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Rhiannon Giddens is lending her artistic talents to a new book!
The Grammy winner, 48, has illustrated the children’s book Color Me Country: A Celebration of Black Women Who Shaped Country Music with editors Kelly McCartney and Rissi Palmer, and PEOPLE can exclusively reveal the cover.
The book, for ages 10 and up, will be published by Candlewick Studio, an imprint of Candlewick Press, next spring.
Color Me Country pays tribute to Black women in the music industry who have “defiantly loved a genre that didn’t always love them back,” per the synopsis. The book, named after Linda Martell’s seminal 1970 album, honors artists from across the decades, including Martell, Rosetta Tharpe, Tina Turner, Odetta and Valerie June.
The profiles were written by journalists affiliated with the Rainey Day Fund. The organization, which was co-founded by McCartney, aims to uplift marginalized voices in the music industry.
“Color Me Country challenges stereotypes to inspire young readers, especially Black or brown girls with a dream, to lift their voices high,” the synopsis continues.
“From start to finish, this book has been a labor of love,” McCartney and Palmer tell PEOPLE in an exclusive statement. “Thanks to Rhiannon’s vision and our shared mission, the world will get to meet some of country music’s unsung sheroes and foremothers.”
“We hope this project will also serve as an inspiration to the next generation of artists who see themselves reflected and represented in these images and stories,” the editors add.
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Giddens teased a “special upcoming project” on her Instagram on Nov. 17, writing, “I am in the middle of a project that I will be able to talk about later; but it has been all-encompassing and very important for me personally rather than my mission.”
“We all grow, heal and learn through the making of art — as a professional artist I sometimes get the perfect opportunity that marries a chance for emotional healing to artistic growth,” she continued.
Giddens is a former member of the music group Carolina Chocolate Drops. The band was formed in 2004 and won the Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album for their 2010 LP Genuine Negro Jig.
The musician has released several solo albums, including Tomorrow Is My Turn, Freedom Highway and her latest, 2025’s What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow. She also won a Pulitzer Prize for co-writing the opera Omar with Michael Abels.
Ebru Yildiz
Other books by Giddens include Build a House and We Could Fly.
McCartney is a former journalist who has written for NPR Music, Stereogum and more. She is also the host of Apple Music’s Record Bin Radio. In addition to her work with the Rainey Day Fund, she serves on the board of directors for the Color Me Country Foundation and the Hello in There Foundation.
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Palmer is a host and musician, best know for her 2007 hit “Country Girl” from her self-titled album. She currently hosts the Apple Music Country show Color Me Country Radio.
Earlier this year, Palmer received the ACM’s Lift Every Voice Award.
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Color Me Country: A Celebration of Black Women Who Shaped Country Music will hit shelves on May 5, 2026, and is now available for preorder, wherever books are sold.
