Loretta Lynn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Loretta Lynn
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Lynn performing in 2016
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| Birth name | Loretta Webb |
| Born | April 14, 1932 Butcher Hollow, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | October 4, 2022 (aged 90) Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1960–2022 |
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Loretta Lynn (born Loretta Webb; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American singer and songwriter. She became a huge star in country music over six decades. Loretta Lynn released many successful albums that sold millions of copies.
She was famous for hit songs like "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)", "Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' on My Mind)", and "Coal Miner's Daughter". In 1980, a movie called Coal Miner's Daughter was made about her life.
Loretta Lynn won many awards for her important role in country music. She received awards from the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music. She was nominated for 18 Grammy Awards and won 3 times. Loretta Lynn was the most awarded female country artist. She was also the only female artist to be named ACM Artist of the Decade for the 1970s. She had 24 songs that reached No. 1 and 11 albums that topped the charts. She stopped touring in 2017 due to health reasons.
Contents
Loretta Lynn's Life and Music Career
Early Life and Start in Music (1932–1960)
Loretta Webb was born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky, on April 14, 1932. She was the second of eight children. Her father, Melvin "Ted" Webb, was a coal miner and farmer. Her mother was Clara Marie Ramey. Loretta was named after the famous movie star Loretta Young.
Her younger sister, Brenda Gail Webb, also became a famous singer known as Crystal Gayle. Loretta's father passed away at age 52 from a lung disease common among coal miners.
When Loretta was 15, she married Oliver Vanetta "Doolittle" Lynn on January 10, 1948. They had met only a month before. The Lynns moved to Washington state, where Doolittle worked in logging. Loretta's experiences in her early marriage inspired her songwriting.
In 1953, Doolittle bought her a $17 guitar. She taught herself to play and practiced for three years. With Doolittle's encouragement, she started her own band, Loretta and the Trailblazers. Her brother Jay Lee played lead guitar. She performed in local clubs and recorded her first song, "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl", in 1960.
Rising to Country Music Stardom (1960–1966)
Loretta Lynn's performance at a talent contest in Washington was seen by Norm Burley of Zero Records. He helped her record four songs in Hollywood. Her first release included "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl". She signed her first record contract in February 1960.
The Lynns traveled across the country to promote her music to radio stations. When they reached Nashville, "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl" was a hit, reaching No. 14 on the country charts. She then signed a contract with Decca Records. By the end of 1960, Billboard magazine named her the No. 4 Most Promising Country Female Artist.
Loretta Lynn joined the Grand Ole Opry on September 25, 1962. She became good friends with fellow country star Patsy Cline, who was a mentor to her.
Her first Decca single, "Success", came out in 1962 and quickly reached No. 6. This began a long series of top 10 hits for her. Songs like "Before I'm Over You" and "Wine, Women and Song" were very popular.
In 1964, she recorded a duet album with Ernest Tubb. They had a Top 15 hit with "Mr. and Mrs. Used to Be". Loretta Lynn's solo career continued with hits like "Happy Birthday" and "Blue Kentucky Girl" in 1965.
Her song "Dear Uncle Sam" in 1966 was one of the first songs to talk about the human cost of the Vietnam War. Her 1966 hit "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)" made her the first female country artist to write a No. 1 hit song.
Breakthrough Success and Famous Songs (1967–1980)
In 1967, Loretta Lynn had her first No. 1 hit with "Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' on My Mind)". This album was one of the first by a female country artist to sell 500,000 copies.
Her album Fist City was released in 1968. The title track became her second No. 1 hit. In 1969, "Woman of the World (Leave My World Alone)" was her third No. 1 song.
Her career continued to soar in the 1970s, especially with her famous song "Coal Miner's Daughter". This song reached No. 1 on the country charts in 1970. It was also her first song to appear on the main Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song later inspired her bestselling autobiography and an Oscar-winning movie.
In 1973, "Rated "X"" became a No. 1 hit. The next year, "Love Is the Foundation" also reached No. 1. Loretta Lynn often wrote songs about her own life. She felt that no topic was off-limits if it was something women could relate to. In 1976, her autobiography, Coal Miner's Daughter, became a No. 1 bestseller.
Working with Conway Twitty
In 1971, Loretta Lynn started singing with Conway Twitty. As a duo, they had five No. 1 hits in a row between 1971 and 1975. These included "After the Fire Is Gone" (which won them a Grammy Award) and "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man".
For four years, from 1972 to 1975, Lynn and Twitty were named "Vocal Duo of the Year" by the Country Music Association. They won many other awards together.
As a solo artist, Lynn continued her success. In 1971, she had her fifth No. 1 solo hit, "One's on the Way", written by Shel Silverstein. In 1972, she became the first woman to be nominated for and win Entertainer of the Year at the CMA awards.
Remembering Patsy Cline
In 1977, Loretta Lynn released I Remember Patsy, an album honoring her friend Patsy Cline. Patsy Cline had died in a plane crash in 1963. Loretta's version of "She's Got You" became a No. 1 hit again. Loretta Lynn had her last No. 1 hit in 1978 with "Out of My Head and Back in My Bed".
Loretta Lynn was very devoted to her fans. She would sign hundreds of autographs, saying, "Without these people, I am nobody. I love these people." In 1979, she was named the "Artist of the Decade" for the 1970s by the Academy of Country Music. She is the only woman to have received this honor.
Movie Success and Later Career (1980–2022)
On March 5, 1980, the movie Coal Miner's Daughter was released. It starred Sissy Spacek as Loretta and Tommy Lee Jones as her husband, Doolittle. The movie was a big hit and received many awards, including an Oscar for Sissy Spacek.
Loretta Lynn continued to have hits in the 1980s. Her last Top 10 solo song was "I Lie" in 1982. In 1988, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
In 1993, Lynn released the album Honky Tonk Angels with Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette. The album was very successful and sold over 800,000 copies. In 1996, her husband, Doolittle Lynn, passed away.
In 2000, Lynn released Still Country, which included a song called "I Can't Hear the Music" as a tribute to her late husband. The single "Country in My Genes" made her the first woman in country music to have singles chart in five different decades. In 2002, she published her second autobiography, Still Woman Enough, which also became a bestseller.
In 2004, Loretta Lynn released Van Lear Rose, an album produced by Jack White of The White Stripes. This album received high praise and won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album of the Year.
In 2010, a tribute album called Coal Miner's Daughter: A Tribute to Loretta Lynn was released. It featured stars like Reba McEntire, Faith Hill, and Carrie Underwood singing Loretta's classic songs. Loretta Lynn also recorded a new version of "Coal Miner's Daughter" with Miranda Lambert and Sheryl Crow. This song charted, making Lynn the only female country artist to chart in six decades.
In 2016, her album Full Circle became her 40th album to reach the Top 10 on Billboard's country list. In 2018, she was named Artist of a Lifetime by CMT. Her 50th studio album, Still Woman Enough, was released in 2021.
Loretta Lynn's Personal Life
Her Family
Loretta and Doolittle Lynn had six children:
- Betty Sue Lynn (1948–2013)
- Jack Benny Lynn (1949–1984)
- Ernest Ray "Ernie" Lynn (born 1951)
- Clara Marie "Cissie" Lynn (born 1952)
- Peggy Jean and Patsy Eileen Lynn (born 1964; twin daughters named for Loretta's sister, Peggy Sue Wright, and her friend, Patsy Cline.)
Loretta's son, Jack Benny, passed away at age 34 in 1984. Her daughter, Betty Sue, passed away at age 64 in 2013. Loretta Lynn was married to Doolittle for almost 50 years until he passed away in 1996.
Loretta Lynn's Ranch
Loretta Lynn owned a large ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. It is known as Loretta Lynn's Ranch and is a popular tourist attraction. The ranch has a recording studio, museums, places to stay, restaurants, and western stores. It hosts holiday concerts every year.
Since 1982, the ranch has also hosted the Loretta Lynn's Amateur Championship motocross race, which is the largest amateur motocross race of its kind. The main house on the ranch is a large plantation home where Loretta once lived with her family. There is also a replica of the small cabin where Loretta grew up in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky.
Health and Passing
Loretta Lynn had some health challenges over the years. In May 2017, she had a stroke, which caused her to cancel her tours. In January 2018, she fell and broke her hip.
Loretta Lynn passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home in Hurricane Mills on October 4, 2022. She was 90 years old.
Awards and Achievements
Loretta Lynn wrote over 160 songs and released 60 albums. She had 10 No. 1 albums and 16 No. 1 singles on the country music charts.
She won many awards, including three Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and many awards from the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music. Loretta Lynn is still the most awarded woman in country music history. She was the first woman in country music to have an album certified gold (meaning it sold 500,000 copies).
In 1972, Loretta Lynn was the first woman to be named "Entertainer of the Year" by the Country Music Association. In 1980, she was the only woman to be named "Artist of the Decade" for the 1970s by the Academy of Country Music.
She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1988. In 2003, she received the Kennedy Center Honors, a very important award given by the U.S. president. In 1977, she was the first female country artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 2010, Loretta Lynn received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for her 50 years in country music. In 2013, President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the highest civilian honors in the United States.
In 2018, CMT named her Artist of a Lifetime. In 2020, a statue of Loretta Lynn was unveiled at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
Images for kids
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Loretta Lynn performing in 1975
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David Barnes, Conway Twitty, and Loretta Lynn in 1979
See also
In Spanish: Loretta Lynn para niños
