Instead of shoveling combustible minerals like her daddy, country icon Loretta Lynn, the self-proclaimed “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” opted for striking gold.
Throughout more than 50 years in the music business, Lynn has 16 No. 1 singles and 51 Top 10 hits to her credit. A spot in the Country Music Hall of Fame, an Oscar-winning 1980 biopic and a Grammy lifetime achievement award in 2010 are a few of her other achievements.
Last year’s tribute album, “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” featured artists ranging from the Whites Stripes to Martina McBride covering the songs Lynn made famous. And now that the singer-songwriter has gotten knee surgery out of the way, she’s back on the concert trail.
Q. When you first started in country music, did you ever imagine you'd still be recording and performing 50 years down the road?
A. Never. I come to Nashville and in six months I had a chart record. It's just kind of been unbelievable, but I've really worked hard, too. It didn't just happen. It's been hard work.
Q. How long did you think you were going to last?
A. I never had any idea. But you know, you can probably stay in the business, in the Top 10, if you work hard and just keep right on working. ... Jack White did that one album [with] me [in 2004]. It was called "Van Lear Rose." He did a great job, and we got two Grammys for that. So he was real proud.
Q. You've had so many great accolades and awards through the years. How have you been able to keep such a level head?
A. Just being right down there with the people. You're not any different than anybody else. You're just like they are. When you start thinking you're a star, that's when you get booted. I don't think anybody is any better than anybody else, and I've always felt that way.
Q. Having had such a long career, how would you compare the Nashville of yesterday to that of today?
A. Entirely different. There is nothing in Nashville the same. I don't understand it, but there isn't. Not even the music sounds the same.
Q. How do you think the powers-that-be in Nashville could learn from the past?
A. I don't think that they could, because things move on. I like the polished sound of the music today. Me and Miranda Lambert are writing some together.
Q. How does it feel coming out onstage and performing material across 50 years?
A. It's good. If I'd let them, people would tell me what they want to hear. They holler for songs that go way back. Some of them, I can't remember. I'll just say, "If you help me sing it, I'll sing it. But you've got to help me." [Laughs] But we get through the night.
Q. Is there a song that you never grow tired of singing?
A. Probably "Coal Miner's Daughter." I had six other verses to that song. And Owen Bradley, my producer, said, "Loretta, get in another room there and take about six of those verses off. There's already been one 'El Paso' and there will never be another one." [Laughs]. So that was the hardest thing I've ever done, taking those six verses off of that song.
CLASSIC COUNTRY
Fans of classic country can choose from a virtual buffet of legendary names taking the stage this weekend. Simply pick and grin.
LORETTA LYNN
Why she matters: Broke ground by recording songs from an unprecedented strong female point of view. Tunes such as "Rated X" and "The Pill" were oozing with brash long before Gretchen Wilson.
Choice cuts: "Don't Come Home a Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)," "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)," the Conway Twitty duet "After the Fire Is Gone," and "Coal Miner's Daughter."
7:30 p.m. June 10. $45.95-$92.05. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta. 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com.
WILLIE NELSON
Why he matters: Trends come and go in country, but Nelson's name stays solid. The evidence lies in his current Country Throwdown Tour as he shares the stage with younger guns. One of country's original outlaws, this Hall of Famer wears many hats, from actor to activist. He could've stopped when he wrote "Crazy" in 1961, but went on to a legendary career. No other country artist jumps genres like Nelson, from collaborating with jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis to sharing the stage with Snoop Dogg.
Choice cuts: "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," "On the Road Again," "Always on My Mind" and "Georgia on My Mind." The Highwaymen, a country supergroup featuring Nelson, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings, did the definitive version of Jimmy Webb's "The Highwayman."
3 p.m. June 12. $45.25-$86.50. Coolray Field, One Braves Ave., Lawrenceville. 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com.
CHARLIE DANIELS BAND
Why he matters: Although best known for his fiery fiddle playing and vocals on 1979's "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," the Grammy-winning Daniels is more than a one-song cowboy. He co-wrote "It Hurts Me," recorded by Elvis Presley. Other musical achievements include session work alongside Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Leonard Cohen and others. He also created the Volunteer Jam, a long-running concert event blending country, rock and roots music.
Choice cuts: "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," "Uneasy Rider," "The South's Gonna Do It Again" and "Long Haired Country Boy."
9 p.m. June 10. $29.95-$110.45. Wild Bill’s, 2075 Market St., Duluth. 678-473-1000, www.wildbillsatlanta.com.
About the Author
