Loretta Lynn: Heartbreak, Lies, And Country Music

The Brutal And Tragic Life Of Loretta Lynn
HOME
EDITORIAL
LISTS
PEOPLE
ADVENTURERS
ACTORS & ACTRESSES
ARTISTS & WRITERS
MUSICIANS
ROYALTY
SCANDAL-MAKERS
SCIENTISTS & SCHOLARS
PLACES
CASTLES
CITIES & COUNTRIES
HAUNTED PLACES
THE ANCIENT WORLD
NATURE
THINGS
ENTERTAINMENT
MYSTERIES
HIDDEN HISTORIES
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
QUIZ
NEWSLETTER
VIDEO
ABOUT
✕
ADVERTISE
PARTNER
FAQ
CAREERS
PRIVACY
TERMS OF USE
CONTRIBUTE
ABOUT
HOME
EDITORIAL
LISTS
PEOPLE
ADVENTURERS
ACTORS & ACTRESSES
ARTISTS & WRITERS
MUSICIANS
ROYALTY
SCANDAL-MAKERS
SCIENTISTS & SCHOLARS
PLACES
CASTLES
CITIES & COUNTRIES
HAUNTED PLACES
THE ANCIENT WORLD
NATURE
THINGS
ENTERTAINMENT
MYSTERIES
HIDDEN HISTORIES
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
LGBTQ
QUIZ
NEWSLETTER
VIDEO
ABOUT
Trailblazing Facts About Loretta Lynn, The Coal Miner's Daughter
Jul 30
PEOPLE
Byron Fast
When Loretta Lynn recorded a passionate cover of the song Stand By Your Man , one thing became very clear: She was standing by one of the worst husbands fate could have thrown her.
1. She Loved Intensely
Country singer Loretta Lynn was not only a hugely successful singer-songwriter, but she was also in some very intense relationships. Her devotion to fellow singer Patsy Cline became the source for a TV movie, but it was her violent and volatile relationship with her husband that really made Hollywood take notice.
Coal Miner’s Daughter,  the film about Lynn, became an awards season sweetheart—and it was no surprise, because her true story is just that astonishing.
AustinMini 1275, Flickr
Advertisement
2. She Was One Of Many
Loretta Lynn was born Loretta Webb in 1932 in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky. She was only the Webb’s second child, but there were lots more coming after her. In fact, by the time they were through, the Webbs had eight children. Lynn’s father managed to barely put enough food on the table by working as a coal miner.
But life for the Webbs was a constant struggle.
Les Leverett, Wikimedia Commons
Advertisement
3. They Had No Money
There were ten people living in the small family cabin, and winters were excessively cold. With very little money to pay to insulate the walls, Lynn’s mom came up with an imaginative way to keep warm and decorate their humble abode. She glued pages from the Sears catalog to the wall to keep the cold out.
You couldn’t blame young Loretta if she was looking for a way out of that claustrophobic cabin. And soon, a way out appeared out of nowhere.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
Advertisement
4. She Started Young
When Loretta was still a teenager, she met Oliver Vanetta Lynn —also known as “Doolittle” or just “ Doo ”. They met at a “pie social” Loretta quickly fell for him, but according to many,  he had a dark side.  Everyone thought that Doo was lazy and that he was running moonshine—but for Loretta, it didn’t matter. Even though she was just 15, she married the 21-year-old Doo.
It didn’t take long for Lynn to become pregnant, and for her new husband to announce a big move.
Hulton Archive, Getty Images
Advertisement
5. She Found the Time To Sing
Loretta Lynn and her husband left Kentucky and made their way to Washington State so her husband could work in the logging industry. Their first few children came quickly. There was Betty Sue in 1948, Jack Benny in 1949, and two more—Earnest Ray and Clara Marie—born in the early 1950s. Somehow, while tending to all these children, Lynn found the time to sing.
But there was one thing stopping Lynn from performing.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
Advertisement
6. He Got Her Going
Doo saw that Loretta Lynn had talent as a singer, but he also saw the major problem holding her back . She was incredibly insecure about her abilities. The first thing that Doo did was to go down to Sears and fork over $17 for a guitar . He then worked on Lynn’s confidence. He told her over and over again that she was as good or better than the popular singers of the time.
Lynn had trouble believing what her husband told her, but Doo wasn’t about to give up.
Walden S. Fabry, Wikimedia Commons
Advertisement
7. She Sang Her Heart Out
There was a local talent show that was televised in nearby Tacoma, Washington, and Doo convinced Lynn she could take home the top prize. Lynn nervously sang her heart out, and made a huge impression on the judges. Strangely, the prize was not a huge sum of money or a recording contract.
Graphic House, Getty Images
Advertisement
8. He Noticed Her
When Loretta Lynn netted the top prize at the talent competition, she was in for a huge disappointment.  The prize was a wristwatch. Okay, it wasn’t something more glamorous or that useful, but something good did come out of this experience. A Canadian man named Norm Burley noticed how lovely Lynn’s voice sounded.
Burley loved her voice, but he had to come up with a way to help her get famous.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
Advertisement
9. He Paid For Everything
Burley was so inspired by Lynn’s voice that he arranged for her to have a recording session down in Hollywood. He generously paid for both Lynn and Doo to travel to California. When Burley heard the recording , he was so impressed that he started a recording company just for her. But Lynn and Doo weren’t about to leave her fate solely in Burley and Zero Records’ hands.
Nope, they had a plan to make sure that Lynn’s song reached as many people as possible.
Universal, Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)
Advertisement
History's most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily.
SUBSCRIBE
Thank you!
Error, please try again.
10. They Sent Them Out
While Burley was up in Vancouver starting Zero Records, Loretta Lynn and Doo had their boots on the ground in America. Doo used the postal service to send copies of the record and a picture of Lynn to radio stations across the country. He sent 3,500 of these mailouts— but he was in for a brutal surprise.
He heard back from exactly zero of them. It was time for plan B, and it was a doozy.
Universal, Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)
Advertisement
11. They Hit The Road
Since using the mail hadn’t worked, Loretta Lynn and Doo decided to get into their car and hand-deliver copies of "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl”. They drove around America to every radio station they could find. Of course, because of their lack of money, staying in hotels was out of the question. They slept in the car and ate sandwiches in the park.
Eventually, they ended up in Nashville, Tennessee, where things started to turn around.
Universal, Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)
Advertisement
12. It Hit The Charts
When they arrived in Nashville, Lynn and Doo were in for a big shock . They found out that “I’m A Honky Tonk Girl” was a hit record. The Billboard Hot Country Songs put it at the number 14 spot. Not bad for her first record. Lynn was on the radio, and once others heard her talent, they wanted her as well.
Universal, Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)
Advertisement
13. She Received Invitations
The first thing that happened once Lynn’s voice was out there was that she got an invitation to tour with The Wilburn Brothers. Another invitation soon came in, and this was from Ernest Tubb, who hosted a radio show called Midnight Jamboree . The exposure on Midnight Jamboree led to a call that every country musician wants to receive.
Atlas Artist Bureau, Wikimedia Commons
Advertisement
14. She Got Huge Exposure
Grand Ole Opry is a radio show dedicated to country music and is now America’s longest-running broadcast. Loretta Lynn got the call to perform, and this was something huge. Grand Ole Opry gives its stars amazing exposure, and the future looked bright for Lynn. Of course, now she had the task of writing songs.
Well, she didn’t have to look very far for inspiration. You see, her marriage was no walk in the park.
Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons
Advertisement
15. They Fought
Doo had a temper , and he did scary things like smashing a jar against the wall in the middle of a fight. But it didn’t stop there. Doo also hit Lynn. Before you feel too sorry for her,…

Text scraped from the landing page for research purposes. © respective owners. This text is sourced from the advertiser's public landing page; for removal, contact dmca@luba.media.