Obituary: Loretta Lynn

 One of the last of the old guard C&W stars died.  Loretta Lynn, 90, who came from dirt poor beginnings to become internationally famous for her numerous country hits, has died.  Her sister is country singer Crystal Gayle, one of my late dad's favorite singers.  Another sister, less well-known, is singer Peggy Sue Wright.

There was even a movie about her life called Cold Miner's Daughter, starring Sissy Spacek, who always looked way younger than she was.  It helped further the myth that Lynn's marriage to "Doo" Lynn happened when she was 13 years old.  The truth came out years later, about ten years ago, that she actually married him when she was 15, which is a later age than my mother  when she married my father in 1931.  My mother was only 14, not yet 15, when she married my dad, who was 23.  She lied about her age on the marriage certificate.  Of course, it is way too late to worry about it now.

As for Lynn, she stayed married to "Doo"  until he died.  That is what women often did then, mostly because they had few resources.  Lynn, though, became rich in her own right and didn't need a man like her husband who cheated on her and was a drunk.  Yes, he provided some material for her songs, but nobody should have tolerated it.  Still, she loved him.  He died years ago, in 1996.  Loretta never remarried.

She remained active until near the end of her long life. 

Snip from the article:

The couple soon headed to Washington state in search of jobs. Music wasn’t a priority for the young mother at first. She’d spend her days working, mostly, picking strawberries in Washington state while her babies sat on a blanket nearby.

But when her husband heard her humming tunes and soothing their babies to sleep, he said she sounded better than the girl singers on the radio. He bought her a $17 Harmony guitar and got her a gig at a local tavern.

It wasn’t until 1960 that she’d record what would become her debut single, “Honky Tonk Girl.” She then took the song on the road, playing country music stations across the United States.

After years of hard work and raising kids, telling stories with her guitar seemed like a break.

I think Willie Nelson may be the last of the old guard country singers. As for Loretta Lynn, she had quite a life.