Kitty Wells

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Kitty Wells (* the 30th August 1919 as Ellen Muriel Deason in Nashville , Tennessee ; † 16th July 2012 ibid) was an American country - singer .

The "Queen of Country Music" became known in 1952 with the song It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels . She is considered the first female country music superstar.

Life

Beginnings

As a teenager, Kitty Wells performed with her sisters as Deason Sisters on the local radio station. There she met the country musician Johnnie Wright , whom she married in 1937 and who also became her manager. With his sister Louise they appeared as Johnnie Wright and the Harmony Girls . Louise's husband, Jack Anglin , joined the trio in 1939. Chet Atkins , who later became famous as a producer superstar, also played with the band at times. From 1945 Wright and Anglin formed the reasonably successful duo Johnnie and Jack . The later “Queen of Country Music” appeared as a soloist under the name Kitty Wells, who was chosen by her husband and was taken from a well-known folk song.

Career

In 1949 both Johnnie and Jack and Kitty Wells recorded a few singles at RCA, but they didn't sell very well. The record company decided not to continue working with Wells, as country musicians were not very promising in those years. She therefore withdrew into private life and devoted herself to raising her daughter.

She was offered in 1952 by Decca producer Paul Cohen to record It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels as a feminist response song to Hank Thompson's The Wild Side of Life - this song contained the line “I Didn't Know God Made Honky Tonk Angels ”. The single became one of the biggest country hits of the 1950s and stayed at the top of the charts for six weeks. For the first time a singer had reached number one on the country charts. This success paved the way for future stars like Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn . The music industry finally saw the commercial potential of country singers.

Her next single, Paying For That Backstreet Affair (an answer to Webb Pierce's Back Street Affair ) also made it into the top 10. Kitty Wells was finally established in the country scene. Her streak of success lasted well into the sixties. In total, she was able to record 23 top 10 hits, including 1955 Making Believe , 1956 Searching , 1958 Jealousy , 1961 Heartbreak USA . Even after sales dropped and she had to switch to smaller labels, she remained a sought-after singer. In 1976 she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame along with her late producer Paul Cohen . In 1991 she won a Grammy for her life's work ("Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award").

Kitty Wells and Johnnie Wright have eight grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. In 1983 the two opened the Family Country Junction Museum in Madison . It was closed again in October 2000, but the Junction Recording Studio , which had been added to the museum complex in 1987, was retained - thanks to the work of John Sturdivant Jr., a grandson of the two.

The couple and son Bobby gave the final farewell concert on December 31, 2000 at the Nashville Nightlife Theater. They sang in front of many fans, friends and relatives. There were Ricky Skaggs , The Whites , Marty Stuart , Connie Smith , Leona Williams, Larry Stephenson, Tommy Cash , Jack Greene and Jean Shepard .

On October 30, 2010, Kitty Wells and Johnnie Wright celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary. The following year, on September 27, 2011, shortly before their 74th wedding anniversary, Wright died at the age of 97.

Discography

  • 1956: Winner Of Your Heart (Decca)
  • 1956: Kitty Wells' Country Hit Parade (Decca)
  • 1959: Dust On The Bible (Decca)
  • 1959: After Dark (Decca)
  • 1960: Kitty's Choice (Decca)
  • 1960: Seasons Of My Heart (Decca)
  • 1960: Kitty Wells' & Red Foley's Golden Favorites (Decca)
  • 1961: Heartbreak USA (Decca)
  • 1962: Kitty Wells, Queen Of Country Music (Decca)
  • 1962: Singing On Sunday (Decca)
  • 1962: Christmas Day With Kitty Wells (Decca)
  • 1964: Especially For You (Decca)
  • 1964: Country Music Time (Decca)
  • 1958: Lonely Street (Decca)
  • 1965: Burning Memories (Decca)
  • 1965: Lonesome, Sad And Blue (Decca)
  • 1966: Kitty Wells Sings Songs Made Famous By Jim Reeves (Decca)
  • 1966: Country All The Way (Decca)
  • 1966: The Kitty Wells' Show (Decca)
  • 1967: Love Makes The World Go Around (Decca)
  • 1967: Queen Of Honky Tonk Street (Decca)
  • 1968: Kitty Wells Showcase (Decca)
  • 1970: Your Love Is The Way (Decca)
  • 1971: They're Stepping All Over My Heart (Decca)
  • 1971: Pledging My Love (Decca)
  • 1972: Sincerely (Decca)
  • 1972: I've Got Yesterday (Decca)
  • 1973: Yours Truly (MCA / Decca)
  • 1974: Forever Young (Capricorn)

Web links

Commons : Kitty Wells  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ "The Queen of Country Music" Dies At Age 92. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on July 16, 2012 ; accessed on July 16, 2012 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.newschannel5.com
  2. ↑ Biography on the official website
  3. ↑ Wells biography on sing365.com ( Memento of the original from April 8, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.sing365.com
  4. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/28/arts/music/johnnie-wright-country-singer-and-bandleader-dies-at-97.html?_r=0 obituary in the online edition the New York Times
personal data
SURNAME Wells, kitty
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Deason, Ellen Muriel (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American country singer
DATE OF BIRTH August 30, 1919
PLACE OF BIRTH Nashville , Tennessee, USA
DATE OF DEATH July 16, 2012
Place of death Nashville