Every country fan knows most stories of Loretta Lynn. She is a great singer and songwriter who helped change the face of country music through her honest and poignant songs. She is not only a country superstar but an American icon.
Today, we’re giving you the first three of five Loretta Lynn stories confining her legacy.
5. Some of her first hits were written on a $17 guitar
Photo Credits: Facebook/Loretta Lynn
She taught herself how to play guitar while raising a house full of kids. Her husband, Oliver, bought her a $17 Gibson guitar from Sears and Roebuck in 1953. With this, Oliver encouraged Lynn to start performing and sooner, she got a weekly gig at a local club near their home. One example – ‘Honky Tonk Girl’, is a song she wrote while working in a strawberry field. She took inspiration from a woman she’d seen in the bar at one of her shows.
4. She’s a big shot in business
To support Lynn’s self-motivated attitude, let’s take for example how they promoted‘Honky Tonk Girl’. She and her husband drove across the country, stopping at nearly every country radio station between Washington and Nashville. All these, they did to make the song be known. Aside from building an outstanding recording career, she also made one of the most popular attractions in Tennessee – the ‘Loretta Lynn Ranch’. It is located at Hurricane Mills and it shows Lynn’s manor, the ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter Museum’ and a restitution of her ‘Butcher Holler’ homeplace. This ranch allows her fans from all over the globe to get a preview of her life.
3. Strength through tough times
Lynn lost a couple of important persons in her life. While her husband was ill, Lynn also agonized the tragic loss of two of her brothers, her son and her close friend and singing partner Conway Twitty. After nearly 50 years of marriage, she lost her husband when he died of congestive heart failure in 1996. Soon after losing Doolittle, her longtime producer Owen Bradley and close friend Tammy Wynette also passed away. She recorded her album ‘Still Country’ in the aftermath of losing her husband and dear friends. It’s her way to get back on the road after all the heartbreaks. Last year, while in the middle of a tour, Lynn suffered a stroke. But the country legend has worked hard to recover. She even appeared onstage to honor Alan Jackson at his Country Music Hall of Fame induction. And just recently, she broke her hip in a fall, but given her strength, she’s sure to be back on stage as soon as possible.
Don’t miss the last two Loretta Lynn stories we have for you. Check the Part II at https://www.countrythangdaily.com/ and don’t forget to share with your fellow Loretta Lynn fans. Meanwhile, here’s a Lynn video to lighten up your day.
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