My dad grew up on "classic" country music and he passed down his love of the all-time greats to me. I grew up on the music of Hank Williams, Conway Twitty, Pasty Cline, Johnny Cash, and the great Loretta Lynn.
Loretta's 50-plus-year career has resulted in over 16 number one hits, including the iconic "Coal Miner's Daughter." Loretta bought her first guitar at age 21 and spent the subsequent years honing her skills. By the 1960s, she'd started gaining attention and notoriety in Nashville. Many of her songs relating to the problem of blue-collar women helped cement her as a relatable everywoman.
Though the sound may be "classic," it's important to note that some of her songs were quite boundary pushing. Many singles were banned from public airplay by more conservative country stations for discussing taboo subjects like birth control in "The Pill" or being widowed by the draft in "Dear Uncle Sam."
Loretta also found great success in many of her acclaimed collaborations. Her partnership with the great Conway Twitty is still considered one of the greatest country collaborations of all time. Loretta released five number one singles with Conway including "Lead Me On," which Loretta sings with Trace Adkins in the video below.
Trace Adkins has never struck me as an "emotional" kind of guy, but you can see in his face how honored he was to be performing with such an iconic legend at her 50th Anniversary of performing at the Grand Ole Opry. Listen to what he tells her at the end of the video. It's my favorite part of the whole thing.
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