The Queen of Country music Kitty Wells passed away from stroke complications this past Monday (July 16).
Born in Nashville on August 30, 1919 to musician parents, she married musician Johnnie Wright at the tender age of 18.
Kitty became a national sensation in 1952 when she released ‘It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels’, a direct response to Hank Thompson‘s ‘Wild Side of Life’ which blamed women for marital problems. Her song topped the charts and led to her becoming the first female country artist to have a number one record on the charts. She had 35 Billboard top 10 singles during her career.
In 1976, she was elected a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991. She is credited for being a pioneer for women in country music, leading recording companies to sign more female artists and create more positive images of women in country.
Country musician Loretta Lynn released a statement on her website to pay her respects to the late, great Kitty Wells, “Kitty Wells will always be greatest female country singer of all times. She was my hero. If I had never heard of Kitty Wells, I don’t think I would have been a singer myself. I wanted to sound just like her, but as far as I am concerned, No one will ever be as great as Kitty Wells. She truly is the Queen of Country Music.”
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