I felt compelled to create a blog of my most favorite of all time Idols...Mrs.Loretta Lynn.
I have had the honor of meeting her in person,and been to several of her shows.I have a great deal of admiration for her and have followed her growing up,her beautiful music playing all throughout our house with her powerful voice.I am proud to say i own every one of her songs and several albums.If you ever get the chance to see her perform...you won't regret it.
Loretta Lynn was born in Butcher Holler, KY,
on April 14, 1935. The second of eight children
born to Ted and Clara Webb, Loretta was
welcomed with open arms by the young couple.
With her parents blessing and encouragement,
young Loretta soon found her voice and a place
where it would be appreciated. During the first
twelve years of her life, she sang in churches
and at a variety of local concerts.
At thirteen she attended a pie social, bringing a pie she had baked using salt instead of sugar. The highest bidder not only won the pie but also got to meet the girl who had baked the pie.
At age thirteen, Loretta married Oliver "Mooney"
Lynn(aka. Doolittle or Doo, or “Mooney” for moonshine), a handsome 21-year-old fresh from the service who swept the young Loretta Webb off her feet. . Within the first few months of marriage,The couple married when Loretta was barely 14.
Mooney and Loretta's brother, Jay Lee Web, Jr.,
hitchhiked to Washington looking for work.
Fourteen year old pregnant Loretta stayed
behind until Mooney sent money and a train
ticket several months later.
Settled into a new state, fourteen year old
Loretta gave birth to her first child, Betty Sue, in
Custer, WA. As a young mother and housewife,
Loretta stopped singing publicly, and shared
her passion for music with her young daughter,
singing to her regularly.
By the time she was seventeen, Loretta had four
children. Inspired by his wife's vocal abilities,
Mooney bought his wife a guitar on her
eighteenth birthday, and Loretta began to teach
herself to play. Within a few months, Loretta
was writing her own music and with her
husband's encouragement, she began singing
with a local band on the weekends.
Loretta's big break came when Mooney entered
her in a local talent contest. Not only did she
win, but she also received a personal invitation
from Buck Owens to perform on his television
show. Her performance was well received and
caught the attention of Zero Records, who
immediately contacted her and offered a
recording deal. Loretta flew to LA in 1960, and
recorded one of her own songs, "I'm A Honky
Tonk Girl." Zero Records was a small firm and
didn't have the money to promote Loretta's new
single, so Mooney decided to do it himself. He
and Loretta began mailing the record across the
country, where it landed in the hands of radio
station owners and disc jockeys. Mooney then
packed the family and headed for Nashville,
where he hoped he and Loretta could plug the
record at local radio stations. The song was hit
even before they reached Nashville. The single
eventually climbed as high as number fourteen
on the charts.
Loretta's first single attracted the attention of
the Wilburn Brothers, who hired her to tour with
them in 1960. After pleading with her to relocate
to Nashville, Loretta and family moved to the
city in 1960. A year later, she became a regular
member of the Grand Ole Opry, had a number
one hit album, and gave birth to twin girls.
It didn't take long for Nashville to grab on to the
rising star. Loretta was offered a record deal
with Decca Records, and accepted. "Success,"
Loretta's first single with Decca Records was
released in 1962, and climbed all the way to
number six. For the next decade, Loretta
released honky tonk hit after hit, all of them
reaching the Top Ten List.
In 1966, longing for her own sound, Loretta
strayed from Honky Tonk, and began recording
singles that she had written. Over the course of
the next four years, Lynn pulled in 13 Top Ten
hits, and was hailed the best country music
lyricist ever.
In 1970, Loretta became the first ever female
country artist to receive a gold album. Conway
Twitty and Loretta formed a partnership and
released 5 successful hit songs. They were
awarded Duo of the Year by the Country Music
Association, and released seven more Top Ten
hits.
In the mid 1970s, Loretta put pen to paper,
writing the autobiography, "Coal Miner's
Daughter." Six years later, in 1976, Loretta's
book became a New York Times best seller. The
book would eventually be adapted to the screen
in 1980, and become a critically acclaimed hit
with Sissy Spacek winning an Oscar for her
performance. While the movie and the movie's
theme song climbed the charts, Loretta became
the only female country to to appear on the
cover of Newsweek, in 1973.
Despite her immense popularity as a result of
the movie, Lynn's never regained her popularity
in the music world. Her concerts were well
attended, but record sales were down. She had
two Top Ten hits in the he 1980s and was
elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame, but
still made the decision to back away from the
recording studio, so that she could focus her
efforts on performances.
Today, Loretta is a successful businesswoman
who owns her own music publishing company.
She also owns and operates a "Dude Ranch" and
campground in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee,
featuring a plantation styled home that is an
exact replica of her childhood home.
http://www.lorettalynn.com/ranch/
You can get all things Loretta here
http://www.lorettalynn.com/shop/
Loretta continues to perform across the United States,
and has released several singles. Loretta and
Mooney's children take turns balancing the
responsibilities of the Loretta Lynn Ranch and
Campgrounds in Tennessee.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Loretta Lynn,A Coal Miners Daughter and my Idol
Posted by Helen at 4:56 PM
Labels: Coal Miners Daughter, Idol, Loretta Lynn
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