Loretta Lynn is one of the classic country singers. During the '60s and
'70s, she ruled the charts, racking up over 70 hits as a solo artist and a duet
partner.
Loretta Lynn helped forge the way for strong, independent women in country music.
As told by her song (and movie and book),
Loretta Lynn is a coal miner's daughter, born in Butcher Hollow, KY, in
1935. As a child, she sang in church and a variety of local concerts. In January
1949, she married Oliver "Mooney" Lynn. She was 13 years old at the time.
Following their marriage, the couple moved to Custer, WA, where they raised four
children.
After a decade of motherhood,
Loretta Lynn began performing her own songs in local clubs, backed by a band led by
her brother,
Jay Lee Webb. In 1960, she signed a contract with Zero Records, which
released her debut single, "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl." The honky tonk ballad became
a hit thanks to the insistent, independent promotion of
Loretta Lynn and her husband. The pair would drive from one radio station to the
next, getting the DJs to play her single, and sent out thousands of copies to
stations. All of the effort paid off -- the single reached number 14 on the
charts and attracted the attention of
the Wilburn Brothers.
The Wilburns hired
Loretta Lynn to tour with them in 1960 and advised her to relocate to Nashville. She
followed their advice and moved to the city in late 1960. After she arrived in
Nashville, she signed with Decca Records. At Decca, she would work with
Owen Bradley, who had produced
Patsy Cline.
Loretta Lynn released her first Decca single, "Success," in 1962 and it went
straight to number six, beginning a string of Top Ten singles that would run to
the end of the decade and throughout the next. She was a hard honky tonk singer
for the first half of the '60s, and rarely strayed from the genre. Although she
still worked within the confines of honky tonk in the latter half of the decade,
her sound became more personal, varied, and ambitious, particularly lyrically.
Beginning with 1966's number two hit "You Ain't Woman Enough,"
Loretta Lynn began writing songs that had a feminist viewpoint, which was unheard of
in country music. Her lyrical stance became more autobiographical and realistic
as time wore on, highlighted by such hits as "Don't Come Home a Drinkin' (With
Lovin' On Your Mind)" (1966), "Your Squaw Is On the Warpath" (1968), "Woman of
the World (Leave My World Alone)" (1969), and a tune about birth control called
"The Pill" (1974).
Between 1966 and 1970,
Loretta Lynn racked up 13 Top Ten hits, including four number one hits --
"Don't Come Home a Drinkin'," "Fist City" (1968), "Woman of the World," and the
autobiographical "Coal Miner's Daughter" (1970). In 1971, she began a
professional partnership with
Conway Twitty. As a duo,
Loretta Lynn and
Twitty had five consecutive number one hits between 1971 and 1975 -- "After
the Fire Is Gone" (1971), "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 would become one of the most successful duos of
country history. For four consecutive years (1972-1975),
Loretta Lynn and
Twitty were named the Vocal Duo of the Year by the Country Music
Association. In addition to their five number one singles, they had seven other
Top Ten hits between 1976 and 1981.
Loretta Lynn published her autobiography, Coal Miner's Daughter, in the
mid-'70s. In 1980, the book was adapted for the screen, with
Sissy Spacek as
Loretta Lynn. The film was one of the most critically acclaimed and successful films
of the year, and
Spacek would win the Academy Award for her performance. All of the attention
surrounding the movie made
Loretta Lynn a household name with the American mainstream. Although she
continued to be a popular concert attraction throughout the '80s, she wasn't
able to continue her domination of the country charts. "I Lie," her last Top Ten
single, arrived in early 1982, while her last Top 40 single, "Heart Don't Do
This to Me," was in 1985. In light of her declining record sales,
Loretta Lynn backed away from recording frequently during the late '80s and '90s,
concentrating on performing instead. In 1993, she recorded the Honky Tonk Angels
album with
Tammy Wynette and
Dolly Parton. Still Country was released in mid-2000. In 2004,
Loretta Lynn teamed up with White Stripes guitarist Jack White and released Van Lear
Rose which was met with both surprise and awe, the album quickly became popular.
~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Contact Grabow for more information or to book
Loretta Lynn for your next corporate or private event.
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