Bad Case of The Country Blues: The Linda Martell Story

Linda Martell is the first Black woman to perform at the Grand Old Opry, in Nashville, TN in 1969, at the height of the Civil Rights movement. To date, she is the most commercially successful Black female artist in country music history, with her country-western remake of the Winston's "Color Him Father" reaching as high as number 22 on country music Billboard charts. But unlike her male counterpart, Charlie Pride, and countless white female counterparts, Linda's success and legacy is often overlooked and rarely ever mentioned. Until now.

  • Marquia Thompson
    Director
  • Marquia Thompson
    Writer
  • Linda Martell
    Writer
  • Tikethia Thompson
    Writer
  • Marquia Thompson
    Producer
  • Kelley King
    Producer
  • Tikethia Thompson
    Producer
  • Andrea Williams
    Producer
  • Linda Martell
    Key Cast
  • Marquia Thompson
    Executive Producer
  • Linda Martell
    Executive Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Music, History, Black history, country music, r&b music
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 29 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    October 22, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    85,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Marquia Thompson

Marquia (Quia) Thompson is filmmaker/videographer from Columbia, South Carolina. Marquia made her debut as filmmaker and documentarian with Bad Case of The Country Blues: The Linda Martell Story, a documentary about the most commercially successful Black woman in country music to date, who also happens to be her grandmother.

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Director Statement

Bad Case of The County Blues: The Linda Martell Story, is a story of what it means to have the courage to pursue your dreams. It's a story of how that courage may not exactly result in the future you might have hoped for, but is, without a doubt, all you need to find the purpose that you and only you were meant to walk in.

I was inspired to do this film about my grandmother to foremost, ensure her comfort, as she is now in her eighties and allow her to take control of a narrative about her life and her time in Nashville, TN, that she's never had much say over. So, the approach we took in making this film was more that of a granddaughter sitting at her grandmother's feet, learning about her life. We coupled that with experts, historians, journalists, her family and friends, to help share the story of one of country music's most important, yet under celebrated stars.