Life & Times of Loretta Lynn! (A&E Biography, Documentary)

Full Episode. No commercials. A&E Biography - Life and Times of Loretta Lynn -------- BIOGRAPHY: Loretta Lynn's rise from a Kentucky cabin to the pinnacle of Nashville success was the quintessential American showbiz dream. Born April 14, 1932 in Butcher Hollow, KY, Loretta Webb was literally born a coal miner's daughter, the 2nd of eight children of Clara Marie and Melvin "Ted" Webb. Named after the movie star Loretta Young. Her youngest sibling, Brenda Gail Webb, would later become the successful singer Crystal Gayle. Loretta's life changed forever when she met 21-year-old Oliver Vanetta Lynn (aka "Doolittle," "Doo," or "Mooney,") at a pie auction social. Fresh from a stint in the military and determined not to become a coal miner, Doo married the 15-year-old Lynn and the two eventually moved to Custer, WA. A mother of four by the age of 19, Lynn received a guitar from her husband as a present and taught herself to play it. At Doo's insistence, she began singing locally, and won a televised talent contest in Tacoma, WA where she was spotted by Norm Burley, who founded Zero Records just to record her. The young couple traveled the country, stopping at every local country radio station to promote her first single, "I'm A Honky Tonk Girl." Written by Lynn, the song became a top 20 hit, reaching #14 on the Billboard Charts, which Loretta and Doo didn't even know that it was climbing the charts, and opened the door to the Wilburn Brothers' Publishing Company when the Lynns reached Nashville. Her demo records for the Wilburns served as an entrée to a major label, Decca Records, and she played the Grand Ole Opry for the first time in 1960, becoming a member in 1962. At the time, there were only a handful of successful female country singers, like Kitty Wells and Patsy Cline - the latter of whom would take the young Lynn under her wing, coloring her sound and becoming her mentor as well as her best friend. In fact, Lynn's first Top 10 hit, 1962's "Success," reflected Cline's influence. Lynn's honky tonk hits from the period included 1964's "Before I'm Over You," "Wine, Women, and Song," and a string of duets with Ernest Tubb, starting with "Mr. and Mrs. Used To Be." Lynn racked up 3 additional solo hits in 1965: "Happy Birthday," "Blue Kentucky Girl" and "The Home You're Tearing Down." The 1966 single "Dear Uncle Sam," which tackled the Vietnam War, was the first song Lynn wrote to hit the Top 10 (#4), and also represented an artistic shift, which saw Lynn writing more personal music. That same year, "You Ain't Woman Enough," a feisty challenge to a would-be husband stealer became a huge hit and a signature of Lynn's new style. The battle cry of 1967's album and Lynn-penned "Don't Come Home A'Drinkin' (with Lovin' on Your Mind)" gave Lynn her first No. 1 single and gold record (the first gold record for a female country singer). The following year, she returned to the top of the country charts with the hit "Fist City" from the album of the same name. No one was writing music like Lynn's sassy anthems, and she not only sang to the beleaguered working woman, but also for her. Always quick with a clever song gimmick, she followed that up with the successful album/single "Your Squaw is on the Warpath" in 1968, and topped the charts in 1969 with "Woman of the World (Leave My World Alone)." She wrote herself a new sobriquet with her 1970 chart-topper "Coal Miner's Daughter." Starting in 1971, Lynn launched a series of successful duets with Conway Twitty, hitting No. 1 with 1971's "After the Fire is Gone," 1971's "Lead Me On," 1973's "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man," 1974's "As Soon As I Hang Up the Phone" and 1974's "Feelins'" as well as racking up seven Top 10 hits and a shelf-load of duet awards. On her own, Lynn took the charming "One's on the Way" to the top of the charts in 1971 and had a Top 5 hit with her upbeat, self-penned anthem "You're Lookin' At Country." In 1972, Lynn became the 1st woman to win the CMA's "Entertainer of the Year", as well as first ACM's in 1976. In 1973, she returned to No. 1 with the comedic exploration of the troubles divorced women have, the controversial song "Rated X," and became the first country singer to appear on the cover of Newsweek. The next year, "Love Is the Foundation" flew to No. 1, she made the Top 5 with the bouncy "Hey Loretta," and again invited scandal with her 1975 ode to "The Pill." Lynn's autobiography, Coal Miner's Daughter, co-written with George Vecsey, came out in 1976 and was a runaway bestseller. It was the film version of "Coal Miner's Daughter" (1980), which cemented Lynn's place as a cultural icon across the board. -------- I own no rights to the material in the video. I intend no copyright infringements. For educational purposes only. Uploaded for non profit purposes. #lorettalynn #documentary #legend #biography #countrymusic #legacy #coalminersdaughter #tribute #inmemory #interview #nashville #lifeandtimes

Added 1 Jul 2026