — and all a part of who she is. That’s especially true of country and Americana music, which truth be known, Black Americans have been integral in from the beginning. “How can you leave Black artists out of country and Americana music, when we are everything that it’s made of?” Queen Esther asked. “The shock and awe of the irony is just dizzying to anyone that’s paying attention.” Her Blackness is the DNA of all American popular music.