DeFord Bailey’s Rise and the 1941 Copyright Conflict

Learn about the story of artist DeFord Bailey: his beginnings, early passion and talent for music, and his journey to the Grand Ole Opry — where he became the first African American artist to take the stage.

A 1941 “copyright war” between the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Media Incorporated (BMI) shook up the music industry and contributed to Bailey’s dismissal from the Opry.