Robert Randolph, famed for his country-tinted gospel, was astounded when Beyoncé expressed her desire to work with him.
Dipping into country music, Beyoncé, renowned for her R&B tunes, sought the expertise of leading artists in the genre.
Beyoncé recently launched two country-flavored tracks, Texas Hold’em and 16 Carriages. The latter features renowned pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph, who divulged details about his collaboration with the superstar to Rolling Stone music magazine.
Randolph, with his band Robert Randolph and the Family Band, performs rock and country-inspired gospel. He has also shared stage with legends like Elton John, Ozzy Osbourne, and Santana.
In 2010, Rolling Stone magazine recognized Randolph as one of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.
Randolph was taken aback when an artist of Beyoncé’s stature approached him for a collaboration.
“You were handpicked for this, as you’re the only one who can pull this off,” drummer-bassist Raphael Saadiq told Randolph while working on the song 16 Carriages in Los Angeles.
“Beyoncé already had a notion of what she wanted. She was looking for the country spark. She appreciated how I could make my instrument mimic a vocalist,” Randolph revealed to Rolling Stone.
Beyoncé, Randolph, and a few other musicians congregated in the studio, and the music swiftly took shape.
“We were in sync. We experimented with different things and recorded a few takes. She was singing alongside us. We followed her lead in everything.”
The guitarist is enthusiastic about Beyoncé’s new genre exploration, given that country music is primarily driven by white artists, despite its roots in African American culture.
“It’s astonishing how the world fails to comprehend the history of country music, fiddle, dobro guitar, and banjo. Where did these influences originate? Who occupied the barns?” Randolph queried.
Beyoncé’s forthcoming album, tentatively titled Act II, is scheduled for a March 29 release. The album forms part of a trilogy announced by Beyoncé, the first part of which, Renaissance, was launched in 2022 and featured a house music influence.
Robert Randolph and the Family Band also performed at the Pori Jazz Festival in Finland in 2012.
