Dottie West
Dottie West (born October 11, 1932 in McMinnville , Tennessee as Dorothy Marie Marsh , † September 4, 1991 in Nashville ) was an American country singer .
Beginnings
Dottie had a tough childhood. She was the oldest of ten children in a desperately poor family ruled by a drunkard and violent father. There were only peaceful and pleasant moments when you listened to the Grand Ole Opry together in front of the radio or made music yourself.
Despite all the difficulties, Dottie graduated from high school and received a scholarship to study music at Tennessee Tech. During her studies she worked as a singer. She fell in love with the guitarist Bill West . The two married in 1953, and a little later the couple had two sons. After graduating, the family moved to Cleveland . Here Dottie appeared regularly on local television. In 1958 the daughter Shelly was born. The family moved to Nashville three years later .
Career
In 1963 Dottie West managed to write the song Is This Me? writing for Jim Reeves . Jim Reeves then got her a record deal with RCA . Responsible producer was Chet Atkins . Her first single, Love Is No Excuse - a duet with Jim, reached the top 10. Her next hit was in 1964 with her own composition Here Comes My Baby . She became the first female country star to receive a Grammy for this song . She now appeared regularly in the Grand Ole Opry and continued to have hits. In 1973 she achieved a national success that went beyond the country scene with the Coca-Cola promotional song Country Sunshine .
In the early 1970s, Dottie's appearance changed. Until then she had appeared in a rather undressing or even modest outfit, but suddenly she appeared on stage in a skin-tight, shiny dress. The slightly hoarse touch of her voice did the rest to make her a sex symbol. In those years she was considered Nashville's most beautiful. In 1972 she married Bryan Metcalf, who was twelve years her junior . She played a couple of duets with Don Gibson and Kenny Rogers , creating several number 1 hits. Dottie West was at the height of her career and life. Their music moved further and further away from the country sound. The songs became more poppy and contained rock elements in various ways.
A dramatic decline began in the mid-1980s. The record successes failed to materialize. She started drinking. In 1983 she married Al Winters, 23 years her junior. The marriage lasted only two years. In 1990 she filed for private bankruptcy. At times Dottie lived in her touring bus. But she struggled, kept performing and preparing for a comeback. On September 4, 1991, Dottie West died at the age of 58 from complications in a car accident.
Discography
Albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US
|
Country
|
|||
| 1965 | Here comes my baby | - |
Country12 (12 weeks) Country |
|
| Dottie West Sings | - |
Country12 (19 weeks) Country |
||
| Suffer time | - |
Country3 (18 weeks) Country |
||
| 1967 | With All My Heart and Soul | - |
Country8 (17 weeks) Country |
|
| I'll Help You Forget Her | - |
Country11 (18 weeks) Country |
||
| 1968 | What I'm Cut Out to Be | - |
Country18 (11 weeks) Country |
|
| Country girl | - |
Country18 (8 weeks) Country |
||
| Feminine fancy | - |
Country39 (3 weeks) Country |
||
| 1969 | Dottie and Don | - |
Country21 (12 weeks) Country |
with Don Gibson
|
| 1970 | Forever Yours | - |
Country40 (4 weeks) Country |
|
| Country boy and country girl | - |
Country42 (3 weeks) Country |
with Jimmy Dean
|
|
| 1973 | If It's All Right with You / Just What I've Been Looking For |
- |
Country37 (4 weeks) Country |
|
| Country Sunshine | - |
Country17 (14 weeks) Country |
||
| 1975 | Carolina cousins | - |
Country45 (2 weeks) Country |
|
| 1977 | When It's Just You and Me | - |
Country44 (3 weeks) Country |
|
| 1978 | Dottie |
US-  |
Country47 (3 weeks) Country |
|
| Every Time Two Fools Collide |
US186 (3 weeks) US |
Country1 (56 weeks) Country |
with Kenny Rogers
|
|
| 1979 | Special delivery |
US-  |
Country13 (30 weeks) Country |
|
| Classics |
US82 (23 weeks) US |
Country3 (47 weeks) Country |
with Kenny Rogers
|
|
| 1981 | Wild West |
US126 (15 weeks) US |
Country5 (32 weeks) Country |
|
| High times | - |
Country43 (12 weeks) Country |
||
| 1983 | New Horizons | - |
Country65 (3 weeks) Country |
|
More albums
- 1967: Dottie West Sings Sacred Ballads
- 1969: Dottie Sings Eddy
- 1969: Makin 'Memories
- 1970: Country and West
- 1971: Careless Hands
- 1971: Have You Heard Dottie West
- 1972: I'm Only a Woman
- 1974: House of Love
- 1982: Full Circle
- 1984: Just Dottie
Compilations
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
US
|
Country
|
|||
| 1980 | Once you were mine | - |
Country50 (3 weeks) Country |
|
More compilations
- 1964: The Country Girl Singing Sensation
- 1967: I Fall to Pieces
- 1971: A Legend in My Time
- 1972: The Best of Dottie West
- 1973: Would You Hold It Against Me
- 1974: Loving You
- 1984: The Best of Dottie West
- 1984: Collector's Series
- 1992: Dottie West
- 1992: Greatest Hits
- 1996: The Essential Dottie West
- 1997: Are You Happy Baby: The Collection
- 2001: RCA Country Legends
- 2002: Absolutely the Best
- 2011: Country Sunshine: The RCA Hit Singles 1963-1974
- 2018: The Best of Dottie West
Singles
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
US
|
Country
|
|||
| 1963 | Let Me Off at the Corner |
- |
Country29 (2 weeks) Country |
|
| 1964 | Here Comes My Baby Here Comes My Baby |
- |
Country10 (15 weeks) Country |
|
| Didn't I Here Comes My Baby |
- |
Country32 (8 weeks) Country |
||
| Love Is No Excuse Here Comes My Baby |
- |
Country7 (21 weeks) Country |
with Jim Reeves
|
|
| 1965 | Gettin 'Married Has Made Us Strangers Dottie West Sings |
- |
Country30 (10 weeks) Country |
|
| No Sign of Living Dottie West Sings |
- |
Country32 (5 weeks) Country |
||
| Before the Ring on Your Finger Turns Green Suffer Time |
- |
Country22 (14 weeks) Country |
||
| 1966 | Would You Hold It Against Me Suffer Time |
- |
Country5 (21 weeks) Country |
|
| Mommy, Can I Still Call Him Daddy Suffer Time |
- |
Country24 (10 weeks) Country |
||
| What's Come Over My Baby Suffer Time |
- |
Country17 (13 weeks) Country |
||
| 1967 | Paper Mansions With All My Heart and Soul |
- |
Country8 (16 weeks) Country |
|
| Like a Fool I'll Help You Forget Her |
- |
Country13 (14 weeks) Country |
||
| Childhood Places |
- |
Country24 (12 weeks) Country |
||
| 1968 | Country Girl Country Girl |
- |
Country15 (12 weeks) Country |
|
| Reno |
- |
Country19 (12 weeks) Country |
||
| 1969 | Rings of Gold Dottie and Don |
- |
Country2 (17 weeks) Country |
with Don Gibson
|
| Sweet Memories Dottie and Don |
- |
Country32 (10 weeks) Country |
with Don Gibson
|
|
| There's a Story (Goin '' Round) Dottie and Don |
- |
Country7 (13 weeks) Country |
with Don Gibson
|
|
| Clingin 'to My Baby's Hand Makin' Memories |
- |
Country47 (6 weeks) Country |
||
| 1970 | I Heard Our Song Makin 'Memories |
- |
Country45 (8 weeks) Country |
|
| Till I Can't Take It Anymore Dottie and Don |
- |
Country46 (10 weeks) Country |
with Don Gibson
|
|
| It's Dawned on Me You're Gone Country and West |
- |
Country37 (10 weeks) Country |
||
| Forever Yours Forever Yours |
- |
Country21 (12 weeks) Country |
||
| 1971 | Careless Hands Careless Hands |
- |
Country48 (8 weeks) Country |
|
| Lonely Is I'm Only a Woman |
- |
Country53 (8 weeks) Country |
||
| Six Weeks Every Summer (Christmas Every Other Year) Have You Heard ... Dottie West |
- |
Country51 (8 weeks) Country |
||
| Slowly Country Boy and Country Girl |
- |
Country29 (10 weeks) Country |
with Jimmy Dean
|
|
| 1972 | I'm only a woman, I'm only a woman |
- |
Country52 (9 weeks) Country |
|
| If It's All Right with You If It's All Right with You / Just What I've Been Looking For |
US97 (3 weeks) US |
Country28 (11 weeks) Country |
||
| 1973 | Just What I've Been Looking For If It's All Right with You / Just What I've Been Looking For |
- |
Country44 (9 weeks) Country |
|
| Country Sunshine Country Sunshine |
US49 (11 weeks) US |
Country2 (15 weeks) Country |
||
| 1974 | Last Time I Saw Him House of Love |
- |
Country8 (14 weeks) Country |
|
| House of Love House of Love |
- |
Country21 (13 weeks) Country |
||
| Lay Back Lover House of Love |
- |
Country35 (10 weeks) Country |
||
| 1975 | Rollin 'in Your Sweet Sunshine Carolina Cousins |
- |
Country65 (10 weeks) Country |
|
| 1976 | Here come the flowers |
- |
Country68 (10 weeks) Country |
|
| I'm a fool for lovin 'you |
- |
Country91 (5 weeks) Country |
||
| When It's Just You and Me When It's Just You and Me |
- |
Country19 (15 weeks) Country |
||
| 1977 | Every Word I Write When It's Just You and Me |
- |
Country28 (12 weeks) Country |
|
| Tonight You Belong to Me When It's Just You and Me |
- |
Country30 (10 weeks) Country |
||
| That's All I Wanted to Know When It's Just You and Me |
- |
Country57 (8 weeks) Country |
||
| 1978 | Come See Me and Come Lonely Dottie |
- |
Country17 (12 weeks) Country |
|
| Reaching Out to Hold You |
- |
Country49 (9 weeks) Country |
||
| Every Time Two Fools Collide Every Time Two Fools Collide |
- |
Country1 (17 weeks) Country |
with Kenny Rogers
|
|
| Anyone Who Isn't Me Tonight Every Time Two Fools Collide |
- |
Country2 (14 weeks) Country |
with Kenny Rogers
|
|
| 1979 | All I Ever Need Is You Classics |
- |
Country1 (15 weeks) Country |
with Kenny Rogers
|
| Til I Can Make It on My Own Classics |
- |
Country3 (15 weeks) Country |
with Kenny Rogers
|
|
| You Pick Me Up (And Put Me Down) Special Delivery |
- |
Country12 (15 weeks) Country |
||
| 1980 | A Lesson in Leavin ' Special Delivery |
US73 (5 weeks) US |
Country1 (15 weeks) Country |
|
| Leavin's for Unbelievers Special Delivery |
- |
Country13 (14 weeks) Country |
||
| Are you happy baby? Wild West |
- |
Country1 (16 weeks) Country |
||
| 1981 | What Are We Doin 'in Love Wild West |
US14 (20 weeks) US |
Country1 (15 weeks) Country |
with Kenny Rogers
|
| (I'm gonna) Put You Back on the Rack Wild West |
- |
Country16 (14 weeks) Country |
||
| It's high time high times |
- |
Country16 (14 weeks) Country |
||
| 1982 | You're Not Easy to Forget High Times |
- |
Country26 (13 weeks) Country |
|
| She Can't Get My Love Off the Bed Full Circle |
- |
Country29 (11 weeks) Country |
||
| If It Takes All Night Full Circle |
- |
Country63 (7 weeks) Country |
||
| 1983 | Tulsa Ballroom New Horizons |
- |
Country40 (11 weeks) Country |
|
| 1984 | Together Again Duets |
- |
Country19 (15 weeks) Country |
|
| What's Good for the Goose Just Dottie |
- |
Country77 (7 weeks) Country |
||
| Let Love Come Lookin 'for You Just Dottie |
- |
Country67 (8 weeks) Country |
||
| 1985 | We Know Better Now Just Dottie |
- |
Country53 (8 weeks) Country |
|
More singles
- 1960: Angel on Paper
- 1961: I Should Start Running
- 1961: My Big John
- 1962: You Said I'd Never Love Again
- 1963: Touch Me
- 1970: Long Black Sedan
- 1971: You're the Other Half of Me
- 1983: Night Love Let You Down
Guest Posts
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
US
|
Country
|
|||
| 1967 | Chet's tune |
- |
Country38 (9 weeks) Country |
as part of Some of Chet's Friends
|
Web links
- Website about Dottie West ( Memento of January 10, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
swell
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | West, Dottie |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Marsh, Dorothy Marie (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 11, 1932 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | McMinnville , Tennessee |
| DATE OF DEATH | 4th September 1991 |
| Place of death | Nashville |