Loretta Lynn

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Not to be confused with Loretta Lynch.

Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn SXSW 2016 -8842 (33197871691).jpg
Lynn performing in Austin, Texas in 2016.
Background information
Birth nameLoretta Webb
Born (1932-04-14) April 14, 1932 (age 86)
Butcher Hollow, Kentucky, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer-songwriter
  • author
  • commercial spokesperson
  • actress
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active1960–present
Labels
Associated acts
Websitewww.lorettalynn.com

Loretta Lynn (née Webb; born April 14, 1932)[1] is an American country music singer-songwriter with multiple gold albums in a career spanning almost 60 years. She is famous for hits such as "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)", "Don't Come Home A' Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)", "One's on the Way", "Fist City", and "Coal Miner's Daughter" along with the 1980 biographical film of the same name.

Lynn has received numerous awards and other accolades for her groundbreaking role in country music, including awards from both the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music as a duet partner and an individual artist. She is the most awarded female country recording artist and the only female ACM Artist of the Decade (1970s). Lynn, has sold more than 45 million albums worldwide, scored 24 number one hit singles, and 11 number one albums. Lynn continues to tour, appear at the Grand Ole Opry and release new albums. She is recognized by the strength and quality of her voice still today, as well as her down to earth, quick wit and humor.

Early years[edit]

Lynn was born Loretta Webb on April 14, 1932 in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky. She is the eldest daughter and second child born to Clara Marie "Clary" (née Ramey; 1912–1981) and Melvin Theodore "Ted" Webb (1906–1959). Ted was a coal miner and subsistence farmer.[2] The other Webb children:

  • Melvin "Junior" Webb (December 4, 1929 – July 1, 1993)
  • Herman Webb (September 3, 1934 – July 28, 2018)
  • Willie "Jay" Lee Webb (February 12, 1937 – July 31, 1996)
  • Donald Ray Webb (April 2, 1941 – October 13, 2017)
  • Peggy Sue Wright (née Webb; born March 25, 1943)
  • Betty Ruth Hopkins (née Webb; born 1946)
  • Crystal Gayle (born Brenda Gail Webb; January 9, 1951)

Loretta's father died at age of 52 of black lung disease a few years after he relocated to Wabash, Indiana with his wife and younger children.

Path to stardom[edit]

On January 10, 1948, 15-year-old Loretta Webb married Oliver Vanetta "Doolittle" Lynn[3] (August 27, 1926 – August 22, 1996), and the two soon relocated to northern Washington in the Pacific Northwest. The happiness and heartache of her early years of marriage would help to inspire Lynn's songwriting.[4] In 1953, Doolittle bought her a $17 Harmony guitar.[5] She taught herself to play the instrument, and over the following three years, she worked to improve her guitar playing. With Doolittle's encouragement, she started her own band, Loretta and the Trailblazers, with her brother Jay Lee playing lead guitar. She often appeared at Bill's Tavern in Blaine, Washington, and the Delta Grange Hall in Custer, Washington, with the Pen Brothers' band and the Westerneers. She cut her first record, "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl", in February 1960.[6]

She became a part of the country music scene in Nashville in the 1960s. In 1967 she had the first of 16 number-one hits (out of 70 charted songs as a solo artist and a duet partner).[7] Her later hits include "Don't Come Home A' Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)", "You Ain't Woman Enough", "Fist City", and "Coal Miner's Daughter".[8]

Lynn focused on blue-collar women's issues with themes about philandering husbands and persistent mistresses; her music was inspired by issues that she faced in her marriage. She pushed boundaries in the conservative genre of country music by singing about birth control ("The Pill"), repeated childbirth ("One's on the Way"), double standards for men and women ("Rated 'X'"), and being widowed by the draft during the Vietnam War ("Dear Uncle Sam").[9]

Country music radio stations often refused to play her music, banning nine of her songs, but Lynn pushed on to become one of country music's legendary artists. She and contemporaries like Tammy Wynette provided a template for female country music artists to follow.

Her best-selling 1976 autobiography, Coal Miner's Daughter, was made into an Academy Award–winning film of the same title in 1980, starring Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones, with Spacek winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Lynn. Her album Van Lear Rose, released in 2004, was produced by the alternative rock musician Jack White; Lynn and White were nominated for five Grammys and won two.[10][11]

Lynn has received numerous awards in country and American music. She was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983, the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1988, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008, and she was honored in 2010 at the Country Music Awards. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2013.[12] Lynn has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry since joining on September 25, 1962; her debut appearance on the Grand Ole Opry was on October 15, 1960. Lynn has recorded 70 albums, including 54 studio albums, 15 compilation albums, and one tribute album,[13][unreliable source?] and over 48 million of her albums have been sold worldwide in her career.[14][citation needed]

Personal life[edit]

Birth, parents and siblings, and famous relatives[edit]

Lynn's childhood home in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky

Lynn was born in 1932 and raised in the mining community of Butcher Hollow, Van Lear, Kentucky. Loretta was the second of eight children. She was named after the film star Loretta Young.[15] Lynn's father died in 1959 of black lung disease, so he was not able to see her success in the music industry. Her first single, "I'm A Honky Tonk Girl", was released the following year.

Through her matriline, Lynn is a cousin to country singer Patty Loveless (née Ramey), and also to Venus Ramey, Miss America of 1944.

Early adulthood[edit]

Webb was 15 when she married 21-year-old Oliver Vanetta Lynn, Jr. (better known as "Doolittle", "Doo", or "Mooney") on January 10, 1948. They had met only a month earlier.[1] The Lynns left Kentucky and moved to the logging community of Custer, Washington, when Loretta was seven months pregnant with the first of their six children.[2]

Children and grandchildren[edit]

The Lynns had six children together:

  • Betty Sue Lynn (November 26, 1948 – July 29, 2013)[16][17]
  • Jack Benny Lynn, (December 7, 1949 – July 22, 1984)[17][18]
  • Clara Marie "Cissie" Lynn (born April 7, 1952)
  • Ernest Ray "Ernie" Lynn (born May 27, 1954)
  • Peggy Jean and Patsy Eileen Lynn (born August 6, 1964; twin daughters named for Lynn's sister Peggy Sue Wright and her close friend Patsy Cline)

Lynn's son, Jack Benny, died at age 34 on July 22, 1984, while trying to ford the Duck River at the family's ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. In 2013, Loretta's daughter, Betty Sue, died of emphysema near Loretta's ranch in Hurricane Mills; she was 64.[17] Two years after her twins Peggy and Patsy were born, Lynn became a grandmother at age 34. She has 27 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren as of August 2017. Before her marriage, she often sang at churches and in local concerts in Butcher Hollow. She also sang continually to her younger siblings. After she married, Lynn temporarily stopped singing in public and focused on family life. She passed her love of music on to her children, often singing to them the hymns her mother taught her such as "The Great Titanic" and "In The Pines".[8][clarification needed]

Marital problems[edit]

The Lynns were married for almost 50 years until Doolittle died at age 69 in 1996. In her 2002 autobiography Still Woman Enough and in an interview with CBS News the same year, she recounted how her husband cheated on her regularly and once left her while she was giving birth.[19] She and her husband fought frequently, but she said that "he never hit me one time that I didn't hit him back twice". Loretta has said that her marriage was "one of the hardest love stories".[20][page needed] In one of her autobiographies, she recalled:

I married Doo when I wasn't but a child, and he was my life from that day on. But as important as my youth and upbringing was, there's something else that made me stick to Doo. He thought I was something special, more special than anyone else in the world, and never let me forget it. That belief would be hard to shove out the door. Doo was my security, my safety net. And just remember, I'm explainin', not excusin'... Doo was a good man and a hard worker. But he was an alcoholic, and it affected our marriage all the way through.[21]

Homes[edit]

Lynn owns a ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. Billed as "the 7th Largest Attraction in Tennessee", it features a recording studio, museums, lodging, restaurants, western stores, and more. Traditionally, three holiday concerts have been held annually at the ranch: Memorial Day Weekend, Fourth of July Weekend, and Labor Day Weekend. As Lynn ages, some concerts do not take place.[22]

Since 1982, the ranch has hosted Loretta Lynn’s Amateur Championship motocross race. It's the largest amateur motocross race of its kind. In addition, the ranch hosts GNCC Racing events. The centerpiece of the ranch is its large plantation home which Lynn once resided in with her husband and children. She hasn't lived in the antebellum mansion in over 30 years, but her current home is nearby. Lynn regularly greets fans who are touring the plantation house. Also featured is a replica of the cabin in which Lynn grew up in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky.[22][23]

In the 1970s, Lynn purchased a home in Mexico. When she was not touring, she spent time there with her twin daughters, Patsy and Peggy, and her husband.

Lynn and her husband also bought a cabin in Canada and spent a lot of time there during the 1980s. They purchased the property in the early 1970s as a hunting lodge for Lynn's husband, Doolittle.

Health issues[edit]

In May 2017, Lynn had a stroke at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. She was taken to a Nashville hospital and subsequently had to cancel all of her upcoming tour dates. Lynn also delayed the release of her new album Wouldn't It Be Great until 2018 when she would be well enough to promote it. According to her website, she is expected to make a full recovery.[24] On January 1, 2018, Loretta fell and broke her hip.[25]

Music career[edit]

1960–1966: Early country success[edit]

Lynn began singing in local clubs in the late 1950s with the help, insistence, and support of her husband. She later formed her own band, the Trailblazers, which included her brother Jay Lee Webb. Lynn won a televised talent contest in Tacoma, Washington, hosted by Buck Owens, for which the prize was a wristwatch that broke 24 hours later. (Lynn later laughed about it with Owens.) Lynn's performance was seen by Canadian Norm Burley of Zero Records, who co-founded the record company after hearing Loretta sing.[26]

Zero Records president, Canadian Don Grashey, arranged a recording session in Hollywood, where four of Lynn's own compositions were recorded: "I'm A Honky Tonk Girl", "Whispering Sea", "Heartache Meet Mister Blues", and "New Rainbow". Her first release featured "Whispering Sea" and "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl". She signed her first contract on February 2, 1960, with Zero; the material was recorded at United Western Recorders in Hollywood, engineered by Don Blake and produced by Grashey.[27][28] Musicians backing on the songs were "the great" steel guitar player Speedy West,[29] Harold Hensely on fiddle, Roy Lanham on guitar, Al Williams on bass, and Muddy Berry on drums.[30] She commented on the different sound of her first record: "Well, there is a West Coast sound that is definitely not the same as the Nashville sound ... It was a shuffle with a West Coast beat".[29]

The Lynns then toured the country to promote the release to country stations,[26] while Grashey and Del Roy took the music to KFOX in Long Beach, California.[28] When the Lynns reached Nashville, the song was a hit, climbing to No. 14 on Billboard's C & W Chart, and Lynn began cutting demo records for the Wilburn Brothers Publishing Company. Through the Wilburns, she secured a contract with Decca Records.[26] From the onset of her career, fans took notice and rallied behind her all the way, with the first Loretta Lynn Fan Club formed in November 1960. By the end of the year, Billboard magazine listed Lynn as the No. 4 Most Promising Country Female Artist.[31]

Lynn's relationship with the Wilburn Brothers and her appearances on the Grand Ole Opry, beginning in 1960,[32] helped Lynn become the number one female recording artist in country music. Her contract with the Wilburn Brothers gave them the publishing rights to her material. She was still fighting to regain these rights 30 years after ending her business relationship with them but was ultimately denied the publishing rights. Lynn stopped writing music in the 1970s because of these contracts. Although Kitty Wells had become the first major female country vocalist during the 1950s, by the time Lynn recorded her first record, only three other women—Patsy Cline, Skeeter Davis, and Jean Shepard—had become top stars. Lynn joined The Grand Ole Opry on September 25, 1962.[2]

By the end of 1962 it was clear that she was on her way to becoming the fourth star. Lynn has credited Cline as her mentor and best friend during those early years. In 2010, when interviewed for Jimmy Mcdonough's biography of Tammy Wynette, Tammy Wynette: Tragic Country Queen, Loretta mentioned having best friends in Patsy and Tammy during different times: "Best friends are like husbands. You only need one at a time."[citation needed]

Lynn released her first Decca single, "Success," in 1962, and it went straight to #6, beginning a string of Top 10 singles that would run through the rest of the decade and throughout the next. She was a hard honky-tonk singer for the first half of the 1960s and rarely strayed from the genre.[7] During this time, Lynn soon began to regularly hit the Top 10 after 1964 with songs such as "Before I'm Over You", which peaked at No. 4, followed by "Wine, Women and Song," which peaked at No. 3. In late 1964, she recorded a duet album with Ernest Tubb. Their lead single, "Mr. and Mrs. Used to Be", peaked within the Top 15. Together, the pair recorded two more albums, "Singin' Again" (1967) and "If we Put Our Heads Together" (1969). In 1965, her solo career continued with three major hits, "Happy Birthday", "Blue Kentucky Girl" (later recorded and made a Top 10 hit in the 1970s by Emmylou Harris), and "The Home You're Tearing Down". Lynn's label issued two albums that year, "Songs from My Heart" and "Blue Kentucky Girl". While most were Top 10 Country hits, none reached #1.[33]

Lynn's first self-penned song to crack the Top Ten, 1966's "Dear Uncle Sam", was among the very first recordings to recount the human costs of the Vietnam War.[2] In the latter half of the decade, although she still worked within the confines of honky tonk, her sound became more personal, varied, and ambitious, particularly lyrically. Beginning with 1966's Number 1 hit in Cash Box, "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)", Lynn began writing songs with a feminist viewpoint, which was unheard of in country music. This song made Lynn the first country female recording artist to pen a No. 1 hit.[34]

1967–1980: Breakthrough success[edit]

In 1967 Lynn reached No. 1 with "Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)" [35], and became one of the first albums by a female country artist to reach sales of 500,000 copies.[36]

Lynn's next album, Fist City, was released in 1968. The title track became Lynn's second No. 1 hit, as a single earlier that year, and the other single from the album, "What Kind of a Girl (Do You Think I Am)", peaked within the Top 10. In 1968, her next studio album, Your Squaw Is on the Warpath, spawned two Top 5 Country hits: the title track and "You've Just Stepped In (From Stepping Out on Me)". In 1969, her next single, "Woman of the World (Leave My World Alone)", was Lynn's third chart-topper, followed by a subsequent Top 10, "To Make a Man (Feel Like a Man)". She was reportedly once inspired to write a song about a real woman she suspected was flirting with her husband. The song, "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)", was an instant hit and became one of Lynn's all-time most popular. Her career continued to be successful into the 1970s, especially following the success of her hit "Coal Miner's Daughter", which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Chart in 1970, and the album has sold over 5 million copies worldwide. "Coal Miner's Daughter" tells the story of Lynn's life growing up in rural Butcher Hollow, Kentucky. The song became her first single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 83. She had a series of singles that charted low on the Hot 100 between 1970 and 1975. The song "Coal Miner's Daughter" later served as the impetus for the best-selling autobiography (1976) and the Oscar-winning biopic, both of which share the song's title.[37]

In 1973 Rated "X" peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Chart and was considered one of Lynn's most controversial hits. The following year, her next single, "Love Is the Foundation", also became a No. 1 country hit from her album of the same name. The second and last single from that album, "Hey Loretta", became a Top 5 hit. Lynn continued to reach the Top 10 until the end of the decade, including 1975's "The Pill", considered to be the first song to discuss birth control, other than the 1967 French-language song in French, Pilule d'Or, sung by Luc Dominique. As a songwriter, Lynn felt no topic was off limits, as long as it spoke to other women, and many of her songs were autobiographical.[19] In 1976, she released her autobiography, Coal Miner's Daughter, with the help of writer George Vecsey. It became a #1 bestseller, making Lynn the first country music artist to make The New York Times Best Seller list. This opened a flood gate of country artists who followed with books. By the early 1980s Lynn became the first American female recording artist to chart over fifty top ten hits.

Professional partnership with Conway Twitty[edit]

In 1971 Lynn began a professional partnership with Conway Twitty. As a duo, Lynn and Twitty had five consecutive Number 1 hits between 1971 and 1975: their first release "After the Fire Is Gone" (1971), which won them a Grammy award; "Lead Me On" (1971); "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man" (1973); "As Soon as I Hang Up the Phone" (1974); and "Feelins'" (1974). The hit-streak kick-started what became one of the most successful duos of country history. For four consecutive years (1972–1975), Lynn and Twitty were named the "Vocal Duo of the Year" by the Country Music Association. The Academy of Country Music named them the "Best Vocal Duet" in 1971, 1974, 1975, and 1976. The American Music awards selected them as the "Favorite Country Duo" in 1975, 1976 and 1977. The fan-voted Music City News readers voted them the No. 1 duet every year between 1971 and 1981, inclusive. In addition to their five Number 1 singles, they had seven other Top 10 hits between 1976 and 1981.[7] Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty are the most successful and most awarded male/female duet teams in country music history. Conway and Loretta, their duo name, released an album in 1977 titled "Dynamic Duo", and they were considered that by their many fans.

Loretta Lynn touring in 1975

As a solo artist, Lynn continued to be very successful into 1971, achieving her fifth No. 1 solo hit, "One's on the Way", written by poet and songwriter Shel Silverstein. The songs that didn't reach the top spot peaked within the Top 10 during this time: "I Wanna Be Free", "You're Lookin' at Country", and 1972's "Here I Am Again", all released on separate albums. The next year, she became the first country star on the cover of Newsweek.[38] In 1972, Lynn was the first woman nominated and the first woman to win the prestigious Entertainer Of The Year award at The CMA awards. She won the Female Vocalist Of The Year and Duo Of The Year with Conway Twitty, beating out George Jones and Tammy Wynette and Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton.[39]

Tribute album for Patsy Cline[edit]

In 1977 Lynn recorded I Remember Patsy, an album dedicated to her friend and country pop singer Patsy Cline, who had died in a plane crash in 1963. The album covered some of Cline's biggest hits. The two singles Lynn released from the album, "She's Got You" and "Why Can't He Be You", became major hits. "She's Got You", which went to #1 by Cline in 1962, went to #1 again that year by Lynn. "Why Can't He Be You" peaked at #7 shortly afterward. Lynn enjoyed enormous success on country radio until the early 1980s, when a more pop-flavored type of country music began to dominate the market. She stayed within the country Top 10 until the mid 1980s; however, most of her music by the late 1970s had a slick pop sound to it. Lynn had her last No. 1 hit in 1978 with "Out of My Head and Back in My Bed".[33]

In 1979 she had two Top 5 hits, "I Can't Feel You Anymore" and "I've Got a Picture of Us on My Mind", from separate albums. Lynn would often sit for an hour or more onstage signing autographs to her fans after a performance. Once in Salisbury, Maryland, the town's newspaper editor interviewed her while she was signing autographs. Editor Mel Toadvine asked her why she took so much time to sign autographs while more than 100 people stood in line all the way to the front of the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center. "These people are my fans... I'll stay here until the very last one wants my autograph. Without these people, I am nobody. I love these people", she told Toadvine. In 1979, she became the spokesperson for Procter & Gamble's Crisco oil and did TV commercials and print ads for them for a decade, ending in 1989. Because of her dominant hold on the 1970s, Lynn was named the "Artist of the Decade" by the Academy of Country Music. She is the only woman to win this honor.[40][unreliable source?]

1980–1989: Continued success[edit]

On March 5, 1980, the film Coal Miner's Daughter debuted in Nashville and soon became the No. 1 box office hit in the United States. Lynn crossed over from country music superstar to American legend. The film starred Sissy Spacek as Loretta and Tommy Lee Jones as Mooney Lynn. The film received seven Academy Award nominations, winning the Best Actress Oscar for Spacek and a slew of other top honors, including a gold album for the soundtrack album, a Grammy nomination for Spacek's singing as Lynn, Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music awards, plus several Golden Globe awards. The 1980s featured more hits: ("Pregnant Again", "Naked in the Rain", and "Somebody Led Me Away").[38] Her 1980 and 1981 albums Loretta and Lookin' Good spawned these hits. Lynn was the first woman in country music to have 50 Top 10 hits. Her last Top 10 record as a soloist was "I Lie" in 1982, but her releases continued to chart until the end of the decade. Lynn continued to have Top 20 hits throughout the 1980s.[33]

One of her last solo releases was "Heart Don't Do This to Me" (1985), which reached No. 19—her last Top 20 hit. In 1993, Lynn stopped releasing singles and focused more on touring than promoting. As a concert artist, she remained a top draw throughout her career, but by the early 1990s she drastically cut down the number of personal appearances owing to the fragile health of her husband, who died in 1996. Her 1985 album Just a Woman spawned a Top 40 hit. In 1987, Lynn lent her voice to a song on k.d. lang's album Shadowland with country stars Kitty Wells and Brenda Lee, "Honky Tonk Angels Medley". They released a video for this medley; the album went gold and was Grammy nominated for the four women. Lynn's 1988 album Who Was That Stranger would be her last solo album for a major record company as a solo artist. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1988.[41]

1990–2004: Return to country: Honky Tonk Angels, Still Country and second autobiography[edit]

Lynn returned to the public eye in 1993 with a hit CD, the trio album Honky Tonk Angels, recorded with Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette. The CD peaked at #6 on the Billboard Country charts and #42 on the Billboard Pop charts and charted a single with "Silver Threads and Golden Needles". They released a popular video of this song. The album sold over 800,000 copies and was certified gold in the United States and Canada. The trio was nominated for Grammy and Country Music Association awards. Lynn's former singing partner, Conway Twitty, died in 1993. Tammy Wynette died five years later on April 6, 1998. She released a three-CD boxed set chronicling her career on MCA Records. In 1995 she taped a seven-week series on the Nashville Network (TNN), Loretta Lynn & Friends, and performed some 50 dates that year.[42]

In 1995 Loretta was presented with the Pioneer Award at the 30th Academy of Country Music Awards. She only did a few performances that year because of her husband's failing health. In 1996 she became widowed, Lynn's husband Oliver Vanetta "Doolittle" Lynn died five days short of his 70th birthday. In 2000 she released her first album in several years, Still Country, in which she included "I Can't Hear the Music", a tribute song to her late husband. She released her first new single in over 10 years from the album, "Country in My Genes", when the single charted on the Billboard Country singles chart it made Lynn the first woman in Country Music to chart singles in five decades. While the album gained positive critical notices, sales were low in comparison with her previous releases. In 2002 Lynn published her second autobiography, Still Woman Enough, and became her second New York Times Best Seller peaking in the top ten. In 2004 she published a cookbook, You're Cookin' It Country.[43]

2004–present: Late career resurgence[edit]

In 2004, Lynn made a comeback with the highly successful album Van Lear Rose, the second album on which Lynn either wrote or co-wrote every song. The album was produced by her "friend forever"[44] Jack White of The White Stripes, and featured guitar work and backup vocals by White. Her collaboration with White allowed Lynn to reach new audiences and generations, even garnering high praise in magazines that specialize in mainstream and alternative rock music, such as Spin and Blender.[45] Rolling Stone voted the album the second best of 2004. It won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album of the Year.[46]

Late in 2010, Sony Music released a new album, titled Coal Miner's Daughter: A Tribute to Loretta Lynn, featuring stars like Reba McEntire, Faith Hill, Paramore, and Carrie Underwood performing Loretta's classic hits over the past 50 years. The CD produced a Top 10 music video hit on GAC with the lead single, "Coal Miner's Daughter", that Lynn recorded with Miranda Lambert and Sheryl Crow. The single cracked the Billboard singles chart making Lynn the only female Country artist to chart in six decades. In May 2010 Lynn performed at the Nelsonville Music Festival in Nelsonville, Ohio.[47] In 2012 Lynn published her third autobiography, Honky Tonk Girl: My Life in Lyrics.[48] She contributed her take on the Civil War era song "Take Your Gun and Go, John" to Divided & United: Songs of the Civil War, which was released on November 5, 2013.

In November 2015, Lynn announced a March 2016 release: Full Circle, featuring Willie Nelson and Elvis Costello. The recording became Lynn's 40th album to make the top ten on Billboard's best selling Country LPS list and her album career peak on the pop Billboard Hot 200, debuting at #19.[49] The recording is combination of new songs and re-recorded old classics and includes duets with Elvis Costello and Willie Nelson.[50]

In September 2016, Lynn announced that she would be releasing her first Christmas album in 50 years. White Christmas Blue was released on October 7, 2016.[51] In December of the same year, Full Circle was nominated for "Country Album of the Year" for the 59th Annual Grammy Awards held on February 12, 2017.[52]

On April 13, 2017, Lynn announced she would release a new album entitled Wouldn't It Be Great, which will be the third album of her five-album deal with Legacy Recordings. It was set to be released Friday, August 18, 2017, but was delayed until sometime in 2018 due to current health issues, as well as canceling all 2017 scheduled tour dates.[53][54] The album was eventually released on September 28, 2018. Lynn was named Artist of a Lifetime by CMT in 2018.[55]

Honors and awards[edit]

Main article: List of awards received by Loretta Lynn

Lynn has written over 160 songs and released 60 albums, and has sold 45 million records worldwide.[citation needed] She has had ten Number 1 albums and sixteen Number 1 singles on the country charts. Lynn has won dozens of awards from many different institutions, including three Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, eight Broadcast Music Incorporated awards, thirteen Academy of Country Music, eight Country Music Association, and twenty-six fan-voted Music City News awards. Lynn remains the most awarded woman in country music.[56][57] She was the first woman in country music to receive a certified gold album for 1967's "Don't Come Home A' Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)".[58]

In 1972, Lynn was the first woman named "Entertainer of the Year" by the Country Music Association, and is one of six women to have received CMA's highest award. In 1980, she was the only woman to be named "Artist of the Decade" for the 1970s by the Academy of Country Music. Lynn was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1988[32] and the Country Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1999.[59] She was also the recipient of Kennedy Center Honors an award given by the President in 2003. Lynn is also ranked 65th on VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll[60] and was the first female country artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1977.[61] In 1994, she received the country music pioneer award by the Academy of Country Music.

In 2001, "Coal Miner's Daughter" was named among NPR's "100 Most Significant Songs of the 20th Century". In 2002, Lynn had the highest ranking (No. 3) for any living female CMT television's special of the 40 Greatest Women of Country Music.[62]

On November 4, 2004, Lynn, who has been a BMI affiliate for over 45 years, was honored as a BMI Icon at the BMI Country Awards.[63]

In March 2007, Loretta Lynn was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music during her performance at the Grand Ole Opry.[64]

In 2008, Loretta Lynn was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York City. To date Lynn had been inducted into more music Halls Of Fame than any other female recording artist. In 2010, Lynn received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for her 50 years in country music.[65]

Loretta Lynn appeared at the 44th Annual Country Music Awards on November 10, 2010 and was honored for fifty years in country music.[66] That same year, Lynn was presented with a rose named in her honor.[67]

In November 2010, Sony Music released a tribute CD to Loretta Lynn titled Coal Miner's Daughter: A Tribute to Loretta Lynn. The CD featured Kid Rock, Reba McEntire, Sheryl Crow, Miranda Lambert, Alan Jackson, Gretchen Wilson, The White Stripes, Martina McBride, Paramore, Steve Earle and Faith Hill. In 2011, Lynn was nominated for an Academy of Country Music, CMT Video and Country Music Association award for "Vocal Event of the Year" with Miranda Lambert and Sheryl Crow for "Coal Miner's Daughter" released as a video and single off the CD.[2]

On September 25, 2012, Loretta Lynn marked her 50th anniversary as a Grand Ole Opry member. The only other women to reach this milestone have been Jean Shepard, Minnie Pearl and Wilma Lee Cooper. Lynn was honored with a tribute show that was broadcast on GAC-TV.[citation needed]

On August 8, 2013, President Barack Obama announced that Loretta Lynn would be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The press release read as follows: "Loretta Lynn is a country music legend. Raised in rural Kentucky, she emerged as one of the first successful female country music vocalists in the early 1960s, courageously breaking barriers in an industry long dominated by men. Ms. Lynn's numerous accolades include the Kennedy Center Honors in 2003 and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010."[68] Lynn received two additional career-acknowledging awards in 2015. Miranda Lambert presented the Crystal Milestone Award to her from the Academy of Country Music.[69] She also received the 2015 Billboard Legacy Award for Women in Music.[70] In 2018, Lynn was named Artist of a Lifetime by CMT and was given the award at their CMT Artists of the Year ceremony.[55]

Politics[edit]

At the height of her popularity, some of Lynn's songs were banned from radio airplay, including Rated 'X'," about the double standards divorced women face; "Wings Upon Your Horns", about the loss of teenage virginity; and "The Pill", with lyrics by T. D. Bayless, about a wife and mother becoming liberated by the birth-control pill. Her song "Dear Uncle Sam", released in 1966, during the Vietnam War, describes a wife's anguish at the loss of a husband to war. It was included in live performances during the Iraq War.[26] In 1971 Lynn was the first solo female country artist to perform at the White House, at the invitation of President Richard Nixon. She returned there to perform during the administrations of Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush. Lynn stated early in 2016 that she supported Donald Trump in his run for the presidency.[71]

Though Lynn has been outspoken about her views on often controversial social and political subjects, she stated, "I don't like to talk about things where you're going to get one side or the other unhappy. My music has no politics."[72] She has visited the White House six times since 1976, under both Republican and Democratic presidents,[73] and in her autobiography, she said her father was a Republican and her mother a Democrat. When asked about same-sex marriage by USA Today in November 2010, she replied, "I'm still an old Bible girl. God said you need to be a woman and man, but everybody to their own."[74] She endorsed[75] and, along with Peggy Sue and Crystal Gayle, campaigned[76] for George H. W. Bush in the presidential election in 1988.[77]

In 2002's Still Woman Enough, she discusses her longtime friendship and support for Jimmy Carter,[78] yet during the same time period she made her only recorded political donations ($4,300) to Republican candidates and Republican-aligned PACs. In 2013, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama.[79] At other times, she has questioned both political parties: "Dear Uncle Sam" was written in 1966 during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration to "recount the human costs of the Vietnam War", and she made a return to her live sets during the Iraq War under George W. Bush's presidency.[citation needed]

While a recognized "advocate for ordinary women", Lynn has often criticized upper-middle-class feminism for ignoring the needs and concerns of working-class women.[2] She once stated, "I'm not a big fan of Women's Liberation, but maybe it will help women stand up for the respect they're due". Along these lines, her music has ranged from "The Pill" and "Rated X" to more culturally conservative gospel albums.[80] She allowed PETA to use her song "I Wanna Be Free" in a public service campaign to discourage the chaining of dogs outside.[81]

Discography[edit]

Main article: Loretta Lynn albums discography
See also: Loretta Lynn singles discography and Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty discography

Studio albums

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Loretta Lynn Married at 15, Not 13; 80-Years-Old Not 77". Usatoday30.usatoday.com. Associated Press. May 18, 2012. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "WELCOME 2017". LorettaLynn.com. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  3. ^ "AP: Country singer Loretta Lynn married at 15, not 13".
  4. ^ Profile, lubbockonline.com; accessed July 18, 2015.
  5. ^ Rhodes, Don (June 8, 2011). "Lynn's road to stardom started with $17 guitar". The Augusta Chronicle. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  6. ^ "Loretta Lynn – Biography". Billboard. December 3, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  7. ^ a b c "Country Music – Music News, New Songs, Videos, Music Shows and Playlists from CMT". Cmt.com. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  8. ^ a b Coal Miner's Daughter. p. 73.
  9. ^ Thanki, Juli. "20 Most Controversial Songs by Women". Engine 145. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 6, 2014.
  10. ^ "Grammy.com". The Recording Academy. Retrieved April 6, 2014.
  11. ^ "Loretta Lynn - Love Is The Foundation". Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  12. ^ Branigin, William (2013-11-20). "Presidential Medal of Freedom honors diverse group of Americans". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
  13. ^ "Discography". LorettaLynn.com. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  14. ^ "Loretta Lynn - Releases - MusicBrainz". musicbrainz.org. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
  15. ^ "About the Artist: Biography of Loretta Lynn" Archived December 8, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. Kennedy Center. Accessed February 4, 2007.
  16. ^ Notice of death of Betty Sue Lynn, musicrow.com, July 2013; accessed May 4, 2014.
  17. ^ a b c "Betty Sue Lynn Dead: Loretta Lynn's Oldest Daughter Dies In Tennessee". The Huffington Post. July 30, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  18. ^ "A Stricken Coal Miner's Daughter Mourns the Drowning of Her Favorite Son". People. 22 (7). August 13, 1984. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  19. ^ a b "Legends: Loretta Lynn Tells All". CBS News. December 27, 2002. Retrieved February 4, 2007. Her autobiography recounts how once, in a drunken rage, he smashed many jars full of vegetables she had painstakingly canned.
  20. ^ Lynn 2002.
  21. ^ Lynn 2002, p. xiii.
  22. ^ a b "Loretta Lynn official website". LorettaLynn.com. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  23. ^ Tuttle, Andrew (July 28, 2014). "A Bit of Loretta Lynn's Motocross History". MotoSports.com. Retrieved 2018-07-14.
  24. ^ Thanki, Juli (May 5, 2017). "Loretta Lynn hospitalized after stroke". USA Today. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  25. ^ "Loretta Lynn In 'Great Spirits' After Breaking Hip in Fall at Home". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  26. ^ a b c d "Van Lear Rose"; accessed February 4, 2007.
  27. ^ Koch Entertainment Loretta Lynn Biography Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  28. ^ a b "Honky Tonk Make Believe", Don Grashy - Co. Joseph Mauro, "MY RAMBLING HEART" (Washington. DC: 1995), p. 45.
  29. ^ a b Honky Tonk Girl: My Life in Lyrics (2012). pp. 10-11; ISBN 978-0-307-59489-1
  30. ^ PragueFrank's Country Music Discographies, countrydiscography.blogspot.com; May 2011
  31. ^ "Most Promising Female Artists of C&W Jockeys". Billboard. 31 October 1960. p. 26. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  32. ^ a b Loretta Lynn. Country Music Hall of Fame; accessed February 4, 2007.
  33. ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
  34. ^ Loretta Lynn Profile, Country Music Television website; accessed May 4, 2014.
  35. ^ Wolff, Kurt (2000). In Country Music: The Rough Guide. Orla Duane (ed.), London: Rough Guides Ltd. p. 311.
  36. ^ Loretta Lynn profile, MusicianGuide.com; retrieved April 28, 2008.
  37. ^ Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Country Music In America. Paul Kingsbury & Alanna Nash (eds.) London: Rough Guides Ltd., 2006, p. 251
  38. ^ a b Loretta Lynn biography, Countrypolitan.com; retrieved April 18, 2008. Archived February 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  39. ^ "CMA Awards: Archive: 1972". Country Music Association Awards. October 9, 2008. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  40. ^ "Loretta Lynn added to ACM's Girls' Night Out". LorettaLynn.com. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  41. ^ Loretta Lynn profile, rollingstone.com; accessed April 18, 2008. Archived December 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
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  43. ^ "You're Cookin' it Country". Barnes and Noble. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  44. ^ Jancee Dunn of Rolling Stone Magazine (2004). The CD sold 400,000 US copies and received two Grammy Awards including Country Album of the Year."Honky-tonk Woman" Rolling Stone; accessed June 29, 2006.
  45. ^ "Loretta Lynn Recovering From Surgery". CBS News, June 8, 2006; accessed February 4, 2007.
  46. ^ "Winners: 47th Annual Grammy Awards (2004)". Grammy Awards. Recording Academy. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  47. ^ "Past Shows" Stuart's Opera House: Nelsonville, Ohio. Stuart's Opera House: Nelsonville, Ohio, n.d. Web. October 8, 2012.
  48. ^ Lynn, Loretta (April 3, 2012). "Honky Tonk Girl: My Life in Lyrics". Nyjournalofbooks.com. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  49. ^ "Billboard 200 Chart Moves: Loretta Lynn Earns Her Highest Charting Album Ever With 'Full Circle'". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  50. ^ "Loretta Lynn on New Album Full Circle: 'We Don't Have Real Country Music Anymore'". Time. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  51. ^ Betts, Stephen L. (September 16, 2016). "Loretta Lynn Plans Holiday Album 'White Christmas Blue'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  52. ^ "Here Is the Complete List of Nominees for the 2017 Grammys". Billboard. December 6, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  53. ^ Tingle, Lauren (April 14, 2017). "Loretta Lynn's Wouldn't It Be Great Arrives Aug. 18". CMT News. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  54. ^ "Loretta Lynn: 'Willie Ain't Dead Yet and Neither Am I'". Rolling Stone.
  55. ^ a b [1][dead link]
  56. ^ "About Loretta Lynn: Still a Mountain Girl". American Masters. PBS. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  57. ^ Smith, Steve (December 11, 2015). "Steve Smith: Is Rush done after Peart's retirement; Ringo's memorabilia fetches record prices". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  58. ^ "Johanna's Vision". WordPress. Archived from the original on April 15, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
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  60. ^ 100 Greatest Women of Rock & Roll. VH1.com; accessed February 4, 2007.
  61. ^ "Hollywood Walk of Fame directory". Hollywood Chamber of Commerce; accessed February 4, 2007.
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  63. ^ "Shania Twain, Toby Keith, Casey Beathard Lead Winners at 2004 BMI Country Awards". bmi.com. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
  64. ^ "Honorary doctorate for Loretta Lynn". USA Today. February 14, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
  65. ^ "Lifetime Achievement Award". Recording Association online. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  66. ^ "Country Music Awards". TVGuide.com. November 4, 2010.
  67. ^ Lynn, Loretta. "New Rose Named for Loretta Lynn". Article. Sony Music Nashville. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  68. ^ "President Obama Names Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients". Office of the Press Secretary, The White House. August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  69. ^ "Academy of Country Music Special Awards". Academy of Country Music Special Awards. Academy of Country Music. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  70. ^ "Billboard Women in Music 2015: Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez, Missy Elliott & More Are Celebrated". Billboard Magazine. Billboard Music. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  71. ^ Flitter, Emily (January 9, 2016). "Country Musician Loretta Lynn to Trump: Call Me". Reuters. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  72. ^ "Loretta Lynn Quotes". BrainyQuote. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  73. ^ Wagner, Nichole (June 13, 2009). "Loretta Lynn profile". Uncommonmusic.org. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  74. ^ Nash, Alanna (November 4, 2010). "The Once and Future Queen of Country". USA Weekend. Retrieved January 4, 2016.[permanent dead link]
  75. ^ Seifert, Erica J. (2012). The Politics of Authenticity in Presidential Campaigns, 1976–2008. McFarland. pp. 108–109. ISBN 9780786491094.
  76. ^ Kilian, Pamela (2003). Barbara Bush: Matriarch of a Dynasty. Macmillan. p. 111. ISBN 9780312319700.
  77. ^ Weinraub, Bernard (September 29, 1988). "Campaign Trail; Country Singers Stand by Their Man". The New York Times. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  78. ^ Loretta Lynn, Still Woman Enough: A Memoir (New York: Hyperion, 2002)
  79. ^ Lynn awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, whitehouse.gov; accessed May 4, 2014.
  80. ^ "Loretta Lynn Quotes". BrainyQuote. April 14, 1935. p. 2. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  81. ^ "Loretta Helps Furry Friends". LorettaLynn.com. October 24, 2005.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Lynn, Loretta; et al. (2002) [1993], Still Woman Enough: A Memoir, Hyperion, ISBN 0-7868-6650-0.

Further reading[edit]

  • In The Country of Country: A Journey to the Roots of American Music, Nicholas Dawidoff, Vintage Books, 1998; ISBN 0-375-70082-X
  • Are You Ready for the Country: Elvis, Dylan, Parsons and the Roots of Country Rock, Peter Dogget, Penguin Books, 2001; ISBN 0-14-026108-7
  • Dreaming Out Loud: Garth Brooks, Wynonna Judd, Wade Hayes and the changing face of Nashville, Bruce Feiler, Avon Books, 1998; ISBN 0-380-97578-5

External links[edit]

Awards
Preceded by
Johnny Cash 		AMA Album of the Year (artist)
2004 		Succeeded by
Buddy Miller
Preceded by
Johnny Cash 		AMA Artist of the Year
2004 		Succeeded by
John Prine
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