{"id":1318766,"date":"2020-03-16T11:00:49","date_gmt":"2020-03-16T17:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/?p=1819106"},"modified":"2020-03-16T11:00:49","modified_gmt":"2020-03-16T17:00:49","slug":"womens-history-month-the-shifting-landscape-of-the-70s-and-80s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/music-news\/womens-history-month-the-shifting-landscape-of-the-70s-and-80s\/","title":{"rendered":"Women\u2019s History Month: The Shifting Landscape of the \u201970s and \u201980s"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cmt.mtvnimages.com\/uri\/mgid:ao:image:cmt.com:690743?width=1200&amp;height=675&amp;.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\"><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"byline\"> by <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/author\/morrise\/\" title=\"Posts by Edward Morris\" rel=\"author\">Edward Morris<\/a><\/span> <span class=\"date\"><br \/>\n13m ago<\/span><br \/>\n<\/span> <\/p>\n<p>Just say their names and you instantly hear their voices: Crystal Gayle, the Judds, Reba McEntire, Emmylou Harris, Barbara Mandrell. Musical Amazons all.<\/p>\n<p>The 1970s and \u201980s resounded with the sounds of new and distinctively individual female artists, few of whom focused on such traditional country themes as mother and home, the comforts of family or the pains of separation from rural or small-town life. Theirs was a wider, more complex world. Before singling them out for their particular achievements, though, it\u2019s important to note that these women reached artistic maturity while adjusting to a musical landscape that was rapidly changing and becoming more culturally homogenized.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dkMkHpKpLkM?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dkMkHpKpLkM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<p>By the mid-1970s, \u201coutsiders\u201d were making major inroads into country music, with Australian singer <strong>Olivia Newton-John<\/strong> winning the CMA female vocalist of the year trophy in 1974. Then, in 1976, the \u201coutlaw\u201d movement in country music was born with the release of the RCA album <em>Wanted: The Outlaws<\/em>. One of those vinyl-powered outlaws, of course, was a woman \u2014 <strong>Jessi Colter<\/strong>. The project became the first country album to reach platinum status, with a million copies sold.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-eb1hjN9YIQ?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-eb1hjN9YIQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<p>A seismic shift occurred in March 1983 when CMT: Country Music Television and TNN: The Nashville Network debuted just one day apart. Both were created, at least in part, to accommodate the latest in music marketing tools: the music video, which had recently done so much to boost pop music sales. With the advent of music videos, an artist\u2019s physical appearance became a factor in who might or might not make it on records. <\/p>\n<p>Below, read about the women who thrived in country music during the 1970s and 1980s:<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>She may have entered the business as Loretta Lynn\u2019s kid sister, but it was evident from her first turn on the charts in 1970 with \u201cI\u2019ve Cried (The Blues Right Out of My Eyes)\u201d that <strong>Crystal Gayle<\/strong> had her own voice. And what a voice it was \u2014 cool, jazzy and more of the supper club than the honky-tonk. Under the elegant production of Allen Reynolds, Gayle pumped out a string of chart-toppers, including \u201cI\u2019ll Get Over You,\u201d the Grammy-winning \u201cDon\u2019t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue,\u201d \u201cReady for the Times to Get Better,\u201d \u201cTalking in Your Sleep\u201d and \u201cStraight to the Heart\u201d \u2014 a total of 18 No. 1s. She was twice voted CMA\u2019s female vocalist of the year.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/25Cy0gNjiNw?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/25Cy0gNjiNw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p>\u201cDelta Dawn\u201d is a Southern Gothic tale about a jilted woman who goes off the deep end\u2014although to a lesser degree than the protagonist in William Faulkner\u2019s \u201cA Rose for Emily.\u201d So what the hell was a 13-year-old girl doing singing about such grim matters? Well, when the 13-year-old was <strong>Tanya Tucker<\/strong>, the answer was she was doing very well. From the start, and with producer Billy Sherrill\u2019s genius for matching material to voices, Tucker sang above her age level (and certainly beyond her experience level). She continued in this dark vein with \u201cWhat\u2019s Your Mama\u2019s Name,\u201d \u201cWould You Lay With Me in a Field of Stone,\u201d \u201cBlood Red and Going Down\u201d and \u201cLizzie and the Rainman.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>With her <em>TNT<\/em> album and its come-hither cover in 1978, Tucker swapped her wise-child image for a wild-child one. Even so, her chart presence dimmed. Between 1976, when she topped the rankings with \u201cHere\u2019s Some Love,\u201d and 1986, when she returned there with \u201cJust Another Love,\u201d she had only three Top 5s. But the late 1980s and \u201990s saw her register three more No. 1s and 15 Top 5s. After that, her recording lull ended triumphantly in 2020 when her album, <em>While I\u2019m Livin\u2019<\/em>, won her two Grammys.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eX_LifCGu6k?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eX_LifCGu6k?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p>Converted to country music by her mentor and singing partner Gram Parsons, former folksinger <strong>Emmylou Harris<\/strong> entered the country charts in 1975 with \u201cToo Far Gone.\u201d It reached only No. 73, but its follow-up that same year, \u201cIf I Could Only Win Your Love,\u201d a Louvin Brothers cover, soared to No. 4. Harris was instrumental in reviving interest in the Louvin Brothers\u2019 catalog, and many of her early hits were covers of songs made famous by other artists, including Buck Owens\u2019 \u201cTogether Again,\u201d Don Gibson\u2019s \u201cSweet Dreams\u201d and Chuck Berry\u2019s \u201c(You Never Can Tell) C\u2019est La Vie.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Harris\u2019 various road and studio bands incubated the talents of such future stars as Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill and Ricky Skaggs, among others. Her angelic voice made her a natural born harmonizer on records with Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, Roy Orbison, John Denver, Earl Thomas Conley, Don Williams and others. She has won a total of 14 Grammys in the country, folk and Americana categories, including a lifetime achievement award in 2018. In 2008, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TINYAolSjiQ?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TINYAolSjiQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>Reba McEntire<\/strong>\u2019s star was a long time rising, but when it reached its zenith, it shone more brightly than that of any of her female contemporaries. She first charted in 1976 with \u201cI Don\u2019t Want to be a One Night Stand,\u201d which barely crawled into the Top 100. It would be six more years before she rose to No. 1, as she did in 1982 with \u201cCan\u2019t Even Get the Blues.\u201d But once she got on a roll \u2014 promoted heavily by movie-like music videos \u2014 she tallied up 23 more chart-toppers, including such classics as \u201cWhoever\u2019s in New England,\u201d \u201cLittle Rock,\u201d \u201cOne Promise Too Late\u201d and \u201cThe Heart Won\u2019t Lie.\u201d She also recorded socially conscious songs like \u201cShe Thinks His Name Was John\u201d (about the hazards of unprotected sex), \u201cThe Stairs\u201d (domestic abuse), \u201cJust Across the Rio Grande\u201d (the plight of Mexican immigrants) and \u201cThe Greatest Man I Never Knew\u201d (emotionally distant parenting).<\/p>\n<p>McEntire further distinguished herself on Broadway with rave reviews for her lead role in <em>Annie Get Your Gun<\/em>, and in movies (<em>Tremors<\/em>, <em>North<\/em>), sitcoms (<em>Reba<\/em>) and major venue concerts (<em>Madison Square Garden<\/em>). With her second husband, Narvel Blackstock, she set up Starstruck Enterprises, which embraced recording, music publishing and management, among other artist services. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2011 and received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2018.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Es1xpUxrMhU?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Es1xpUxrMhU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p>A dazzling multi-instrumentalist, <strong>Barbara Mandrell<\/strong> was touring with Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash as a support act by the time she was 14. Based initially in her home state of California, Mandrell moved to Nashville in 1968 after being inspired by a trip to the Grand Ole Opry. She soon signed to Columbia Records and first charted for that label in 1969 with \u201cI\u2019ve Been Loving You Too Long.\u201d Her first Top 10 solo single came in 1973 with the suggestive \u201cMidnight Oil,\u201d which betrayed Mandrell\u2019s penchant for songs with an R&amp;B edge. It wasn\u2019t until 1978 and her 26th single that she had a No. 1 \u2014 \u201cSleeping Single in a Double Bed,\u201d which she immediately followed with another chart champion, \u201cIf Loving You Is Wrong I Don\u2019t Want to be Right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 1981, by which time she had become a television star via <em>Barbara Mandrell &amp; the Mandrell Sisters,<\/em> she went No. 1 with the song that would become her signature hit, \u201cI Was Country When Country Wasn\u2019t Cool.\u201d Two other No. 1s lay ahead: \u201c\u2019Till You\u2019re Gone\u201d and \u201cOne of a Kind Pair of Fools,\u201d both in 1983. In 1984, she was seriously injured in a car wreck that killed the other driver. The accident effectively ended her prominence as a recording artist, although she would continue to chart song intermittently until 1989. As an actress, Mandrell appeared in such shows as <em>Touched by an Angel<\/em>, <em>Empty Nest<\/em>, <em>Diagnosis Murder<\/em>, <em>Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman<\/em>, <em>Baywatch<\/em> and <em>The Rockford Files<\/em>. Her autobiography was made in the TV movie, <em>Get to the Heart (The Barbara Mandrell Story)<\/em>. She was welcomed into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2009.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/riTWsoOYqjE?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/riTWsoOYqjE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>The Judds<\/strong> \u2014 mother Naomi and daughter Wynonna \u2014 seemed to come out of nowhere. Unlike other acts that arrive after years of club performances and singles on minor labels that never chart, the Judds were virtually stars from the moment they signed to RCA Records in 1983. Blessed with gorgeous melodies, good looks and a gift of gab that endeared them to reporters and TV hosts, the duo went Top 20 with their first single, \u201cHad a Dream (For the Heart),\u201d then saw their next eight releases arc to No. 1. Indeed, their second and third singles, \u201cMama He\u2019s Crazy\u201d and \u201cWhy Not Me,\u201d won Grammys. <\/p>\n<p>In time, they would also win Grammys for \u201cGrandpa (Tell Me \u2019Bout the Good Ole Days),\u201d \u201cGive a Little Love\u201d and \u201cLove Can Build a Bridge,\u201d the latter co-written by Naomi. After contracting a life-threatening illness, Naomi withdrew from touring and performing in 1991, while Wynonna continued on as a solo act. Years later, they teamed up again for occasional shows, but they never again commanded the charts as they had at the outset of their careers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IIqSAMjRvXY?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IIqSAMjRvXY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>OTHER HITMAKERS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In 1970, <strong>Lynn Anderson<\/strong> scored her first country No. 1, \u201cRose Garden,\u201d which also went No. 3 pop. In a chart career that extended to 1989, she had four more No. 1s and 12 Top 10s. From 1967 to 1972, she regularly appeared on Lawrence Welk\u2019s weekly TV show. Her mother, Liz Anderson, wrote or co-wrote several chart songs for Merle Haggard, including \u201cThe Fugitive.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KXHsWBKKNbI?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KXHsWBKKNbI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p>Future \u201coutlaw\u201d <strong>Jessi Colter<\/strong> first entered the country charts in 1970 with \u201cSuspicious Minds,\u201d a duet her husband, Waylon Jennings, But her biggest hit and only No. 1 was the haunting \u201cI\u2019m Not Lisa\u201d in 1975. She went No. 5 that same year with \u201cWhat\u2019s Happened to Blue Eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KrrYtD07FQ4?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KrrYtD07FQ4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>Donna Fargo<\/strong> had much of America singing along with her in 1972 with her insanely peppy \u201cThe Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A.,\u201d which copped a Grammy. Five more of her generally sunny singles also reached the top, including \u201cFunny Face,\u201d \u201cSuperman\u201d and \u201cThat Was Yesterday,\u201d Fargo was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1979 but continued to record into the 1990s.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Oy6g3GRaHCs?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Oy6g3GRaHCs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p>Canadian singer <strong>Anne Murray<\/strong> is also in country\u2019s Class of 1970. That year, she made her country and pop debut simultaneously with \u201cSnowbird.\u201d Although she would continue to chart pop, her greatest successes were in country, where, between her breakthrough and 1986, she racked up 10 No. 1s. Among these were \u201cHe Thinks I Still Care,\u201d \u201cI Just Fall in Love Again,\u201d the Grammy-winning \u201cCould I Have This Dance\u201d (from Urban Cowboy), \u201cA Little Good News\u201d and \u201cJust Another Woman in Love.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OqJdjCSwDT4?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OqJdjCSwDT4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>Linda Ronstadt<\/strong> has a solid country pedigree quite apart from her trio recordings with Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton. Her first country single was \u201cSilver Threads and Golden Needles\u201d in 1974. Her cover of Hank Williams\u2019 \u201cI Can\u2019t Help It if I\u2019m Still in Love With You\u201d hit No. 2 that same year and won her a Grammy. In her 26 charted singles between 1974 and 1995, she had two No. 1s and nine Top 10s. <em>Trio<\/em>, Ronstadt\u2019s 1987 co-op with Parton and Harris, was the No. 1 country album for five weeks and won a best vocal performance Grammy.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Kp9G0zkorio?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Kp9G0zkorio?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p>Singer <strong>Helen Cornelius<\/strong> teamed up with veteran performer Jim Ed Brown in 1976 to create some of the most popular duet recordings and shows of the decade. Their first single, \u201dI Don\u2019t Want to Have to Marry You,\u201d went No. 1 and over the next five years, they charted 12 more songs, including \u201cSaying Hello, Saying I Love You, Saying Goodbye,\u201d \u201cIf the World Ran Out of Love Tonight,\u201d \u201cLying in Love With You,\u201d \u201cFools\u201d and Morning Comes Too Early.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mreBhZai6Is?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mreBhZai6Is?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p>Flourishing on the country charts from 1978 until 1989, <strong>Juice Newton<\/strong> took four songs to the top: \u201dThe Sweetest Thing (I\u2019ve Ever Known)\u201d (1981), \u201cYou Make Me Want to Make You Mine\u201d and \u201cHurt\u201d (both 1985) and \u201cBoth to Each Other,\u201d a duet with Eddie Rabbitt (1986).<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Os2GTwjo_4U?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Os2GTwjo_4U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p>It was as a background and jingle singer that <strong>Janie Fricke<\/strong> first dipped her toes into country waters. Her first single, \u201cWhat\u2019re You Doing Tonight,\u201d reached No. 21 in 1977, and her first No. 1, \u201cOn My Knees,\u201d was a 1978 duet with Charlie Rich. In the early \u201980s, she scored seven solo No. 1s, including \u201cIt Ain\u2019t Easy Being Easy,\u201d \u201cTell Me a Lie\u201d and \u201cYour Heart\u2019s Not in It.\u201d She won the CMA female vocalist of the year award in 1982 and \u201983.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tTgj6Vz3fSo?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tTgj6Vz3fSo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>Gail Davies<\/strong> holds the honor of being the first woman on a major country music label to produce and arrange her own albums. Like Emmylou Harris, Davies has demonstrated a great respect for the music of early country artists, covering such fare as Johnnie &amp; Jack\u2019s 1951 hit, \u201cPoison Love,\u201d Carl Smith\u2019s \u201cIt\u2019s a Lovely, Lovely World\u201d from 1952 and Webb Pierce\u2019s \u201cNo Love Have I\u201d from 1959. In 2002, Davies produced the all-star tribute album to Pierce, <em>Caught in the Webb<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6dxx6sWnnEs?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6dxx6sWnnEs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>Lacy J. Dalton<\/strong> flourished as a hitmaker from 1979 to 1990 but is best known for her 1982 anthem for Music Row songwriters, \u201c16th Avenue.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CaeGIuUTIec?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CaeGIuUTIec?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>Rosanne Cash<\/strong> clocked in her first No. 1 single, the self-written \u201cSeven Year Ache,\u201d in 1981. It would be the first of 11 such smashes, most having to do with relationships gone wrong, including such memorables as \u201cI Don\u2019t Know Why You Don\u2019t Want Me\u201d (which won a Grammy) and \u201cThe Way We Make a Broken Heart.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/miIqI9Gql9M?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/miIqI9Gql9M?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p>Like Cash, <strong>Sylvia<\/strong> began making her mark as a recording artists in the early \u201980s, with chart-toppers like \u201cDrifter\u201d and \u201cNobody.\u201d She continued to turn out Top 5 and Top 10 hits for RCA until 1985 and remains an active and beloved performer.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lC_2274dNag?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lC_2274dNag?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>Deborah Allen<\/strong>, who was Sylvia\u2019s contemporary and labelmate, scored her first three hits singing harmony to tracks by Jim Reeves, who had been killed in a plane crash when Allen was 11. She soon demonstrated, though, that she had a strong, sultry voice of her own with Top 5 hits like \u201cBaby I Lied\u201d and \u201cI\u2019ve Been Wrong Before.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/56qpMwBcwYY?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/56qpMwBcwYY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p>The four <strong>Forester Sisters<\/strong> brought a breath of fresh air to country music between 1985 and 1992 via such No. 1s as \u201cI Fell in Love Again Last Night,\u201d \u201cJust in Case\u201d and \u201cMama\u2019s Never Seen Those Eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/X3q55u62BAs?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/X3q55u62BAs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p>First drawing attention to herself in 1986 with her Top 10 hit, \u201cDaddy\u2019s Hands,\u201d <strong>Holly Dunn<\/strong> was as formidable a songwriter as she was a singer. Of the 21 songs she charted between 1985 and 1995, including the No. 1s \u201cAre You Ever Gonna Love Me\u201d and \u201cYou Really Had Me Going,\u201d she wrote or co-wrote 13. Inducted by the Grand Ole Opry in 1989, Dunn died in 2016 at the age of 59.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_xLtW23U3AM?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_xLtW23U3AM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p>Formed in California, the high-spirited <strong>Highway 101<\/strong> was fronted by the marvelous Paulette Carlson, So great was the band\u2019s impact that the CMA proclaimed it vocal group of the year in both 1989 and 1990, impressed by such hits as \u201cSomewhere Tonight,\u201d \u201cCry, Cry, Cry,\u201d \u201c(Do You Love Me) Just Say Yes\u201d and \u201cWho\u2019s Lonely Now.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OPsaHstolr0?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OPsaHstolr0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p>Although she first charted in 1981, the irrepressible <strong>K.T. Oslin<\/strong> didn\u2019t really hit her stride until 1987, by which time she was 45 years old. The vehicle for her arrival was \u201c80\u2019s Ladies,\u201d a song she wrote and which became a theme and rallying cry for a whole generation of women. It peaked at No. 7 but, nonetheless, earned her a Grammy. In 1988, she won the best female vocalist award from the CMA. Oslin made good use of music videos, stringing them together into a continuing narrative with her singles serving as soundtracks. Her 1988 No. 1, \u201cHold Me,\u201d won Grammys for both song and vocals. Her other chart crowns were \u201cDo Ya,\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll Always Come Back\u201d and \u201cCome Next Monday.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xF5r-CSB38E?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xF5r-CSB38E?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>Kathy Mattea<\/strong> will probably always be most fondly remembered for her majestic and tear-inducing 1989 single, \u201cWhere\u2019ve You Been,\u201d which, while ascending only to No. 10, earned her two Grammys. Originally a bluegrass singer, Mattea came to Nashville and embraced country in the early 1980s. Like Crystal Gayle, Mattea was produced by the hitmaking Allen Reynolds. Among Mattea\u2019s other singles that have since become standards are the No. 1s \u201cGoing Gone,\u201d \u201cEighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses,\u201d \u201cCome From the Heart and \u201cBurnin\u2019 Old Memories.\u201d She was voted the CMA\u2019s top female vocalist in 1989 and 1990 and won another Grammy for her 1993 album <em>Good News<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6ElCpHuiWkA?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6ElCpHuiWkA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p>Three years into a rich career that would see her chart a total of 44 singles, <strong>Patty Loveless<\/strong> earned her first Top 10 in 1988 with \u201cIf My Heart Had Windows,\u201d originally a 1967 hit for George Jones. Loveless has always been a country traditionalist, providing her often mournful, bluegrassy vocals to artists as disparate as Vince Gill and Ralph Stanley. She joined the Opry in 1988, then landed her first No. 1 in 1989 with \u201cTimber, I\u2019m Falling in Love.\u201d Yet, greater commercial fortunes, and multiple CMA and Grammy awards awaited.<\/p>\n<div class=\"deferred_content\"> Embedded from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/P3E4ABXYklI?feature=oembed\">www.youtube.com<\/a>. <noscript class=\"deferred_content\" data-deferred-info=\"{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;iframe&quot;}\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/P3E4ABXYklI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen>\t<\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p>The contributions of female recording artists and songwriters \u2014 including many of the women on this list \u2014 would continue through the 1990s and into the first two decades of the 2000s. Read about the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/1818753\/womens-history-month-the-first-female-stars-of-country-music\/\">first generation of female country artists<\/a> and the greatest <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/1818877\/womens-history-month-these-artists-thrived-in-the-50s-and-60s\/\">female country stars of the 1950s and 1960s<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><em>Pictured above: Crystal Gayle, the Judds, Reba McEntire, Emmylou Harris, Barbara Mandrell<\/em> <\/p>\n<div class=\"author\">\n<div class=\"description\"> Edward Morris is a veteran of country music journalism. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a frequent contributor to CMT.com. <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/1819106\/womens-history-month-the-shifting-landscape-of-the-70s-and-80s\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: CMT News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Edward Morris 13m ago Just say their names and you instantly hear their voices: Crystal Gayle, the Judds, Reba McEntire, Emmylou Harris, Barbara Mandrell. Musical Amazons all. The 1970s and \u201980s resounded with the sounds of new and distinctively individual female artists, few of whom focused on such traditional country themes as mother and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[159],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1318766","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-music-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-15 12:29:02","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSKE Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1318766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1318766"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1318766\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1318766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1318766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1318766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}