MICKEY GUYTON
Mickey Guyton
Born on June 17th, 1983, Mickey Guyton cultivated her love of singing while attending church in her hometown of Arlington, Texas. However, due to her father’s job as an engineer, Guyton and her family of six found themselves moving across the state quite often. As a young girl, she attended public school until the effects of racial discrimination forced her to attend private school. However, the switch did not stop Guyton from experiencing racism as her best friend's parents would often refer to her only by racial slurs. Guyton did not let these injustices change her as she continued to find peace in music. She idolized artists with “big voices” like Dolly Parton, Cece Winans, Whitney Houston, and Leann Rimes. After high school, she moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue country music professionally while attending Santa Monica College.
Despite Guyton’s efforts in Los Angeles, she was not able to sign a record deal until moving to Nashville in 2015. Her hard work and go-getter spirit ultimately got her signed with Capital Records. The following year, she was nominated for her first of many Academy of Country Music Awards and became the first African American female artist to perform at the Academy of Country Music Awards. She even shared the ACM stage with country stars like Carrie Underwood and Lauren Alaina. Guyton recently made history once again as the first black female solo artist to earn a Grammy nomination in any country category. She is still making waves in the music industry with the album, Remember Her Name, and will continue to be a force to be reckoned with.
Mickey Guyton's story is important to hear due to its strong ties with representation, inclusion, and diversity. With her recent Grammy nominations, she has paved the way for Black female country artists. Overall, she has shown her audience how crucial it is to stay true to yourself and to follow our dreams even if others don’t believe in you. With this, we can stay inspired to voice
ourselves through either the written or sung word confidently, just as Guyton does every day.
~Mia ‘23
