1 female country singer until Wynette finally dethroned her. From 1953 to 1968, various polls listed Wells as the No. She recorded approximately 50 albums, had 25 Top 10 country hits and went around the world several times.
Billboard magazine had been charting country singles for about eight years at that time. 1 hit by a solo female artist with “It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.” Her success dashed the notion that women couldn't be headliners. She was always the most gracious, kind and lovely person to be around,” Mandrell said in a statement. She led the way for all of us and I feel very grateful and honored to have known her. “Kitty Wells was every female country music performer's heroine. A country superstar in her own right, Barbara Mandrell, said she appreciated Wells being a mentor. Here is “Gathering Flowers for the Master’s Bouquet.” The steel guitarist, fiddler, mandolinist, and the man singing harmony are not identified.For those who knew Wells, she was a powerful presence. In other words, it’s okay to buy and enjoy her records because here’s proof that she’s not actually one of the lost souls she usually sings about.Īll that aside, Wells’ performance of this repertoire is heartfelt and has an appealing purity. “ reflects the joy and fulfillment of truly believing, and the wholesome satisfaction derived from being able to become the most popular and beloved personality in her field without depriving her family (who have always come first with Kitty) of any of the love and attention she feels they deserve.” As the back jacket of the Decca Hi-Fi Stereophonic LP puts it: Wells’ own faith notwithstanding, it’s important to note a larger marketing impetus behind this record, which the company did not try to hide. Wells released Singing on Sunday in 1962. That rich repertoire was an integral part of the fabric of early country music. The public lapped it up this album’s big hit was “She’s No Angel.” Another song in that vein is “Dancing with a Stranger”:Įven the spokes-singer for female “sinners” could not resist the urge to turn her talents to gospel. As the tribute to her on the Country Music Hall of Fame website points out, she had an innocent manner but specialized in singing stories told through the eyes of “fallen” women who’ve been roughed up by life. She was not a songwriter herself, but she (and her management at Decca) were skilled at finding material that suited her. On her debut, Winner of Your Heart, she recorded 12 songs that had not yet been put out as singles. She would go on to make nearly 40 of them.
In those days, the single was king and albums were a marketing afterthought, so Wells focused on making hit songs like “Release Me” and “Making Believe” but didn’t release her first full solo album until 1956. It was meant as an answer to Hank Thompson’s hit “The Wild Side of Life,” which portrayed women as immoral destroyers of happy homes.Īt first Wells’ song was banned, including by the Grand Ole Opry, but public demand made them see dollar signs, and the industry relented. (For context, Patsy Cline’s career didn’t really get rolling until 1960.)Įverything changed in 1952, when Wells, about ready to pack in her music career, reluctantly agreed to Decca Record’s request to record a single called “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.” The song took a woman’s perspective, wondering why women get blamed for all love’s heartaches when men are so often the ones who cheat.
Less than a year later, unsure how to promote a woman in country music, they dropped her. It was Wright who suggested her stage name, inspired by the mournful 19 th-century song “Sweet Kitty Wells.”Īfter years of singing backup for her husband, whose promoter warned him that putting a woman out front would kill sales, Wells signed a solo deal with RCA Victor in 1949. She got married to Johnnie Wright when she was 18 and started touring with his duo, eventually called Johnnie & Jack (with Jack Anglin). Born in 1919 as Ellen Deason, she and her sisters used to sing for the local radio station. Underlying it all was a clear, appealing voice with a knack for tugging at the heartstrings.Īmong Wells’ many rare features was the fact that she was born in Nashville, which was almost unheard-of among country stars, even in the genre’s early days. The singer was the first woman to become a major star in country music, and only the third country artist to win a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Before there was Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, there was Kitty Wells.