KY’s Loretta Lynn remains most awarded woman in country music. Here’s what she achieved

Loretta Lynn, the country music icon who never forgot her roots as a coal miner’s daughter, left a legacy of achievements and accolades before her death Tuesday at age 90.

Born in Butcher Hollow, Ky., her career is paved with many firsts as one of the Bluegrass State’s most beloved stars.

Some of those firsts include becoming the first woman in country music history to receive a certified gold album for 1967’s “Don’t Come Home A Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind),” the first woman named Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association and the first female country music artist honored with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star.

Lynn also remains the most-awarded woman in country music and has been honored with four Grammy Awards – including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. She has sold more than 45 million records worldwide, according to her bio on her website.

Here’s an abridged timeline looking back at Lynn’s accomplishments spanning her six-decade country music career.

Early career and country music success

1960 – After forming her first band, Loretta & The Trailblazers, while living in Washington state, Lynn caught the eyes of local record executives while playing gigs at clubs in Custer. This led to her signing her first recording contract in January with Zero Records, according to her official bio.

In March of that same year, Lynn released her first single, “I’m a Honky Tonk Girl.” It debuted at No. 14 on the U.S. Country Chart.

Months later, Billboard Magazine named her the No. 4 Most Promising Country Female Artist.

In October, Lynn made her first appearance at Music City’s Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

Loretta Lynn’s legacy: Listen to the legend’s greatest hits. We’ve got the list here

1962 – By now she had moved her family to Nashville to pursue her career in country music.

After signing with Decca records, Lynn released her first top 10 single, “Success.” For Lynn, it was the first in a string of top 10 singles throughout the 60s that would see her crowned “Queen of Country.”

Her hits during the decade include “Before I’m Over You,” “Wine, Women and Song,” “Happy Birthday,” “Blue Kentucky Girl” and “The Home You’re Tearing Down.”

In 1966, “Dear Uncle Sam” was among the earliest recordings to acknowledge the human cost of America’s war in Vietnam. It was also the first she’d written to crack the top 10.

Breakthrough success in country music

1967 – Lynn gains breakthrough success with her chart-topping studio album “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin.’”

Her ninth studio album was her first to be certified Gold, and she was the first woman in country music to win the honor, according to Lynn’s official bio.

1970 – Lynn’s country music career continued to be a success into the 1970s, when her autobiographical hit and most famous song, “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” was released in October.

Chronicling her childhood in Eastern Kentucky during the Great Depression, it reached No. 1 on the country charts in the U.S. and Canada and broke into the Billboard Top 100, peaking at 83. The song later became a bestselling autobiography and film.

1971 – This year marks the start of Lynn’s successful professional relationship with Conway Twitty, which spawned several hits, including “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man” in 1973.

1975 – By now, Lynn was diving into then-controversial topics through her music, including 1975’s “The Pill,” which was one of the first songs to discuss birth control and housewives’ and mothers’ liberation through it.

1988 – Lynn is inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

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