Writer and Director: T. J. Parsell
Lesbians and country music may sound like a paradox and that’s what T. J. Parsell thought before he was approached to make a film about the connection. He then discovered that many of country music’s greatest hits were written by lesbians, women who were denied careers as singers because of their sexuality. Invisible is about country music’s homophobia but it’s also a testament to friendship and perseverance.
There are so many stories to be told that, at first, Parsell’s film appears to lack structure as he introduces us to songwriters and musicians who were drawn to Nashville, country music’s capital. Kye Fleming was thrilled when she arrived in the city, writing hit songs such as Sleeping Single in a Double Bed that topped the country charts. Dianne Davidson toured with Linda Ronstadt and a promising solo career beckoned. Jess Leary also came with big dreams to be a famous performer. However, all soon realised that there was no place for gay women in Nashville.
For us in Britain, country rarely extends beyond Dolly Parton, John Denver and pop-country duo The Shires, but in The States the music genre is huge and often success depends on whether the songs are played on the radio, a perennial old boys’ club. When Chely Wright announced that she was a gay woman, a Nashville DJ rebuked her and said that she should take heed of the lyrics of one of her biggest hits Shut Up and Drive and ‘Shut Up and Sing’ instead, Director Parsell suggests that Nashville didn’t slam the door in Wright’s face, but instead it closed the door quietly.
It is only now, perhaps, when these women, without needing support from major record labels, can make the music they’ve always wanted. They now have the artistic freedom to perform as they choose. And even though some of these women are in their 50s or 60s, their ages haven’t stopped them from making music. Take, for example, Bonnie Baker who has recently recorded the song Dry County, a poignant elegy for her childhood.
Because there are so many stories – including one about Ruthie Foster, an African American singer and one about Cidny Bullens, a trans man, though plenty more are to be found on the cutting room floor – the music often takes a back seat. This makes it even more special when Cheryl Wheeler, the duo Kennedy Rose and art director Virginia get round a dinner table and sing. It’s a very special moment, full of love and it’s a bittersweet reminder of what could have been. But with many of these women still on the road, a sign of what’s to come.
Invisible: Gay Women in Southern Music is screening at BFI Flare 2022.
