Rissi Palmer is Bringing "Color" to Country Music

"Show the world you're a country girl..." Those are just a few of the mighty lyrics from rising country singer Rissi Palmer's hit song "Country Girl." So the title sounds like any other country western song, so why is Rissi making headlines? Because Rissi Palmer is not your typical or stereotypical country singer!

This beautiful, young female sensation has shown America what a strong voice and love for country music and her roots she has - even though she is black.

In the beginning of her career, Rissi was offered a pop label where she would possibly be more accepted and popular, but she just could not go against her desire to sing country.

You see, Rissi's mother listened to a lot music and her Patsy Cline records were among Rissi's favorites. Music touched Rissi and she began singing in the choir. When her family moved to St Louis she was still young and was exposed to even more types of music. She started entering talent contests and showing off her talents. It's true Rissi liked Prince and Michael Jackson, but whose music and songs did she choose to sing at the auditions and contests? Leann Rimes and Shania Twain!

Rissi Palmer is not just a talented singer. She also writes music and plays the guitar. At age 20 she joined Song Planet in Nashville where she wrote lyrics with many of the best country writers there are. In Nashville, Rissi also sang in country bars. There are not a lot of black people in honky-tonk bars, so you can imagine the shock spectators felt when Rissi came on stage and performed. Nonetheless, they liked her.

Another big accomplishment in Rissi's budding career was her appearance on Star Search where she made it to the finals. One of the judges happened to be Naomi Judd. Naomi was supportive and loved Rissi. Seeing a lot of talent before them, Judd and her manager gave Rissi's name to the creators of "Waiting in the Wings," a CMT documentary on African-Americans in country music. After that project, Rissi appeared on CMT's "Most Wanted Live".

Her name and music in the country industry had by then grown and expanded. She was offered a country record label and took it.

Rissi Palmer's self-titled album comes out October 23. Her song "Country Girl" tells listeners that being "country" has nothing to do with where you are on a map - it's a state of mind, who you are, and what you appreciate. This song is already on the Billboard Hot Country chart and country music lovers are still calling requests in to their radio stations to play it. For a sample of Rissi's music and sound, you can check out clips at her myspace page.

Not a lot of black country artists have come through the industry, but Rissi is hoping fans will keep her around for a long time.

"It was the hardest decision I have ever made," she is quoted as saying on her website, "but I decided to pass on the deal because I knew I wanted to do country music."