Lynn Anderson
Encyclopedia
Lynn Rene Anderson is an American
country music
singer and equestrian
known for a string of hits throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, most notably her Grammy Award
-winning, worldwide mega-hit, "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden." Helped by her regular exposure on national television, Anderson was one of the most popular and successful female country singers of the 1970s. In addition to being named "Top Female Vocalist" by the Academy of Country Music
(twice) and "Female Vocalist of the Year" by the Country Music Association
, she has scored 11 #1, 18 Top 10, and more than 50 Top 40 hits. She was the first female country artist to win an American Music Award in 1974, as well as the first to headline and sellout Madison Square Garden
that same year. Anderson was named Billboard Magazine's Female Artist of the Decade (1970–1980).
Anderson debuted in 1966, at the age of 19, and had her first major hit with Ride, Ride, Ride
. After a series of Top 10 hit singles on the country charts during the later half of the 1960s, Anderson went on to sign with Columbia Records
in 1970. Under Columbia, she had her most successful string of hits. Her signature song, "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden", remains one of the biggest selling country crossover hits of all time. The song even made it to #3 on the Billboard Pop Chart
and was later ranked #83 on CMT's
"100 Greatest Songs in Country Music History."
and raised in Fair Oaks, California
. She is the daughter of country music songwriters Casey and Liz Anderson
. Lynn Anderson's grandfather was born in Aremark
, Norway
.
Anderson became interested in singing at the young age of six, but she had her first success in the horse show arena in and around California, where she would eventually win a total of 700 trophies,
including the "California Horse Show Queen" title in 1966. Into her teens, she performed regularly on the local television program Country Caravan.
In 1965, she was working as a secretary at Top 40 radio station, KROY in Sacramento, California
, when one of her mother's compositions, "All My Friends Are Gonna Be Strangers" was recorded and became a #10 country hit by Merle Haggard
. Her mother would sign as a country music recording artist with RCA Records
that same year.
While accompanying her mother to Nashville
, Anderson participated in an informal sing-along at a local hotel room with country stars Merle Haggard
and Freddie Hart
. One of the people present at the sing-along, Slim Williamson, owned Chart Records
, a local record label. Williamson recognized Lynn Anderson's talent and invited her to record for his label. She began recording on Chart Records in 1966.
She had her first major hit single, "If I Kiss You (Will You Go Away)
", the following year. It peaked at #5 on the Billboard country chart. It was followed by another Top 5 hit, "Promises, Promises
,"
from an album of the same name, which would also spawn a second Top 10 hit, "No Another Time", in 1968. Then she released "Mother May I", a Top 25 duet that she recorded with her mother. (The elder Anderson also achieved success as a country artist around the same time, achieving two Top 10 hits---"Mama Spank" (1966) and a trio with Bobby Bare
and Norma Jean
, "The Game of Triangles" (1967).)
In 1967, Lynn Anderson became a regular performer on The Lawrence Welk Show
. She toured with the Welk Road Show as well. Her appearances on the show would later redound to her benefit. Because of the Welk show's widespread appeal, she was able to achieve success on the pop charts. In 1969, as her popularity grew, she left the Welk show in favor of sporadic guest appearances.
In 1968, Anderson married songwriter and producer Glenn Sutton
, who would later produce and write many of her records during her tenure with Columbia. Their marriage would last for approximately nine years.
Anderson released her biggest hit single under the Chart label, "That's a No No", which peaked at #2 on the Billboard Country Chart in 1969. Soon after, she left the label, signing with Columbia Records
in 1970.
Chart Records would continue to release Lynn Anderson singles thru the end of 1971, including five Top 20 hits: "He'd Still Love Me", "I've Been Everywhere
", "Rocky Top
", "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels
", and "I'm Alright."
song, "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden," which became a major crossover pop hit in 1970 and early 1971. The song was produced by her husband Glenn Sutton.
Anderson actually had to do some arm-twisting to get her producer husband to record the song, and Sutton eventually gave in. It was not until Columbia record executive Clive Davis
heard the song that it was released as a single.
The single peaked at #1 on the Billboard country chart and also peaked at #3 on the Billboard pop chart
. It would go on to become her signature song. The song was Anderson's biggest international success. In the United Kingdom, the single reached #3 and in Germany it peaked at #1 and stayed there for four weeks.
The album, Rose Garden
was released in 1971, and was also hugely successful, receiving platinum
certification by the RIAA.
Anderson won the Academy of Country Music's "Top Female Vocalist" Award and the Country Music Association's "Female Vocalist of the Year" Award in 1970 and 1971. In addition, she won a Grammy Award
.
Lynn Anderson had two #1 hit singles on the Billboard country chart in 1971 with "You're My Man
" and "How Can I Unlove You
", both peaking at #63 on the Billboard pop chart. In 1972, Anderson had three Top 5 hits on the country charts, beginning with a cover version of the 50s pop hit, "Cry
", followed by "Listen to a Country Song" and "Fool Me
". These songs were included on the Listen to a Country Song album. "Cry" peaked at #3 on the Billboard magazine country chart and at #16 on the Adult Contemporary chart. In 1973, she had a fourth #1 country hit with "Keep Me in Mind
," and an album of the same name was released. Then followed a second 1973 album, Top of the World, whose title track was a #1 country hit. It was also a #1 pop hit for The Carpenters
that same year. Anderson's version, however, was the first to be released as a single and become a hit. The second single released from the Top of the World album, "Sing About Love", also peaked at #3. In 1974, "What a Man My Man is
" was Anderson's eighth #1 country hit. That same year, she also won the American Music Awards
' "Favorite Female Country Artist" Award.
Throughout the 1970s, Anderson made frequent guest appearances on many television specials, talk shows and variety shows. Because of her crossover appeal, she often appeared on shows on which country artists were not regularly seen. At the height of the show's popularity, she had a starring role in an episode of Starsky & Hutch. She made several appearances on The Tonight Show
, and appeared on three Bob Hope
television specials. Anderson frequently guest-starred on various Dean Martin
television specials. She also hosted her own television special in 1977, with guest star Tina Turner
.
Anderson's success slowed down toward the end of the '70s. She continued making appearances on the country charts every year for the rest of the decade. Anderson hit the Top 20 with two from her I've Never Loved Anyone More
album in 1975: "He Turns it into Love Again" and the title track. She had a Top 20 hit with "All the King's Horses" in 1976 from an album of the same name. In 1977, "Wrap Your Love All Around Your Man
", due to its promotion on the television show Starsky & Hutch, became a major hit. In 1979, she had her first Top 10 hit since 1974 with "Isn't It Always Love"
from her Outlaw is Just a State of Mind
album. The album also produced the Top 20 hit, "I Love How You Love Me" and the Top 40 hit "Sea of Heartbreak". In 1980, she recorded her final album for Columbia, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
, which featured two Top 30 hits. Following her separation from Columbia she did not record for three years.
At Permian she recorded Back
, her first studio album since 1980. The album's first single, "You Can't Lose What You Never Had", peaked outside the Top 40, but the second single, "What I've Learned from Loving You", was a Top 20 hit. She left Permian in 1984. In 1986, she recorded "Fools for Each Other", a duet with Ed Bruce
, which was included on his Night Things album. The single peaked just outside the Top 40.
That same year, Anderson recorded a single for MCA Records
. In 1986, she signed with Mercury Records
, which produced one album, What She Does Best
, and five singles that were minor hits on the Billboard country chart in the late 1980s.
She had two Top 40 hit singles with MCA---"Read Between the Lines" and a cover version of The Drifters
' "Under the Boardwalk
", which hit Top 25 country in 1988. In 1989, Anderson released her last charting single to date with "How Many Hearts", which peaked at #69.
Scotland
TV drama, "The Wreck On The Highway." She performed the song "Dream On" in the film, which consequently became a minor hit in a BBC collection of country standards. In 1992, she recorded a new studio album titled Cowboy's Sweetheart
, released by Laselight Records.
Emmylou Harris
and Marty Stuart
appeared as guest performers on the album.
During the same time, the American Rose Society created a hybrid tea rose and named it "The Lynn Anderson" In 1992 she performed at the D'or Eglise country music festeval in France, along with Laramy Smith. She performed songs by Edith Piaf and was not liked by the French audience. On the other hand Laramy gave three encore's and was presented a rose endowed floral arrangement intended for Miss Anderson.
Anderson did not record any studio albums for the rest of the decade and became more focused on touring and performing, as well as non-musical projects. In 1999, she was inducted into the North American Country Music Association's International Hall of Fame.
In 2000, Tennessee
governor Don Sundquist
made June 15 "Lynn Anderson Day" throughout the state. Anderson produced a TNN special, "American Country Cowboys," which helped handicapped
groups also during this time.
In 2002, Anderson was ranked at #29 on CMT's television special of the 40 Greatest Women of Country Music. In 2000, she recorded a live album titled, Live at Billy Bob's Texas
.
In 2004, she recorded her first studio album in 12 years, The Bluegrass Sessions, a Bluegrass
album that consisted of Anderson's major hits from the 60s and 70s re-recorded in a Bluegrass format. The album was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Bluegrass Album in 2005, along with Ricky Skaggs
' album Brand New Strings, Ralph Stanley II's Carrying on, as well as a multi-artist album.
In 2005, she performed on the Grand Ole Opry
with Country singer, Martina McBride
, performing a duet version of "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden".
In June 2007, she performed as part of the CMA's 2007 Music Festival in Nashville. She performed an outdoor concert at the Riverfront Park area, which also included concerts by Aaron Tippin
and Jason Michael Carroll
.
At the festival, Anderson duetted with songwriter and fiance Mentor Williams
on his composition recorded by Dobie Gray
and later Uncle Kracker
, "Drift Away
".
In April 2009, she was part of the concert line-up at the annual Stagecoach Festival in Palm Springs, which also included concerts by Charlie Daniels
, Kevin Costner
, and Reba McEntire
. Lynn Anderson remains a popular concert attraction, regularly headlining major casinos and performing arts centers. Throughout 2010 and 2011, she performed a series of concerts backed by the Metropole Symphony Orchestra.
career since the 1960s. As a horsewoman, she has won 16 national, eight world, and several celebrity championships.
Her most recent championships include the National Chevy Truck Cutting Horse Champion in 1999, the American U.S. Open Invitational Champion in 2000,and the National Cutting Horse Association Champion in 1999. Anderson continues to raise horses at her ranch in New Mexico
. Anderson has worked with the "Special Riders of Animaland," which is a horseback-riding therapy program for children.
Her sorrel Quarter Horse
s "Lady Phase" and "Skipster's Chief" were produced as plastic models by Breyer Animal Creations
.
oilman, Harold Stream III, with whom she had two children. Stream and Anderson divorced in 1982.
Anderson currently lives in Taos, New Mexico
with her long-time partner, singer-songwriter Mentor Williams
, whose brother is singer, songwriter, and actor Paul Williams
.
On December 2, 2004, Anderson was charged with driving while intoxicated
in Denton, Texas
. A driver who was following Anderson called the police after noticing that her car was weaving in and out of lanes. After failing a field sobriety test, Anderson was arrested and taken to jail. She was later released on bond.
On May 3, 2006, Anderson was arrested on a second driving under the influence of alcohol
charge following a minor traffic accident near Espanola, New Mexico
. According to police, Anderson failed a sobriety test and refused to take a breathalyzer test after her car hit the back of another car. No one was injured in the collision. Anderson was later released on bond.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer and equestrian
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
known for a string of hits throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, most notably her Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning, worldwide mega-hit, "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden." Helped by her regular exposure on national television, Anderson was one of the most popular and successful female country singers of the 1970s. In addition to being named "Top Female Vocalist" by the Academy of Country Music
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
(twice) and "Female Vocalist of the Year" by the Country Music Association
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
, she has scored 11 #1, 18 Top 10, and more than 50 Top 40 hits. She was the first female country artist to win an American Music Award in 1974, as well as the first to headline and sellout Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
that same year. Anderson was named Billboard Magazine's Female Artist of the Decade (1970–1980).
Anderson debuted in 1966, at the age of 19, and had her first major hit with Ride, Ride, Ride
Ride, Ride, Ride
Ride, Ride, Ride is the debut studio album by American country artist Lynn Anderson. The album was released in March 1967 on Chart Records and was produced by Slim Williamson...
. After a series of Top 10 hit singles on the country charts during the later half of the 1960s, Anderson went on to sign with Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in 1970. Under Columbia, she had her most successful string of hits. Her signature song, "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden", remains one of the biggest selling country crossover hits of all time. The song even made it to #3 on the Billboard Pop Chart
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and was later ranked #83 on CMT's
Country Music Television
Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
"100 Greatest Songs in Country Music History."
Early life
Anderson was born in Grand Forks, North DakotaGrand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461...
and raised in Fair Oaks, California
Fair Oaks, California
Fair Oaks is a census-designated place in Sacramento County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 30,912 at the 2010 census, up from 28,008 at the 2000 census. Fair Oaks's zip code is 95628...
. She is the daughter of country music songwriters Casey and Liz Anderson
Liz Anderson
Liz Anderson was anAmerican country music singer/songwriter who was one of a wave of a new generation of female vocalists in the genre during the 1960's to write and record her own songs on a regular basis. Writing in The New York Times Bill Friskics-Warren noted, "Like her contemporary Loretta...
. Lynn Anderson's grandfather was born in Aremark
Aremark
Aremark is a municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Fosby.Aremark was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . The new municipality of Øymark was separated from Aremark on 1 July 1903.- Name :The Norse form of the name was...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
Anderson became interested in singing at the young age of six, but she had her first success in the horse show arena in and around California, where she would eventually win a total of 700 trophies,
including the "California Horse Show Queen" title in 1966. Into her teens, she performed regularly on the local television program Country Caravan.
In 1965, she was working as a secretary at Top 40 radio station, KROY in Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, when one of her mother's compositions, "All My Friends Are Gonna Be Strangers" was recorded and became a #10 country hit by Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
. Her mother would sign as a country music recording artist with RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
that same year.
While accompanying her mother to Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Anderson participated in an informal sing-along at a local hotel room with country stars Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
and Freddie Hart
Freddie Hart (musician)
Frederick Segrest , known professionally as Freddie Hart, is an American country musician and songwriter best-known for his No. 1 hit "Easy Loving," which won the Country Music Association Song of the Year award in 1971 and 1972....
. One of the people present at the sing-along, Slim Williamson, owned Chart Records
Chart Records
Chart Records was a country music record label of the 1960s, best known for turning Lynn Anderson into a major country star. It was owned by Slim Williamson.The label was founded in 1964...
, a local record label. Williamson recognized Lynn Anderson's talent and invited her to record for his label. She began recording on Chart Records in 1966.
1966 – 1969: Country music success
In 1966, Lynn Anderson released her debut single, "For Better or for Worse," a duet with Jerry Lane which did not chart. Her first charting single and her third release on the Chart Label, "Ride, Ride, Ride," hit the Country Top 40.She had her first major hit single, "If I Kiss You (Will You Go Away)
If I Kiss You (Will You Go Away)
"If I Kiss You " is the name of a popular 1967 song by country singer Lynn Anderson.-Summary:"If I Kiss You" became Anderson's first top-ten single, paving the way for eight number ones and 18 top tens to come. Anderson's first single "Ride, Ride, Ride", also released in 1967, made the Country Top...
", the following year. It peaked at #5 on the Billboard country chart. It was followed by another Top 5 hit, "Promises, Promises
Promises, Promises (Lynn Anderson song)
"Promises, Promises" is the name of a country song made famous by Lynn Anderson in 1968."Promises, Promises" was Anderson's second major hit. The single was released in late 1967 on the Chart Records label, the distributed by RCA Victor...
,"
from an album of the same name, which would also spawn a second Top 10 hit, "No Another Time", in 1968. Then she released "Mother May I", a Top 25 duet that she recorded with her mother. (The elder Anderson also achieved success as a country artist around the same time, achieving two Top 10 hits---"Mama Spank" (1966) and a trio with Bobby Bare
Bobby Bare
Robert Joseph Bare is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is the father of Bobby Bare, Jr., also a musician.-Early career:...
and Norma Jean
Norma Jean (singer)
Norma Jean Beasler , better known as Norma Jean, is an American country music singer who was a member of The Porter Wagoner Show from 1961–1967. She had a number of country singles in the Top 10 and Top 20 between 1963 and 1967, including "Go Cat Go" and "The Game of Triangles", and was...
, "The Game of Triangles" (1967).)
In 1967, Lynn Anderson became a regular performer on The Lawrence Welk Show
The Lawrence Welk Show
The Lawrence Welk Show is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years , then nationally for another 27 years via the ABC network and first-run syndication .In the years since first-run syndication...
. She toured with the Welk Road Show as well. Her appearances on the show would later redound to her benefit. Because of the Welk show's widespread appeal, she was able to achieve success on the pop charts. In 1969, as her popularity grew, she left the Welk show in favor of sporadic guest appearances.
In 1968, Anderson married songwriter and producer Glenn Sutton
Glenn Sutton
Glenn Sutton was a country music songwriter and producer. Born Royce Glenn Sutton in Hodge, Louisiana, he was one of two chief architects of the countrypolitan sound .Sutton wrote or co-wrote many of Tammy Wynette's early hits including, "You're Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad",...
, who would later produce and write many of her records during her tenure with Columbia. Their marriage would last for approximately nine years.
Anderson released her biggest hit single under the Chart label, "That's a No No", which peaked at #2 on the Billboard Country Chart in 1969. Soon after, she left the label, signing with Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in 1970.
Chart Records would continue to release Lynn Anderson singles thru the end of 1971, including five Top 20 hits: "He'd Still Love Me", "I've Been Everywhere
I've Been Everywhere
The song "I've Been Everywhere" was written by Geoff Mack in 1959 and made popular by the singer Lucky Starr in 1962.The song listed Australian towns...
", "Rocky Top
Rocky Top
"Rocky Top" is an American country and bluegrass song written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant in 1967 and first recorded by the Osborne Brothers later that same year...
", "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels
It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels
"It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" is a 1952 country song written by J. D. "Jay" Miller, and originally recorded by Kitty Wells. It was an answer song to the Hank Thompson hit "The Wild Side of Life."...
", and "I'm Alright."
1970 – 1980: Pop crossover
After signing with Columbia in 1970, Anderson released the Joe SouthJoe South
Joe South is a multi-talented American singer-songwriter and guitarist.-Career:...
song, "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden," which became a major crossover pop hit in 1970 and early 1971. The song was produced by her husband Glenn Sutton.
Anderson actually had to do some arm-twisting to get her producer husband to record the song, and Sutton eventually gave in. It was not until Columbia record executive Clive Davis
Clive Davis
Clive Davis is an American record producer and music industry executive. He has won five Grammy Awards and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer. From 1967 to 1973 he was the President of Columbia Records. He was the founder and president of Arista Records from 1975...
heard the song that it was released as a single.
The single peaked at #1 on the Billboard country chart and also peaked at #3 on the Billboard pop chart
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. It would go on to become her signature song. The song was Anderson's biggest international success. In the United Kingdom, the single reached #3 and in Germany it peaked at #1 and stayed there for four weeks.
The album, Rose Garden
Rose Garden (Lynn Anderson album)
Rose Garden was an album released in 1971 by country singer Lynn Anderson. The album was the same name as the single she released in late 1970. The song went on to top the country charts, where it stayed at the #1 position for five weeks, and reached #3 on the pop charts in 1971. Anderson received...
was released in 1971, and was also hugely successful, receiving platinum
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...
certification by the RIAA.
Anderson won the Academy of Country Music's "Top Female Vocalist" Award and the Country Music Association's "Female Vocalist of the Year" Award in 1970 and 1971. In addition, she won a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
.
Lynn Anderson had two #1 hit singles on the Billboard country chart in 1971 with "You're My Man
You're My Man
"You're My Man" is a popular No. 1 country hit by country legend Lynn Anderson from 1971.This song was immediately released after Anderson's song " Rose Garden" became a major country and pop hit in February 1971. The song was very successful, reaching the top of the country charts in June of 1971,...
" and "How Can I Unlove You
How Can I Unlove You
"How Can Unlove You" is the name of a No. 1 country hit by country music singer Lynn Anderson, released in 1971."How Can I Unlove You", was released as a single in August 1971, shortly after her previous hit, "You're My Man", peaked at No. 1 on the country charts, where it spent three weeks at the...
", both peaking at #63 on the Billboard pop chart. In 1972, Anderson had three Top 5 hits on the country charts, beginning with a cover version of the 50s pop hit, "Cry
Cry (Churchill Kohlman song)
"Cry" is the title of a 1951 popular song written by Churchill Kohlman. The song was first recorded by Ruth Casey on the Cadillac label. The biggest hit version was recorded in New York City by Johnnie Ray and The Four Lads on October 16, 1951....
", followed by "Listen to a Country Song" and "Fool Me
Fool Me
"Fool Me" is a song written by Joe South. South's version was released as a single in 1971 and peaked at number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100.-Lynn Anderson version:...
". These songs were included on the Listen to a Country Song album. "Cry" peaked at #3 on the Billboard magazine country chart and at #16 on the Adult Contemporary chart. In 1973, she had a fourth #1 country hit with "Keep Me in Mind
Keep Me in Mind (Lynn Anderson song)
"Keep Me in Mind" was a No. 1 country hit for country legend Lynn Anderson in 1973.This song was one of 11 No. 1 country hits for Anderson. Her career was still going strong three years after her major crossover hit, " Rose Garden"...
," and an album of the same name was released. Then followed a second 1973 album, Top of the World, whose title track was a #1 country hit. It was also a #1 pop hit for The Carpenters
The Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
that same year. Anderson's version, however, was the first to be released as a single and become a hit. The second single released from the Top of the World album, "Sing About Love", also peaked at #3. In 1974, "What a Man My Man is
What a Man My Man Is
"What a Man My Man Is" is the name of a number-one U.S. country music hit by Lynn Anderson, from 1974.This was Anderson's last number-one country hit, staying at the top for one week and spending a total of nine weeks on the chart. It was also her last pop entry on the Hot 100, reaching number 93...
" was Anderson's eighth #1 country hit. That same year, she also won the American Music Awards
American Music Awards
-Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC...
' "Favorite Female Country Artist" Award.
Throughout the 1970s, Anderson made frequent guest appearances on many television specials, talk shows and variety shows. Because of her crossover appeal, she often appeared on shows on which country artists were not regularly seen. At the height of the show's popularity, she had a starring role in an episode of Starsky & Hutch. She made several appearances on The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
, and appeared on three Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
television specials. Anderson frequently guest-starred on various Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
television specials. She also hosted her own television special in 1977, with guest star Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
.
Anderson's success slowed down toward the end of the '70s. She continued making appearances on the country charts every year for the rest of the decade. Anderson hit the Top 20 with two from her I've Never Loved Anyone More
I've Never Loved Anyone More
I've Never Loved Anyone More is a studio album by Country singer Lynn Anderson released in 1975. The album spawned two singles, the title song and "He Turns It Into Love Again". The title track reached No. 14 while, "He Turns It Into Love Again" reached No...
album in 1975: "He Turns it into Love Again" and the title track. She had a Top 20 hit with "All the King's Horses" in 1976 from an album of the same name. In 1977, "Wrap Your Love All Around Your Man
Wrap Your Love All Around Your Man
"Wrap Your Love All Around Your Man" is the name of a 1977 hit song by country legend Lynn Anderson.Best-known for her Grammy Award-winning country and pop smash, " Rose Garden", from 1970, Lynn Anderson was one of country music's leading ladies throughout the 1970s...
", due to its promotion on the television show Starsky & Hutch, became a major hit. In 1979, she had her first Top 10 hit since 1974 with "Isn't It Always Love"
from her Outlaw is Just a State of Mind
Outlaw Is Just a State of Mind
Outlaw Is Just a State of Mind is the name of a studio album, released by Lynn Anderson in 1979.This was one of Lynn Anderson's last albums with Columbia, her label for the previous decade. It spawned three successful Top 40 hits for Anderson on country radio. The first single released in early...
album. The album also produced the Top 20 hit, "I Love How You Love Me" and the Top 40 hit "Sea of Heartbreak". In 1980, she recorded her final album for Columbia, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (album)
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues is the name of a studio album, by country music legend Lynn Anderson, released in 1980.This was Anderson's last album with Columbia records, the record company she been signed to since 1970. Anderson was deciding to go into brief retirement to marry oil tycoon Harold...
, which featured two Top 30 hits. Following her separation from Columbia she did not record for three years.
1983 – 1989: Commercial resurgence
After three years away from recording, Anderson signed with the Permian Records label in 1983, and had a Top 10 country hit with "You're Welcome to Tonight", a duet with Gary MorrisGary Morris
Gary Gwyn Morris is an American country music artist who charted a string of countrypolitan-styled hit songs throughout the 1980s....
At Permian she recorded Back
Back (album)
Back is the name of a studio album by country music singer Lynn Anderson, released in 1983.This album was Anderson's first in three years. She had since been in brief retirement to start a family with her second husband , Harold "Spook Stream", and raise her other children. Thus, Anderson left her...
, her first studio album since 1980. The album's first single, "You Can't Lose What You Never Had", peaked outside the Top 40, but the second single, "What I've Learned from Loving You", was a Top 20 hit. She left Permian in 1984. In 1986, she recorded "Fools for Each Other", a duet with Ed Bruce
Ed Bruce
William Edwin "Ed" Bruce, Jr. is an American country music songwriter and singer. He is known for penning the 1975 song "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" .-Early life & songwriting career:...
, which was included on his Night Things album. The single peaked just outside the Top 40.
That same year, Anderson recorded a single for MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
. In 1986, she signed with Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
, which produced one album, What She Does Best
What She Does Best
What She Does Best is a studio album by country singer Lynn Anderson, released in 1988. It was her only album with Mercury records.Notable due to featuring her last charting single, What She Does Best did not chart and was commercially unsuccessful. It would be her last album for four years, as...
, and five singles that were minor hits on the Billboard country chart in the late 1980s.
She had two Top 40 hit singles with MCA---"Read Between the Lines" and a cover version of The Drifters
The Drifters
The Drifters are a long-lived American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal group with a peak in popularity from 1953 to 1963, though several splinter Drifters continue to perform today. They were originally formed to serve as Clyde McPhatter's backing group in 1953...
' "Under the Boardwalk
Under the Boardwalk
"Under the Boardwalk" is a hit pop song written by Kenny Young and Arthur Resnick and recorded by The Drifters in 1964.-Premise:The lyric describes a tryst between a man and his beloved in a seaside town, who plan to privately meet "out of the sun" and out of sight from everyone else under a...
", which hit Top 25 country in 1988. In 1989, Anderson released her last charting single to date with "How Many Hearts", which peaked at #69.
1990 – Present: Present music career
In 1990, Anderson starred as singer Betsy Hall in the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
TV drama, "The Wreck On The Highway." She performed the song "Dream On" in the film, which consequently became a minor hit in a BBC collection of country standards. In 1992, she recorded a new studio album titled Cowboy's Sweetheart
Cowboy's Sweetheart
Cowboy's Sweetheart is the name of a studio album, released by country singer Lynn Anderson in 1992.Anderson had recently finished a long and lucrative career in the country music business, releasing and promoting albums and singles for the public. She finished her last album in 1988 with What She...
, released by Laselight Records.
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
and Marty Stuart
Marty Stuart
John Martin "Marty" Stuart is an American country music singer-songwriter, known for both his traditional style, and eclectic merging of rockabilly, honky tonk, and traditional country music...
appeared as guest performers on the album.
During the same time, the American Rose Society created a hybrid tea rose and named it "The Lynn Anderson" In 1992 she performed at the D'or Eglise country music festeval in France, along with Laramy Smith. She performed songs by Edith Piaf and was not liked by the French audience. On the other hand Laramy gave three encore's and was presented a rose endowed floral arrangement intended for Miss Anderson.
Anderson did not record any studio albums for the rest of the decade and became more focused on touring and performing, as well as non-musical projects. In 1999, she was inducted into the North American Country Music Association's International Hall of Fame.
In 2000, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
governor Don Sundquist
Don Sundquist
Donald Kenneth Sundquist is a former governor and congressman from Tennessee. A Republican, he served as the 47th Governor of Tennessee from 1995 to 2003...
made June 15 "Lynn Anderson Day" throughout the state. Anderson produced a TNN special, "American Country Cowboys," which helped handicapped
Handicapped
Handicapped or handicap may refer to:*Handicapping, various methods of leveling a sport or game**Golf handicap, a sport-specific handicapping method**Go handicaps**Handicaps in shogi**Asian handicap, bookmakers technique to level odds...
groups also during this time.
In 2002, Anderson was ranked at #29 on CMT's television special of the 40 Greatest Women of Country Music. In 2000, she recorded a live album titled, Live at Billy Bob's Texas
Live at Billy Bob's Texas (Lynn Anderson album)
Live at Billy Bob's Texas is a live album by Country music singer Lynn Anderson, released in 2000.Best-known for her chart-topping 1970 crossover hit " Rose Garden", Anderson had not released a new studio album in eight years....
.
In 2004, she recorded her first studio album in 12 years, The Bluegrass Sessions, a Bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
album that consisted of Anderson's major hits from the 60s and 70s re-recorded in a Bluegrass format. The album was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Bluegrass Album in 2005, along with Ricky Skaggs
Ricky Skaggs
Rickie Lee "Ricky" Skaggs is a country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, and banjo.-Early career:...
' album Brand New Strings, Ralph Stanley II's Carrying on, as well as a multi-artist album.
In 2005, she performed on the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
with Country singer, Martina McBride
Martina McBride
Martina McBride is an American country music singer and songwriter. McBride has been called the "Céline Dion of Country Music" for her big-voiced ballads and soprano range....
, performing a duet version of "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden".
In June 2007, she performed as part of the CMA's 2007 Music Festival in Nashville. She performed an outdoor concert at the Riverfront Park area, which also included concerts by Aaron Tippin
Aaron Tippin
Aaron Dupree Tippin is an American country music artist and record producer. Initially a songwriter for Acuff-Rose Music, he gained a recording contract with RCA Records in 1990...
and Jason Michael Carroll
Jason Michael Carroll
Jason Michael Carroll is an American country music artist. After being discovered at a local talent competition in 2004, Carroll was signed to the Arista Nashville label in 2006, releasing his debut album Waitin' in the Country that year...
.
At the festival, Anderson duetted with songwriter and fiance Mentor Williams
Mentor Williams
Mentor Williams is an American songwriter and producer. He is best known for writing "Drift Away", a middle-of-the-road playlist classic performed by Dobie Gray in 1973. He is the brother of famed songwriter Paul Williams.-Background:...
on his composition recorded by Dobie Gray
Dobie Gray
Dobie Gray is an African American singer and songwriter, whose musical career has spanned soul, country, pop and musical theater...
and later Uncle Kracker
Uncle Kracker
Matthew Shafer is an American rock musician known as Uncle Kracker. His singles include "Follow Me", "Smile", and "Drift Away". His music was more rap rock-based at the start of his career before turning in a more rock and Top 40 style music direction on later releases.-Biography:Shafer was born...
, "Drift Away
Drift Away
"Drift Away" is a song written by Mentor Williams and originally recorded by John Henry Kurtz on his 1972 album Reunion. In 1973 the song became Dobie Gray's biggest hit, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, though it did not enter the charts in the United Kingdom.This song is also a...
".
In April 2009, she was part of the concert line-up at the annual Stagecoach Festival in Palm Springs, which also included concerts by Charlie Daniels
Charlie Daniels
Charles Edward "Charlie" Daniels is an American musician known for his contributions to country and southern rock music. He is known primarily for his number one country hit "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", and multiple other songs he has performed and written. Daniels has been active as a singer...
, Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...
, and Reba McEntire
Reba McEntire
Reba Nell McEntire is an American country music artist and actress. She began her career in the music industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band , on local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos. As a solo act, she was invited to perform at a rodeo in Oklahoma...
. Lynn Anderson remains a popular concert attraction, regularly headlining major casinos and performing arts centers. Throughout 2010 and 2011, she performed a series of concerts backed by the Metropole Symphony Orchestra.
Equestrian career
Outside of her music career, Anderson has also maintained an equestrian horse racingEquestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
career since the 1960s. As a horsewoman, she has won 16 national, eight world, and several celebrity championships.
Her most recent championships include the National Chevy Truck Cutting Horse Champion in 1999, the American U.S. Open Invitational Champion in 2000,and the National Cutting Horse Association Champion in 1999. Anderson continues to raise horses at her ranch in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. Anderson has worked with the "Special Riders of Animaland," which is a horseback-riding therapy program for children.
Her sorrel Quarter Horse
American Quarter Horse
The American Quarter Horse is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name came from its ability to outdistance other breeds of horses in races of a quarter mile or less; some individuals have been clocked at speeds up to 55 mph...
s "Lady Phase" and "Skipster's Chief" were produced as plastic models by Breyer Animal Creations
Breyer Horse
Breyer Animal Creations , is a division of Reeves International, Inc. The first Breyer horse was created in 1950 and is commonly known as the Western Horse. This horse was created as an adornment for a clock created by the Mastercrafters company. The horse was approximately 1:9 scale and the model...
.
Personal life
Lynn Anderson was married to country music producer Glen Sutton from 1968 to 1977. Her second husband was the LouisianaLouisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
oilman, Harold Stream III, with whom she had two children. Stream and Anderson divorced in 1982.
Anderson currently lives in Taos, New Mexico
Taos, New Mexico
Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico, incorporated in 1934. As of the 2000 census, its population was 4,700. Other nearby communities include Ranchos de Taos, Cañon, Taos Canyon, Ranchitos, and El Prado. The town is close to Taos Pueblo, the Native American...
with her long-time partner, singer-songwriter Mentor Williams
Mentor Williams
Mentor Williams is an American songwriter and producer. He is best known for writing "Drift Away", a middle-of-the-road playlist classic performed by Dobie Gray in 1973. He is the brother of famed songwriter Paul Williams.-Background:...
, whose brother is singer, songwriter, and actor Paul Williams
Paul Williams (songwriter)
Paul Hamilton Williams, Jr. is an Academy Award-winning American composer, musician, songwriter, and actor. He is perhaps best known for popular songs performed by a number of acts in the 1970s including Three Dog Night's "An Old Fashioned Love Song", Helen Reddy's "You and Me Against the World",...
.
On December 2, 2004, Anderson was charged with driving while intoxicated
DWI
DWI is an acronym which means:* Driving while intoxicated, see Driving under the influence* Driving while impaired* Danish West Indies* Diffusion-weighted imaging, a technique used in magnetic resonance imaging* Drinking Water Inspectorate...
in Denton, Texas
Denton, Texas
The city of Denton is the county seat of Denton County, Texas in the United States. Its population was 119,454 according to the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the eleventh largest city in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex...
. A driver who was following Anderson called the police after noticing that her car was weaving in and out of lanes. After failing a field sobriety test, Anderson was arrested and taken to jail. She was later released on bond.
On May 3, 2006, Anderson was arrested on a second driving under the influence of alcohol
DUI
DUI is a three letter acronym that may stand for:* Driving under the influence * Democratic Union for Integration — the largest ethnic Albanian party in the Republic of Macedonia* Data Use Identifier...
charge following a minor traffic accident near Espanola, New Mexico
Española, New Mexico
Española also known as Espanola , is a city primarily in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, in the United States. A portion of the central and eastern section of the city is in Santa Fe County. Española was founded in 1880 as a railroad village, incorporated as a city in 1925. The city is situated in...
. According to police, Anderson failed a sobriety test and refused to take a breathalyzer test after her car hit the back of another car. No one was injured in the collision. Anderson was later released on bond.
Major industry awards and honors
| Year | Award Program | Award |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Academy of Country Music Award | Top Female Vocalist |
| 1970 | ||
| 1971 | Grammy Award Grammy Award A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry... |
Best Female Country Vocal Performance; "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden" |
| Country Music Association Award | Female Vocalist of the Year | |
| 1974 | American Music Award | Favorite Female Country Artist |
| 1980 | Record World Record World Record World magazine was one of the three main music industry trade publications in the United States, along with Billboard and Cash Box magazines. It was founded in 1946 under the name Music Vendor, but since 1964 changed it to Record World, under the ownership of Sid Parnes and Bob Austin, both... |
Artist of the Decade; 1970 – 1980 |
| Billboard | ||
| 1999 | American Country Music Association Hall of Fame | Inductee |
| 2002 | CMT's 40 Greatest Women of Country Music | Ranking – #29 |
| 2007 | Academy of Western Artists | Best Western Song |
| Best Western Album; Cowgirl | ||
| Best Western Swing Album; Cowgirl | ||
| Best Female Vocalist |
Source
- Bufwack, Mary A. (1998). "Lynn Anderson". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury (editor); New York: Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, page 14.