Who Were The First Successful Lady Country Singing Stars?

What we call country music has its roots in the traditional folk music played by the immigrants from Scotland, England, and Ireland. The old songs were changed rearranged and played throughout the Appalachian Mountains of the South. The instruments used were the simple fiddle, guitar, audioharp, and dulcimer; drums would not be a part of the music for many years. It would be radio with such programs as the Grand Ole Opry and Louisiana Hayride that would bring the mountain or hillbilly music to all of America. It’s believed the first country hit was “The Wreck Of The Old ‘97“ recorded by Vernon Dalhart in 1924. The few female singers were called “girl” singers and would not gain acceptance for many years. In the 1930s, Western Swing using the Big Band approach would become popular under the leadership of Bob Wills. It died out after World War II.

A landmark in country music occurred in Bristol, Tennessee when Ralph Peer recorded such future icons as Jimmie Rogers and the Carter Family. It was 1927 and this can be called the year that the country sound was formed. Jimmie Rogers is often called the father of country music and one of the Carter Family members, Maybelle, earned the title of “queen mother of country music.” The two Carter ladies, Maybelle and Sara, were part of a trio that became extremely popular and could be called the first important “girl” singers.

In 1928, the Carter family traveled to New Jersey where they recorded “Wildwood Flower" and John Hardy.” This session saw them record about a dozen songs for which they were paid $50 each. These songs along with “Keep On The Sunnyside” and “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” would win them instant acclaim. By 1930, they had sold over 700,000 copies of their music.

A.P. suffered from a physical tremor which,said his mother, was due to her being in a severe lightening storm while pregnant. He was also a man who had wanderlust but his dream was to have a farm of his own. He worked on the railroad and left the state, traveling to Indiana to work as a carpenter. After being laid low by typhoid fever, he had to quit and head back to Virginia. On his way home he wrote his first song, “Clinch Mountain Home.”

A.P. soon had a job as a traveling salesman for a nursery and on one of his jaunts, he was mesmerized by the singing of a beautiful 16-year-old girl. He was immediately smitten and they were married in 1915. Along with the great voice, Sara (Dougherty)  played the audioharp. She earned her first audioharp when about twelve by selling greeting cards. It’s cost was about ten dollars and it came from Sears Roebuck. They sang and played together and were well known to local audiences. Soon Sara’s cousin, Maybelle Addington joined them. Maybelle had a unique, driving style of playing the guitar and it became known as the" Carter scratch." Maybelle fell in love and married A.P.'s cousin Eck and the Carter Family was born. They would record nearly 300 songs from 1927-1941. A.P. and his black traveling buddy, Esley Riddle, worked the countryside culling traditional mountain music from the cabins and dance halls of the Appalachians. A.P. would return with a new batch of songs and Sara and Maybelle would work them into a more “modern” form.

A.P. was not much of a handyman leaving it to Sara to chop the wood and do needed repairs around the house. A.P. loved being on the road and once asked his cousin, Coy Bays, to look after Sara while he was gone. He did. Sara and Coy fell in love but his family didn’t approve and shipped Coy off to California. But in 1936, Sara and A.P. divorced.

In 1938, The Carter Family was performing on a powerful Texas radio station (XERA) located in Mexico. In 1939, Sara dedicated “I’m Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes” to her friend Coy Bays. Coy heard it, rushed to her side and soon they were married. When XERA closed its doors in 1941, Sara moved to California with Coy but would occasionally return to perform and record with A.P. and Maybelle. In 1943, Sara returned to California for good and that was the end of the original Carter Family.

It would seem A.P. was mainly interest in roaming the countryside looking for musical nuggets. He would retire to Poor Valley and run a grocery store at the end, living off the royalties of his music. Sara wasn’t that interested on the road and was happy being a housewife. It was Maybelle who kept keep the Carter Family tradition alive. She and her daughters would perform for decades, singing many of the Carter Family hits. In 1968, two country dynasties were joined when Maybelle’s daughter, June Carter married Johnny Cash

If record sales are an indicator of a girl singer's popularity, the nod would go to Patsy Montana as the first really successful female country artist when her recording of “I Want T Be A Cowboy’s Sweetheart” sold over a million copies in 1932. She was a mainstay on the National Barn Dance radio show on Chicago radio station WLS. She also appeared in western movies in the 30s and 40s. In 1939, she was in Colorado Sunset, a Gene Autry film. As a youngster, Patsy loved the singing of Jimmie Rogers and taught herself how to play the guitar. She also copied the yodeling style of Rogers. In 1930, she left college, moved to California, and won a talent contest. This led to her first radio job. In 1932, she she backed “You Are My Sunshine” star and future governor, Jimmie Davis. He debut recording of “When The Flowers Of Montana Are Blooming” soon followed. She returned to her farm in the late forties to live with her husband and two children. She appeared in many country shows and cut several gospel albums in the 80s and 90s. She passed away in 1996.

Actually born in Nashville, Kitty Wells was once know as the reigning queen of country music. Her hits were the talk of country disc jockeys in the 50s to early 70s. Her first big hit was in 1952 when she recorded “It Wasn’t God who Made Honky Tonk Angels.” The was what was called an “answer” or a response to a Hank Thompson tune “The Wild Side Of Life.” Hank blamed a man’s misfortune with women on those homewreckers who lay in wait in bars and honky tonks. Kitty replied musically that it was the unfaithful husbands that created the fallen woman. This song made Kitty the first major female recording artist according to many. In 1937, Kitty married singer Johnnie Walker and they often performed together in a group called the Tennessee Mountain Boys. Another “answer” song was “Paying For That Back Street Affair” which was an answer to the Webb Pierce hit, “Back Street Affair.’ In 1952, she joined the Grand Ole Opry. She continued to have best sellers in the 50s and 60s.

Kitty retired in 19774 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. She is acknowledged as the “girl” singer who broke down the barriers for future female country stars.

Patsy Cline would be the first female solo artist to become a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. She was also the first “girl” singer to carry her own show. To somewhat reluctant booking agents who were concerned about how much money she would bring in, Cline would tell them, “No dough, no show.”  She got the advance. She felt right at home with the male country establishment and delighted in telling her own bawdy jokes. She called her friends “Hoss’ and referred to herself as “The Cline.” “Crazy” was her signature song but other songs would always be associated with her. Among her big hits were “I Fall To Pieces”, “She’s Got You”, “Sweet Dreams”, and “Faded Love.”  Her songs were covered by many other recording artists.  

Patsy had made inroads in radio and had recorded “Walkin’ After Midnight” when she appeared on the Arthur Godfrey Talent Scout Show. She was a big hit and was featured on Godfrey’s radio program for several weeks. Patsy was one of the first country singers to have crossover hits, songs that do well on both the country and pop charts. Patsy was married before but met the love of her life, Charlie Dick, in 1957.

Patsy had what she called two bad accidents in her life. At 13, she contracted rheumatic fever. It affected her throat and at one point, her heart stopped. When she recovered, her voice had changed and she had a booming but still sweet singing voice. In 1961, she was involved in a car crash which nearly took her life. She would always wear wigs and makeup to hide scars from the accident. Patsy also discarded wearing typical Western gear for elegant gowns and cocktail dresses.

After playing a benefit, she refused a ride home from Dottie West, deciding to fly home despite the bad weather. It was a terrible decision as Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, and Hawkshaw Hawkins along with the pilot were all killed in the crash. Thus ended the career of one of the greatest of all country singers on March 5, 1963. Weeks before, Patsy had a sense of doom and told her friends she didn’t expect to live much longer. In a final irony, singer Jack Anglin was killed in a car accident on the way to Patsy’s funeral.

Patsy Cline accomplished much in a career that spanned a liitle more than five years but with her being voted into the Country Hall of fame in 1973 she proved the “girl” singers had finally arrived---for good.