Maps of Music

Blue Kentucky Girl (1965)

Where the lyrics of Blue Kentucky Girl take you, and where it was really made.

The title track was recorded in October 1964 for a different album, months before this record's own sessions began in March 1965.

Key places

Recording sessions in Nashville (1965)

Recording site Nashville — The album was recorded over three sessions in March 1965 at Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. The point is shown at city-center level. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Blue Kentucky Girl: fourth studio album by American country singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn
• Released June 14, 1965 by Decca Records
• Four songs written by Lynn: "Night Girl," "Love's Been Here and Gone," "Farther to Go," "Two Steps Forward"
• Two covers of earlier country hits: Connie Smith's "Then and Only Then" and Johnny Cash's "I Still Miss Someone"
• Title track "Blue Kentucky Girl" was the album's only single, released March 1965

Background

• The June 26, 1965 Billboard review called the title song Lynn's current hit
• Billboard described the album as a showcase for that title song and for "Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On"
• The Italian track listing credits the title song to Johnny Mullins

Recording

• Recorded over three sessions on March 4, 15, and 16, 1965
• Sessions took place at Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville, Tennessee
• "Blue Kentucky Girl" was recorded October 14, 1964, for the album Songs from My Heart....
• "The Beginning of the End" was recorded January 9, 1963, for the session of Loretta Lynn Sings
• Owen Bradley is credited as producer in the Italian track listing
• Session players include Floyd Cramer (piano), Buddy Harman (drums), and The Jordanaires (backing vocals)
• Harold Bradley and Wayne Moss are credited on guitars across the sessions

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Born Loretta Webb on April 14, 1932, in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky, the oldest daughter in a coal miner's family.
• Married Oliver Vanetta "Doolittle" Lynn in 1948 at age 15; the marriage lasted almost 50 years until his death in 1996.
• Began singing in local clubs in the late 1950s and formed her own band, the Trailblazers.

Career

• Signed with Zero Records in 1960; her first release was "Whispering Sea" and "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl".
• Joined Decca Records through the Wilburn Brothers; joined the Grand Ole Opry on September 25, 1962.
• Scored a string of hits from the 1960s, including "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)" and "Don't Come Home A-Drinkin'".
• Wrote songs on women's issues such as birth control ("The Pill") and double standards ("Rated 'X'"), many inspired by her own marriage.
• Recorded five No. 1 duets with Conway Twitty between 1971 and 1975.
• Her 1976 autobiography Coal Miner's Daughter became a bestseller and inspired the 1980 Oscar-winning film starring Sissy Spacek.
• Named Artist of the Decade for the 1970s by the Academy of Country Music, the only woman to win this honor.
• Released Van Lear Rose (2004), produced by Jack White, which won the Grammy for Best Country Album.
• Had a stroke in 2017 and broke her hip in 2018, which ended her touring after 57 years.
• Died on October 4, 2022, at age 90, at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Billboard (June 26, 1965 issue): called the album a beautiful showcase for the title song, "Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On," and "I Still Miss Someone"
• Billboard: predicted the hit would make the album a strong seller in the country music field

Records

• US Billboard Hot Country Albums: debuted at No. 18 on the chart dated July 10, 1965
• Peaked at No. 14 the following week
• Spent a total of 8 weeks on the chart
• Only single "Blue Kentucky Girl": reached No. 7 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles chart
• Released as the only single in March 1965

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Two songs on the album were recorded earlier for other albums, while the rest came from the 1965 sessions.
• "Blue Kentucky Girl" was recorded October 14, 1964, for Songs from My Heart....
• "The Beginning of the End" dates from a January 9, 1963 session for Loretta Lynn Sings.
• Teddy Wilburn is credited with Lynn as co-writer of "Night Girl" and "Love's Been Here and Gone" in the Italian track listing.
• The title track reached No. 7 on the US country singles chart, the album's only single.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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