Loretta Lynn
Born on April 14, 1932 in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky, Loretta Lynn grew up in a small cabin in a poor Appalachian coal mining community. The second child of eight children, she began singing in a church at a young age. Her younger sister, Brenda Gayle Webb, also went on to become a singer as Crystal Gayle.
Loretta married Oliver "Mooney" Lynn just a few months before her 14th birthday on January 1948. The following year, she and Oliver moved to Washington State where he hoped to find better work. Loretta had three children by the time she was 19 and she gave birth to their fourth child, Cissie, by age 20. Encouraged by her husband, Loretta decided to pursue her interest in music. She landed a contract with Zero Records in 1959, and came out with her first single "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl." To promote the song, the Lynn’s traveled to different country music radio stations, urging with them to play it. In 1960, their efforts paid off with the song becoming a minor hit. In the same year, the Lynn’s mover to Nashville, Tennessee where Lynn worked with Teddy and Doyle Wilburn, who owned a music publishing company. Soon, this led to a contract with Decca Records and Loretta scored her first big hit with 1962's "Success."
During her early days in Nashville, she became best friends with the singer Patsy Cline. Cline helped Loretta navigate the tricky world of country music. Loretta was heartbroken when Patsy was killed in a plane crash in 1963.
"When Patsy died, my God, not only did I lose my best girlfriend, but I lost a great person that was taking care of me. I thought, now somebody will whip me for sure," Lynn later told Entertainment Weekly.
In 1964, Loretta scored a string of top 10 country hits, including "Wine, Women, and Song" and "Blue Kentucky Girl." Soon, recording her own material, Loretta told the stories about all sorts of relationships. She had a talent for capturing the everyday struggles all the wives and mothers in her songs, while injecting them with
Loretta married Oliver "Mooney" Lynn just a few months before her 14th birthday on January 1948. The following year, she and Oliver moved to Washington State where he hoped to find better work. Loretta had three children by the time she was 19 and she gave birth to their fourth child, Cissie, by age 20. Encouraged by her husband, Loretta decided to pursue her interest in music. She landed a contract with Zero Records in 1959, and came out with her first single "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl." To promote the song, the Lynn’s traveled to different country music radio stations, urging with them to play it. In 1960, their efforts paid off with the song becoming a minor hit. In the same year, the Lynn’s mover to Nashville, Tennessee where Lynn worked with Teddy and Doyle Wilburn, who owned a music publishing company. Soon, this led to a contract with Decca Records and Loretta scored her first big hit with 1962's "Success."
During her early days in Nashville, she became best friends with the singer Patsy Cline. Cline helped Loretta navigate the tricky world of country music. Loretta was heartbroken when Patsy was killed in a plane crash in 1963.
"When Patsy died, my God, not only did I lose my best girlfriend, but I lost a great person that was taking care of me. I thought, now somebody will whip me for sure," Lynn later told Entertainment Weekly.
In 1964, Loretta scored a string of top 10 country hits, including "Wine, Women, and Song" and "Blue Kentucky Girl." Soon, recording her own material, Loretta told the stories about all sorts of relationships. She had a talent for capturing the everyday struggles all the wives and mothers in her songs, while injecting them with