The Trans Roots of Queer Country Music

In this month’s episode of Rainbow Rodeo, trad country singer Julian Talamantez Brolaski discuss their time in Brooklyn in the 2010s: growing as an artist and a transmasc person. Brolaski was part of the circle of artists who helped create the Gay Ole Opry, Karen and the Sorrows’ regular series of queer country artists. One person, Bryn Kelly, was the linchpin of the circle.

Kelly was a scholar of traditional country music and was larger than life. In the podcast, Brolaski recalls one of her performances at Mongrel Vaudeville, a variety show Brolaski ran.

“Bryn did an an aria from Madame Butterfly. It was like amazing ’cause it was so like high art, but it was like, you know, in the old Freddy’s, which was where the Atlantic Art Yards is now. She was doing this operatic aria, but she had this trans guy who was wearing a monkey suit and had a banana.”

Julian sent me some old videos of their band with Bryn, the Invert Singers (her name), and shared some recollections. I’ve included them below.

These are circa 2010 from a show I used to curate, Mongrel Vaudeville (where Bryn also did an aria from Madame Butterfly).  Bryn’s rendition of Hank Williams song ‘You’ll Have a New Body’ takes on a new trans significance. 

Here is us doing ‘The One I Love is Gone,’ inspired by the great duo Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard. 

This is Bryn singing ‘I Wish I had Never Seen Sunshine,’ the followup song to ‘You Are My Sunshine.’  I taught her that song–she didn’t want to hear the original version, didn’t want it to influence her interpretation of it.  I got gaybashed after this show, in the foyer of the Kellogg’s Diner…. 

And here are a few from the ‘Hypergender Burlesque Scorpionic Fest’ show in 2010.  These have Chris Parker on bass.  This is Bryn doing the Loretta Lynn song ‘I’m a Honky Tonk Girl’. 

And this is an old time gospel mashup Bryn arranged of ‘Fill Me Now,’ and ‘Mashed in the Blood of the Lamb’ w/ more coy punning, I think her medley was brilliant, deeply serious yet also camp….

Finally, here is me with Juan & the Pines circa 2011 at Branded.  Chris is on bass.  And you’ll see Elana (who played pedal steel with me in the Low & the Lonesome) and Mo (from the queer country duo Militia Etheridge) two-stepping.  We learned how to do it at the Big Apple Ranch, which I think is still going on (and relatedly, seems like Stud Country is really taking off !).