Delta Hill Riders

Historians agree that just after the Civil War, one in four cowboys were African American. Yet this population was drastically underrepresented in popular accounts, and it is still. The “cowboy” identity retains a strong presence in many contemporary black communities.

This ongoing documentary project in the Mississippi Delta, “Delta Hill Riders,” sheds light on an overlooked African American subculture — one that resists historical and current stereotypes.

The story is timely with the current political environment, and one that provides a renewed focus on rural America. With the hit release of “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X, the topic of black cowboy diversity has become a mainstream topic of discussion.

The project aims to press against my own old archetypes — who could and could not be a cowboy, and what it means to be black in Mississippi — while uplifting the voices of my subjects.

© Rory Doyle - James McGee poses for a portrait atop his horse in Bolivar County, Mississippi on Nov. 4, 2017.
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James McGee poses for a portrait atop his horse in Bolivar County, Mississippi on Nov. 4, 2017.

© Rory Doyle - Image from the Delta Hill Riders photography project
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Peggy Smith grooms her horse, Big Jake, while others relax in the afternoon light in Bolivar County, Mississippi on Oct. 1, 2018.

© Rory Doyle - Image from the Delta Hill Riders photography project
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Tyrese Evans (left to right), Jeremy Melvin, and Gee McGee dance atop their horses in the McDonald’s parking lot in Cleveland, Mississippi on Aug. 9, 2017.

© Rory Doyle - Earlean Lawrence, 79, poses for a portrait in her living room in Cleveland, Mississippi on Dec. 28, 2019.
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Earlean Lawrence, 79, poses for a portrait in her living room in Cleveland, Mississippi on Dec. 28, 2019.

© Rory Doyle - Newborn Jestin Brown is held by his father, Jessie Brown, at their home in Cleveland, Mississippi on July 2, 2018.
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Newborn Jestin Brown is held by his father, Jessie Brown, at their home in Cleveland, Mississippi on July 2, 2018.

© Rory Doyle - Image from the Delta Hill Riders photography project
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Riders make their way through farmland in rural Tallahatchie County, Mississippi, while Joe Wrenn drives his truck during a trail ride on Sept. 28, 2019.

© Rory Doyle - Afternoon lights casts on a horse trailer in Bolivar County, Mississippi on Aug 20, 2017.
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Afternoon lights casts on a horse trailer in Bolivar County, Mississippi on Aug 20, 2017.

© Rory Doyle - Peggy Smith poses for a portrait on her horse at a trail ride in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi on Aug. 20, 2017.
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Peggy Smith poses for a portrait on her horse at a trail ride in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi on Aug. 20, 2017.

© Rory Doyle - Bree Gary pets her friend’s horse during a muddy trail ride in Charleston, Mississippi on April 27, 2019.
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Bree Gary pets her friend’s horse during a muddy trail ride in Charleston, Mississippi on April 27, 2019.

© Rory Doyle - Velma Hayes laughs with her granddaughter at her home in Cleveland, Mississippi on July 2, 2018.
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Velma Hayes laughs with her granddaughter at her home in Cleveland, Mississippi on July 2, 2018.

© Rory Doyle - Image from the Delta Hill Riders photography project
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Jessie Brown (left to right), Tyrese Evans, Gee McGee and Jeremy Melvin ride their horses at dusk in Bolivar County, Mississippi on Aug. 9, 2017.

© Rory Doyle - D’Kamiyon Johnson, left, and Carlos Smith share a horse outside a rodeo in Greenville, Mississippi Oct. 27, 2018.
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D’Kamiyon Johnson, left, and Carlos Smith share a horse outside a rodeo in Greenville, Mississippi Oct. 27, 2018.

© Rory Doyle - Frank Simpson’s cowboy hat rests atop a lamp in his living room in Shelby, Mississippi on Feb. 24, 2018.
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Frank Simpson’s cowboy hat rests atop a lamp in his living room in Shelby, Mississippi on Feb. 24, 2018.

© Rory Doyle - Archie Beckwith sings at Cowboy Service in Indianola, Mississippi Sept. 24, 2017.
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Archie Beckwith sings at Cowboy Service in Indianola, Mississippi Sept. 24, 2017.

© Rory Doyle - Image from the Delta Hill Riders photography project
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Girdine Smith, left, gets her hair prepared for a family photo by her daughter Carolyn Johnson at Smith’s home in Charleston, Mississippi on Dec. 12, 2018.

© Rory Doyle - Image from the Delta Hill Riders photography project
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avaris Beamon (left), poses for a portrait with his grandfather, Rogers Beamon, at the annual Christmas parade in Cleveland, Mississippi on Dec. 2, 2017.

© Rory Doyle - Image from the Delta Hill Riders photography project
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Joe “Dancing Cowboy” Wrenn poses for a portrait inside his friend’s antique car following a night of partying and dancing in Cleveland, Mississippi on Sept. 3, 2018.

© Rory Doyle - Image from the Delta Hill Riders photography project
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An elder cowboy named Aubrey Smith looks out to the dance floor at Club All New Sugar Shack in Choctaw, Mississippi on Aug. 19, 2017.

© Rory Doyle - A group of cowboys take to the dance floor at Club Black Castle in Ruleville, Mississippi on Sept. 3, 2018.
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A group of cowboys take to the dance floor at Club Black Castle in Ruleville, Mississippi on Sept. 3, 2018.

© Rory Doyle - Gee McGee rears his horse after a rare snowfall in Bolivar County, Mississippi on Jan. 16, 2018.
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Gee McGee rears his horse after a rare snowfall in Bolivar County, Mississippi on Jan. 16, 2018.

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