Welcome back to Country Music 4 Ever! It’s time for the second part of my women’s history month project. Today’s post is all about women who debuted in country music in the 60s.

The first lady I want to talk about is Dottie West. Dottie released her debut single “Angel on Paper” in 1960, but it wasn’t until 1964 that she had her first charted song. Dottie tragically died after being involved in a car accident on the way to the Grand Ole Opry.

The next lady is Loretta Lynn. Loretta began performing after her husband DooLittle bought her a $17 guitar. She released her debut single “I’m a Honky Tonk Girl” in 1960, which reached number 14 on the charts. Loretta went on to become the most banned country artist of all time because of songs like “The Pill” and “Rated X.”

The next artist I’m going to talk about is Jeannie Seely. Jeannie began performing on a Saturday morning radio show at age 11. She had to stand on a stack of wooden soda cases to reach the microphone. In 1964, Jeannie released her debut single, but it wasn’t until 1966 that she had a charting single.

Connie Smith is the next person I want to talk about. When Connie was 18, she began teaching herself how to play the guitar while recovering from a lawnmower accident. With some help from Bill Anderson, she performed on the Ernest Tubb Record Shop’s “Midnite Jamboree” in 1964. She released her debut single “Once a Day” later that year, which spent eight weeks at number one.

The next lady is Barbara Mandrell. When Barbara was 14, she joined her parents in The Mandrell Family Band and began playing military bases in the U.S. and Asia. She fell in love with the band’s drummer, Ken Dudney. They married in 1967, and Barbara retired from music for a short amount of time. Prior to her brief retirement, she released her debut single in 1966. It wasn’t until 1969 that she had a charting single, though.

Lynn Anderson is the next artist I want to talk about. Lynn released her debut single in 1966 called “In Person.” Throughout her career, Lynn released 52 albums and nearly 100 singles. 12 of her singles reached number one.

The next lady is Tammy Wynette. Tammy performed in a trio with her friends called “Wynette, Linda, and Imogene” before she became famous. She moved to Nashville in 1966. After her move, she pitched some songs to Epic Records’ producer, Billy Sherrill. Her debut single “Apartment #9” earned a decent amount of airplay.

The next artist is K.T. Oslin. K.T. moved to New York City in 1966 to pursue an acting career. She appeared in several Broadway shows and also found work singing commercial jingles. Her love of country music began when New York started their first country radio station. K.T. released her debut single in 1967 as part of a duo, “Frankie & Johnny.”

Jeannie C. Riley is the next artist. Jeannie’s childhood home didn’t have a foundation under it. Her family could always feel the air come in underneath the house. She knew from a young age she wanted to make it big in Nashville. Then she could have her parents come live with her in a mansion. In 1968, she released her debut single, “Harper Valley PTA,” which went to number one.

The next lady I’m going to talk about is Anne Murray. Anne released her debut album “What About Me” in 1968. The title track became an instant Canadian hit. Soon after, she signed with Capitol Records. Her song “Snowbird” was certified gold by RIAA, which was a first for a Canadian artist.

The last lady I’m going to talk about is Linda Rondstadt. Linda began her musical career in the mid-1960s during California’s folk-rock and country-rock movements. She joined a folk-rock trio called “The Stone Poneys.” She later began her solo career when she released her debut album in 1969, which was described as the first alternative country record by a female artist.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back soon with the other parts of this project.