Loretta Lynn is the daughter of Ted Webb, a coal miner, and his wife Clara Ramey. They were hardworking people who lived in a community where income was low and black lung disease was prevalent among the miners. Given the dangers of mining, the families in the small community were close to each other.
I couldn’t help but wonder if some of the good character traits that Loretta practiced during her years as a singer were the result of her upbringing. Along with her parents, a third person who had a great influence on her is the man she married when she was 15 years old.
It was Oliver “Doolittle” Lynn. He was six years older than Loretta. She married him in January 1948 after dating him just a month after meeting.
Before getting married, she regularly sang in the churches of Butcher Hollow. Loretta was the second of eight siblings and used to sing to her siblings at home. When she married and began having children, she passed on her love of music to them quite often by singing hymns that her mother had taught her.
In 1953 ‘Doo’ bought him a Harmony guitar. She taught herself to play alone. He worked hard to improve his playing and with the encouragement of “Doolittle” started his own band. He was also instrumental in getting her first radio appearances and serving as her Talent Manager for several years. He constantly encouraged her to be persistent and reaffirm that everything will work out.
He was definitely a huge influence on her in many ways. They had been married for almost 50 years when he passed away. Their marriage was tumultuous, but their rocky marriage provided the script for many of Loretta’s songs that she wrote.
As she said, “I married Doo when I was just a child, and he was my life from that day on. But as important as my youth and my upbringing were, there was something else that made me become attached to Doo. He thought I was something special. More special than anyone else in the world and never let me forget it. It would be difficult to get that belief out. Doo was my safety, my safety net. And remember, I’m not explaining Doo was a good man and a hard worker. But he was an alcoholic, and it affected our marriage to the end. He was also a womanizer. Cheating husbands have been on news shows for a few years. Many women say they don’t understand why women stay with dogs. My story is about one who did it: me. “
And so when we talk about the three people who had a great influence on her, we see a woman who has the admirable trait of Character. Stand up for what you believe and what you feel is the right thing to do.
Loretta is also a survivor. She and Doo had six children. Two of them have already passed away. A daughter died in 2013 of emphysema. He was 64 years old. And a son drowned in 1984. He was 34 years old. A friend of mine once told me that her mother, who had lost a child, had told her, “One of the worst things a father can go through is losing a child who dies before her.” I thought about that story while writing about Loretta’s two losses and her grief. And despite it all, how he managed to carry on with dignity and perseverance. With all the ups and downs she has had with a difficult marriage and the loss of two children, she is truly a survivor.
In addition to the above, Loretta is a recognized defender of ordinary women. She felt that no subject of the song was forbidden while speaking for other ordinary women. Some of those songs were “Wings Upon Your Horns” about the loss of virginity in adolescence, “The Pill” about the liberation of a mother and her wife through the contraceptive pill, “Rated X” about the double standard that facing divorced women and “Don’t Come Home A Drinkin ‘(With Lovin’ On You Mind).”
His achievements and awards are numerous. In 1967 she marked her first of 16 number one hits, such as “You Ain’t Woman Enough”, “Fist City” and “Coal Miner’s Daughter”. He has written more than 160 songs, released 60 albums, and sold 45 million records worldwide. He has won four Grammy Awards and seven American Music Awards.
In 1972 she was the first woman to be named “Artist of the Year” and in 1977 the first female country artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2010 he received the Lifetime Grammy Achievement Award for his 50 years in country music. On August 8, 2013, President Barack Obama announced that Loretta would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
I would encourage anyone who wants to learn more about this extraordinary woman to purchase her autobiography “Coal Miner’s Daughter” or see the movie of the same name. Loretta deserved every single award she received.
In closing, I want to say that if there is ever to be a new award titled “The Defender of Ordinary Women Award,” then this Lady Singer should definitely win it.