Who do you think is the queen of country music? A lot of people are still debating whether country legends such as Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, or Tammy Wynette is deserving of the title. However, they are forgetting about the first country female artist to ever hit the top spot of the Country Charts. Kitty Wells was the first one who did it.
via Screengrab from YouTube
A lot of new country fans have no idea who paved the way. They know of Carrie Underwood or Kacey Musgraves, but they don’t know anything about the Queen of Country, Kitty Wells. We are here to correct that. Let us take a stroll down memory lane and know more about the legacy that she left.
Knowing Kitty Wells
via Screengrab from YouTube
Many country fans and fellow country stars respect her and the legacy that she left. Being the first ever female country artist to top the country charts really made her a legend in the making. In a male-dominated world, being the first woman to achieve something is really groundbreaking. With her mega-hit song “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels,” she was immortalized in the country scene. The song was also able to break in the mainstream Billboards 100 peaking at No. 27.
Kitty Wells is also the third female solo artist to be inducted into the Country Hall of Fame. She got her induction in 1976, but the first one to do it was Patsy Cline back in 1973.
Legends Supporting Legends
Photo by GAB Archive/Redferns
Kitty Wells is revered by her fellow female country artists. Loretta Lynn considers the late singer as her hero and the one who inspired her to sing. She even wanted to emulate Kitty’s singing voice, but she admits that there can only be one Kitty Wells. Dolly Parton, another country legend, also had this to say:
“Kitty Wells was the first and only Queen of Country Music, no matter what they call the rest of us.”
Lee Ann Womack also agrees that the late singer is the one who paved the way for all female artists.
Listen to her iconic song here: