Honoring Loretta Lynn

Loretta Lynn, American singer-songwriter, and country music star died yesterday October 4, 2022, at the age of 90, in her home in Hurricane Mills, TN. Loretta Lynn was born Loretta Webb, a coal miner’s daughter, on April 14, 1932, she was one of eight children and grew up in Butcher Holler, Kentucky. The singer/songwriter rose from poverty to become one of the most successful female country artists of all time. Her candid songs gave voice to the daily struggles of working-class women and resonated with listeners worldwide. She was the most awarded female country singer ever and kicked open doors for women in music by writing openly and honestly about women’s experiences.

Lynn received many awards and accolades for her innovative work in country music, she was the first woman ever to win the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award, in 1972, and was a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Honor. She was nominated 18 times for a Grammy Award and won 3 times. As of 2022, she was the most-awarded female country recording artist, and the only female ACM Artist of the Decade (1970s). Lynn earned 24 No. 1 hit singles and 11 number-one albums. Some of her hits include "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)", "Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)", "Fist City", and "Coal Miner's Daughter".

Lynn also had several hit recordings from American songwriter and cartoonist Shel Silverstein. In 1971, Loretta recorded Shel’s composition  "One's on the Way", it spent two weeks atop Billboard’s country chart and became one of her best-known hits. In addition “Hey Loretta”, one of Lynn’s best know works was a song written by Shel for Loretta Lynn, it was released in October 1973 and peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. Loretta Lynn continued to record and perform well into her 80’s, she ended 57 years of touring on the road after she suffered a stroke in 2017, passing away on October 4, 2022. Loretta Lynn provided groundbreaking work in the country music scene and opened doors for female musicians everywhere, she will be missed.