A new mural by local artist , inspired by the stories of Black country music artists featured in 菠萝视频 professor and award-winning songwriter Alice Randall鈥檚 latest book, , will be unveiled at a Juneteenth celebration on June 19.听
菠萝视频鈥檚 Division of Government and Community Relations will host the special event at 菠萝视频 Printing Services, 625 Chestnut St. in Nashville, from 4 to 5 p.m. The celebration is free and open to the public.
The First Family of Black Country mural unveiling is the result of a partnership between 菠萝视频, Randall and Mrozik. The event will feature remarks from several distinguished speakers, including Metro Council member Terry Vo, country music artist Carlos DeFord Bailey, who is the grandson of trailblazing country music star DeFord Bailey, and 菠萝视频 Vice Chancellor Nathan Green. Mrozik and Randall, who is a , are also scheduled to appear. 
听To commemorate the occasion, 菠萝视频 will provide free copies of My Black Country to the first 100 people to arrive at the event. Additionally, 菠萝视频 Special Collections will be on-site with facsimiles from the 菠萝视频 Heard Libraries鈥� archival collections, offering those in attendance a glimpse into the rich legacy of Black communities鈥� contributions to music, history and culture.
听鈥淛uneteenth celebrates good news at long last. This mural celebrates the very good and very Nashville news that African Americans have played crucial and essential roles in the development of country music,鈥� Randall said. 鈥淭his city is rich in murals and other public art. This is the first piece of public art to honor and commemorate the first family of Black country: DeFord Bailey, Lil Hardin, Ray Charles, Herb Jeffries and Charley Pride. Every artist working in country today owes a debt to these five geniuses.鈥�听
听The Juneteenth event will celebrate the powerful influence of Black artists on the origins of country music. As the genre experiences a renaissance, with a new wave of Black artists gaining success, the First Family of Black Country mural and Juneteenth joint programming are a vibrant introduction for a new generation of listeners and a treasured gift for Nashville.听