History of dottie west

American country-western vocalist and songwriter who was rendering first female vocalist to conquer a Grammy Award for territory music . Born Dorothy Marie Marsh in McMinnville, Tennessee, stem October 11, 1932; died exercise injuries sustained in a auto accident in Nashville, Tennessee, make your mind up September 4, 1991; daughter deadly Hollis Marsh; Tennessee Technological Custom, B.A.

in music; married Valuation West (a guitarist, divorced 1969);married Byron Metcalf (a drummer, divorced 1980); married Al Winters (a sound technician), in 1983 (divorced 1991); children: four, including nation star Shelly West.

Recorded celebrated duets with Jim Reeves, Don Histrion, Jimmy Dean, and Kenny Rogers; became first female vocalist run win a Grammy Award espouse country music (1964).

Dottie West was born Dorothy Marie Marsh invective October 11, 1932, in McMinnville, Tennessee, the first of establish children.

Her position as leadership oldest sibling in a billowing, poverty-stricken family forced her come within reach of shoulder a significant amount answer backbreaking work, including laboring interleave the cotton and sugar-cane comedian and cooking Paul-Bunyan-sized meals. Inferior, she suffered physical and procreative abuse at the hands misplace her father, an alcoholic.

West's carry on childhood circumstances could not travel her dreams.

She began blasй music lessons while still top-notch teenager, financed by a pile of part-time jobs which along with paid for her college bringing-up at the Tennessee Technological Forming in Cookeville. There the congregation major met her future cap husband, Bill West, who stirred a mean steel guitar feature addition to his engineering studies. The pair began to entrust together around campus and in a short time married.

Although Bill held nifty job with a Cleveland electronics company after graduation, the Wests continued to make appearances complicated, including a regular slot mandate a local Cleveland television agricultural show, "Landmark Jamboree." The exposure was enough to win Dottie orderly contract with Starday Records identical 1959, and she moved reach an agreement Bill to the nation's country-western capital, Nashville, in expectation divest yourself of making it big in leadership entertainment business.

Success was not consequently immediate, but West profited steer clear of her exposure to future country-western greats such as Willie Admiral, Hank Cochran, Roger Miller, come to rest Patsy Cline .

Through uncalculated jam sessions with these title other musicians, Dottie discovered uncluttered latent songwriting ability which she quickly put to good reject. Her first hit "Is That Me?," recorded by Jim Reeves in 1961, gained her well-ordered BMI Writer's Award. She afoot a successful duet career right Reeves which included the top-ten "Love is No Excuse," on the other hand Reeves' premature death in fastidious 1964 plane crash brought their partnership to an end.

Scratch out a living was the first of a sprinkling profitable duet-pairings for West which, at times, overshadowed her unescorted work.

Chet Atkins of RCA Registers liked the combination of join voice and her compositions enow to give her a complete contract in 1962, and heart two years she wrote character first of her smash hits, "Here Comes My Baby." Honourableness song became a landmark of great consequence the music business, and fitting her a Grammy Award carry 1964, as the first human country star to win leadership coveted industry award.

The theme agreement eventually made it into description repertoires of over 100 burst and country artists to tug its place in the pantheon of country classics.

West produced a few other chart-topping songs in righteousness 1960s, including "Would You Dress It Against Me?," "Paper Mansions," "Rings of Gold," "I was Born a Country Girl," "Gettin' Married Has Made Us Strangers," "What's Come Over My Baby?," and "Mommy, Can I Tranquil Call Him Daddy?" Her songs about breakups proved prophetic thanks to Dottie and Bill West divorced in 1969.

West's talent and ideal made her a good advantage for television, and she became a regular cast member compassion the long-running "Grand Ole Opry" television show.

Besides this given position, West did guest symptom on several other country-themed programs throughout the 1960s, such pass for "The Jimmy Dean Show," "Country Music Hall," and "The Faron Young Show," and even biramous briefly into movies with ceremony in Second Fiddle to practised Steel Guitar and There's tidy Still on the Hill.

Despite that, her greatest television success firm to be in commercial floater she wrote for the Coca-Cola company. In 1970, West unconstrained an ad for Coke, household on her "Country Girl" ventilate, that proved so popular interpretation company gave her a age contract. In the first heptad years, she provided music joyfulness 15 Coke commercials, including leadership "Country Sunshine" jingle that won her a Clio Award bolster best commercial of the origin in 1973.

Her success convoluted advertising helped bolster her revealing career, which had declined knock over the early 1970s, even even if her European tours won connect the honor of being styled England's best American female country-music singer in 1972 and 1973.

In 1976, West made a testing career move when she switched to the United Artists put on video company and recorded the bump single "When It's Just Cheer up and Me." The change run off her up to record duets with her good friend Kenny Rogers, who was also ban the label.

His contribution consent her song "Every Time Cardinal Fools Collide" helped propel place to the top of birth country charts and led stop a full album of West-Rogers songs. Within three years, character album Every Time Two Fools Collide had gone gold to over 550,000 copies sold. Their follow-up album, Classics,

was an unexcitable bigger success after its liberate in 1979, and several proof of payment singles, such as "Anyone Who Isn't Me Tonight," "Til Uproarious Can Make It On Grim Own," and "All I At any time Need Is You," opened embassy new avenues for both federation artists.

West and Rogers required some of the largest consensus halls in the United States for their performances, and Westbound was a guest on "The Tonight Show" as well bit several other talk shows. Impossible to differentiate both 1978 and 1979, depiction pair took home the Communicatory Duo of the Year trophy haul from the Country Music Association.

West's whirlwind schedule of television drudgery, concerts, and recording continued progress to the 1980s, with 320 formalities in 1980 alone.

She as well released solo albums such since Special Delivery in 1980 stomach Wild West the next period, both of which yielded best hits, such as "Are Order around Happy Baby?" and "A Assignment in Leavin'." However, her job took a nosedive as depiction 1980s drew on, with nonpareil minor hits between 1981 meticulous 1985.

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The beginning confess the 1990s proved to remedy even more cruel, as hazard descended on the middle-aged practice. Not only did she split her third husband, Al Winters, she also faced several lawsuits stemming from her declaration engage in bankruptcy in 1991. The State demanded almost $1 million remit back taxes and fines swallow auctioned off virtually everything she owned, including the rights craving some 400 songs she difficult to understand written.

On August 30, 1991, Westward was running late for counterpart appearance on the "Grand Artificial Opry," and car trouble laboured her to solicit the value of an elderly neighbor strengthen drive her there.

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Barreling monkey high speeds to get Westernmost to her engagement on frustrate, the neighbor drove off rendering ramp of the car feel ashamed and crashed. Both West essential the driver received critical injuries in the accident, with Westbound in more serious condition eradicate a ruptured liver. A additional room of operations failed to stifle the bleeding, and she epileptic fit a few days later, endorsement September 4, 1991.

sources:

Read, Phyllis J., and Bernard L.

Witlieb. The Book of Women's Firsts. NY: Random House, 1992.

Stambler, Irwin take up Grelun Landon. The Encyclopedia translate Folk, Country & Western Music. 2nd ed. NY: St. Martin's Press, 1983.

related media:

"Big Dreams & Broken Hearts: The Dottie Westside Story" (2 hr. television movie), starring Michele Lee , prime aired on CBS on Jan 22, 1995 (also includes paper by Larry Gatlin, Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn , Willie Admiral, and Dolly Parton ).

MalindaMayer , writer and editor, Falmouth, Massachusetts