Birth Dates of Notable Kentuckians: April 14, 1935 - Loretta Lynn

  

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From the Kentucky Encyclopedia -

Loretta (Webb) Lynn, the country music singer known as "The Coal Miner's Daughter," was born April 14, 1935, at Butcher Holler, Johnson County, Kentucky, to Melvin and Clara (Butcher) Webb. Named after Loretta Young, her mother's favorite actress, she walked several miles daily to attend the one- room Miller's Creek School in nearby Van Lear, where she completed the eighth grade. At age thirteen she met Oliver Lynn, an ex-soldier seven years her senior, and one month later she married him. They moved soon after their marriage to Custer, Washington. Mother of four by age eighteen, Loretta Lynn learned to play a twenty-dollar guitar while singing lullabies. A five-minute appearance in 1960 on radio station KPUG in Bellingham, Washington, propelled Lynn into a professional career as a regular on Nashville's " Grand Ole Opry" and eventual recognition as country music's first lady. She has recorded over sixty singles and fifty albums for Decca and MCA, many of the songs her own compositions. Her honors include a Grammy, twelve nominations and three awards from the Country Music Association as top female artist, two awards from Record World, three from Billboard, and four from Cash Box.

In 1972 Lynn was the first woman selected Country Music Association entertainer of the year; in 1980 she was named entertainer of the decade. Her best-known songs include " I'm a Honky Tonk Girl" (1960), " Blue Kentucky Girl" (1965), " You Ain't Woman Enough" (1966), and " You're Looking At Country" (1971). The 1980 movie Coal Miner's Daughter was based upon her autobiography. Typically, Lynn's songs are lyrical and send strong but simple messages. Her siblings Crystal Gayle, Tracey Lee, and Jay Lee also became successful country singers.

JAMES C. CLAYPOOL, Entry Author  

Selected Sources from UK Libraries:

Lynn, L., & Costello, E. (2012). Honky tonk girl : My life in lyrics (1st ed.). New York: A.A. Knopf.
ML54.6.L89 H66 2012, Special Collections Research Center

Lynn, L., Tubb, E., & Twitty, C. (1994). Honky tonk girl the Loretta Lynn collection. Universal City, CA: MCA Records.
BCD38, Fine Arts Media Center

Lynn, L., & Cline, P. (1992). Loretta Lynn sings Patsy Cline's favorites. Universal City, Calif.: MCA Records.
CD7615, Fine Arts Media Center