With such feisty hits as "You Ain't Woman Enough" and "Fist City," country singer/songwriter Loretta Lynn voiced the concerns of blue-collar women during the 1960s and 1970s. When Lynn came to Nashville in 1960, "girl singers" were still considered risky ventures by record executives and promoters. The first female superstar of the modern country industry, Lynn established herself as a true celebrity, capable of selling Crisco vegetable shortening as well as records and concert tickets. Her success as an entertainer also proved that she could remain true to her rural background and retain her traditional vocal style, even as Nashville and the industry were becoming increasingly sophisticated.

Loretta Lynn

One of eight children, Lynn was born Loretta Webb, on April 14, 1935 in the poverty-stricken coal mining town of Butcher Hollow, Kentucky. She married Oliver V. Lynn, who was known by the nicknames "Doolittle" and "Mooney...