Loretta Lynn

Genres:	Christian & Gospel • Country & Bluegrass • Holiday & Seasonal • Music Videos & Concerts • Television
Descriptive "tags":	country • female vocalists • classic country • singer-songwriter • americana
Decades Active:	1960s • 1970s • 1980s • 1990s • 2000s
Artist Compilations:	Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn • Randy Travis (with Loretta Lynn)
Links online:	BBC Music • Discography • Official Homepage • Wikipedia

Biography

Loretta Webb, 14 April 1935, Butcher Hollow, Kentucky, USA. Lynn is a coalminer’s daughter, being the second of the eight children of Ted and Clara Webb. She is one-quarter Cherokee and her name came from her mother’s fondness for movie star Loretta Young. She was raised in a small shack during the Depression and was attracted to country music as an 11-year-old, when the family acquired a radio and she heard the singing of Molly O’Day. Her autobiography tells of her makeshift wardrobe and how, at the age of 13, she married a serviceman, Oliver Vanetta Lynn (b. 27 August 1926, d. 22 August 1996), known to his friends as Doolittle or Mooney (short for Moonshine). He took her to Custer, Washington, and she had four children and several miscarriages by the time she was 18. They had six children in all and Lynn was a grandmother at the age of 29. Mooney, recognizing her talent, encouraged her to sing in local clubs and her band, the Trailblazers, included...

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