by Micah Gallebo
Staff Writer
Country Music Icon, Trailblazer, and Superstar, Loretta Lynn passed away on Tuesday October 4th 2022 at her home in Tennessee. A statement from her family read, “Our precious mom, Loretta Lynn, passed away peacefully this morning, October 4th, in her sleep at home in her beloved ranch in Hurricane Mills.”
Bradley students and staff share their thoughts and opinions about the late country star. Kait Wilson (11) says, “Loretta Lynn was a musician that was truly country, her along with others of her time paved the way for future artists, and no one had better hair than her.” Loretta was an icon to many, paving the way for many new artists, especially female. Bradley media assistant, Ms. Ysseldyke shares, “She was indeed a legacy, for not only the country [music] world, but really the world at large.”
Loretta Lynn had a remarkable career spanning over 6 decades in the music business. During her career she scored eleven number one albums and twenty-four number one singles in addition to becoming one of the highest awarded females in Country music. Some of her most notable songs include; “Coal Miner’s Daughter” and “You Ain’t Woman Enough”, as well as duets with her long-time vocal partner, Conway Twitty, such as “After The Fire Is Gone” and “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man”.
Lynn won four Grammy awards, five CMA awards (which include Best Female Vocalist and Entertainer of the Year), 14 ACM awards (which include the Cliffie Stone Icon Award and the Crystal Milestone Award) as well as being recognized at the Kennedy Center Honors, receiving a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame, and receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2013. Loretta Lynn was inducted as a Member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Grand Ole Opry during her career.
Loretta Lynn was born in her childhood log cabin in the hills of Butcher Holler, Kentucky on April 14, 1932. Born the second out of eight children, She helped out around her home, singing whenever she went to pass time. She lived in the mountains raising a family until her 26th birthday when her husband bought her a $17 guitar which she learned to play. Lynn recorded her first single, “I’m a Honky Tonk Girl” in February 1960, and her career took off. By the mid-1960’s, Lynn was one of the most well known female country singers of the decade.
Lynn was a trailblazer of the male dominated business and was one of the few women to challenge society’s standards of ‘what a woman should be.’ Lynn wrote and sang about the strength and hard work that women possess. “She was a woman who came out on stage, when it was kind of a male-dominated arena, and showed us that women not only had power, but could sing and share a message” said Ms. Ysseldyke.
Lynn went on to record 42 studio albums and over 150 songs collaborating with other music icons such as Dolly Parton, Conway Twitty, Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson, Frank Sinatra, Tammy Wynette, and George Jones. “I think it’s sad that she passed, [she’s] another great influential country star gone” Kait Wilson (11) shares. Loretta Lynn was an inspiration for many throughout her years. Lynn was a legend, and legends never die.