Alice Randall
Alice Randall | |
---|---|
Born | Mari-Alice Randall May 4, 1959 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
Occupation |
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Language | English |
Education | Harvard University |
Genre | Historical fiction, political fiction |
Spouse | David Ewing (1997--2017) |
Children | Caroline Randall Williams |
Website | |
www |
Alice Randall (born May 4, 1959) is an American author, songwriter, producer, and lecturer. She is best known for her contributions to country music, in addition to her novel and New York Times bestseller The Wind Done Gone, which is a reinterpretation and parody of the 1936 novel Gone with the Wind.[1]
Early life
Mari-Alice Randall was born on May 4, 1959, in Detroit, Michigan, and was raised in Washington, D.C.[2] She attended Harvard University, where she earned an honors bachelor's degree in English and American literature and graduated cum laude.[3]
In 1983, she moved to
Career
Music
On her second night in Nashville in 1983, Alice Randall was discovered by Steve Earle at the Bluebird Cafe. Earle taught Randall how to be a country songwriter, beginning that evening.[9] After starting her career in country music under the mentorship of Steve Earle, Randall founded her own music production company titled Midsummer Music in Nashville.[10]
Randall is the first African-American woman to write a number-one country hit.[11] The single "XXX's and OOO's (An American Girl)" was released in 1994 by country music singer Trisha Yearwood. Over 20 of her songs have been recorded, including several top 10 and top 40 records; with many of her songs having been performed by Trisha Yearwood and Mark O'Connor.[2] Additionally, she contributed to Johnny Cash's "The Chicken in Black", which was on the US Hot Country Songs by Billboard for twelve weeks.[12][13]
In addition to her song writing, Randall also wrote the video of the year "Is There Life Out There" by Reba McEntire, which won at the 1992 Academy of Country Music Awards.[12]
Writing
Fiction
Randall is the author of six fiction novels:
- The Wind Done Gone (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001)
- Pushkin and the Queen of Spades (2004)
- Rebel Yell (2009)
- Ada's Rules: A Sexy Skinny Novel (2012)
- The Diary of B.B. Bright, Possible Princess (2013) winner of the Phillis Wheatley Award
- Black Bottom Saints (2020)
Her first novel The Wind Done Gone, is a reinterpretation and parody of
Randall and the publishing company of The Wind Done Gone,
Randall's second novel, Pushkin and the Queen of Spades, was named as one of The Washington Post's "Best Fiction of 2004."[16]
Non-fiction
Published by
In 2006, Alice Randall also wrote My Country Roots, alongside Carter and Courtney Little. She published this non-fiction piece in Nashville, by Naked Ink.[19]
In 2024, Alice Randall released *My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future through Atria/Black Privilege Publishing.[20] A companion album, *My Black Country - The Songs of Alice Randall - Various Artists - CD was released by Oh Boy Records.[21]
Production
Randall wrote and produced the pilot of the television movie XXX's and OOO's, a film about four ex-wives of country music singers, on CBS in 1994. The 1 hour and 50 minute film was directed by Allan Arkush and co-written by John Wilder.[12][22]
Education
Randall is now a professor at
Awards
Randall received the Al Neuharth Free Spirit Award in 2001
Randall was inducted into the Silver Circle in 2008, in honor of working in the country music industry for a quarter of a century. She was inducted alongside 10 other nominees, notably Reba McEntire, whose video of the year she wrote in 1992.[19]
Songs
- The Ballad of Sally Anne – Mark O'Connor, River City Ramblers
- Big Dream – Samantha Mathis
- Blinded By Stars – Adrienne Young
- Get the Hell Out of Dodge – Walter Hyatt
- Girls Ride Horses Too – Judy Rodman
- I'll Cry for Yours (Will You Cry for Mine) – Tamra Rosanes
- Many Mansions – Moe Bandy
- Reckless Night – The Forester Sisters
- Small Towns (Are Smaller for Girls) – Holly Dunn
- Solitary Hero – Carol Elliot
- The Resurrection – The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
- Went for a Ride – Radney Foster
- Who's Minding the Garden – Glen Campbell
- XXX's and OOO's (An American Girl) – Trisha Yearwood
See also
References
- ^ Green, Penelope (September 16, 2009). "At Home with Alice Randall: What Matters Most". New York Times. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
- ^ a b c Paula J. K. Morris, "Randall, Alice 1959–", Contemporary Black Biography, 2003. Encyclopedia.com.
- ^ a b c Biography on Alice Randall Official Website, accessed February 9, 2007.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ "A.N. Williams 3d and Miss Randall Exchange Vows". The New York Times. September 29, 1985.
- ^ Nelson, Sandra (August 31, 2023). "Taking Vows: Caroline Randall Williams Marries Timothy Scott Darrah". Nfocus. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Alice Randall". African American & Diaspora Studies. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ a b "Country Music | Ken Burns | PBS | Alice Randall Biography". Country Music | Ken Burns | PBS. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ Kenan, Randall (Winter 2018). "An Interview with Alice Randall". Southern Quarterly. 55 (2/3): 227–244.
- ^ "An African American History Month Special: A Look at 'The Wind Done Gone,' a Parody of 'Gone With the Wind' Told From a Slave's Perspective" Archived February 14, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Democracy Now, February 21, 2002, accessed February 9, 2007.
- ^ a b c "Alice Randall, Author". AALBC.com, the African American Literature Book Club. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ "Johnny Cash". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ Calvin Reid, "HM, Mitchell Estate Settle 'WDG' Suit", Publishers Weekly, May 10, 2002.
- ^ "'Wind Done Gone' fifth on Amazon, 11th on New York Times best-seller list". Nashville Post. July 18, 2001. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
- ^ "The best of 2004, brought to you by our eclectic band of reviewers". The Washington Post, December 5, 2004.
- ^ "Interweaving Family History With Healthy Soul Food". www.wbur.org. March 23, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ a b "NAACP Image Awards – Inside the Show". Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
- ^ a b "Alice Randall CV" (PDF). Retrieved July 10, 2019.
- ^ Currin, Grayson Haver (April 3, 2024). "Alice Randall Made Country History. Black Women Are Helping Tell Hers". The New York Times.
- ^ "In "My Black Country," Alice Randall hears her songs as she imagined". April 10, 2024.
- ^ XXX's & OOO's (TV Movie 1994) - IMDb, retrieved April 17, 2023
- ^ Al Neuharth Free Spirit Award Past Honorees Archived January 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Freedom Forum
- ^ Patterson, Jim. "Vanderbilt writer Alice Randall accepted for Yaddo residency". Vanderbilt University. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
External links
- Alice Randall official website