female country singers of the '50s and '60s

Liam is also the founding member of Music Grotto and is passionate in disseminating editorial content to its readers. The song was the groups first single and their biggest hit. Kay Starrs aunt launched the singers career when she was only seven by making arrangements for her to sing on the radio after hearing her voice. Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team, first generation of female country artists. She also performed in Annie Get Your Gun, Woman Of The Year, and The Unmistakable Molly Brown.. Laura Nyro 17. Seeger and Hays went on to form The Weavers. Earle's brand of country-folk protest music sets him apart from his peers. Her chart debut came in 1958 with Lost to a Geisha Girl. She would chart 40 more singles, including her 1962 crossover hit, The End of the World. as well as Gonna Get Along Without You Now and I Can't Stay Mad at You. She was married to disc jockey Ralph Emery from 1960 to 1964 and to Joey Spampinato of the rock band NRBQ from 1983 to 1996. The group later had their breakout hit Mr. Sandman in 1954, which hit No. Who is the singer you choose? Besides her father, Ardens brother, Jan, was a singer. She began her singing career at a radio station in Oklahoma, where she embraced the name, Patti Page. All came from different backgrounds but had one thing in common: much like their male counterparts their group name typically started with TheThe Ronettes, The Shirelles, The Shangri-Las, The Crystals, The Marvelettes, and dozens of other all-female groups of the era. 1 hit singles on the U.S. Typically made up of trio or quartet of young women, they sang in harmony about the perfect guy, the one that got away or did them wrong. She's also an award-winning artist in her own rightand has recorded album after album of incredible folk, gospel, and blues songs. Since the release of her self-titled debut in 1990, DiFranco has built an excessively loyal fanbase around the world, as well as a rather successful independent record label out of her hometown in Buffalo, NY. In 2006, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The four-time, (Platinum-selling country music singer who is known for albums like 1996's Ten Thousand Angels), (Singer-songwriter, Musician, Songwriter, Guitarist, Singer), (Country Singer-songwriter Known for Her Album 'Jessie James'), Country and pop singer Jessica James Decker is known for her singles such as, (Singer Best Known or Her Hit Song You Light Up My Life). She was one of the most popular female folk singers in the '60s folk revivaland started her own record company, Wildflower Records. Singing songs targeted toward the teen or pre-teen young women of the times, the girl groups of the 50s and 1960s covered mostly innocent subject matter like The Angels My Boyfriends Back, Then He Kissed Me by The Crystals or The Dixie Cups dream of marriage on Chapel of Love.. Although she constructed her image around her often-elaborate blonde wigs and ample bosom, she has never used sexiness to sell her performances or grab headlines. Ian & Sylvia were one of the most successful folk duos of the 1960s and '70s. It's a fool's game to try to rank these groundbreaking women in order of their importance or influence. Kitty Wells - It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels 2. Hits: Dedicated to the One I Love, Will You Love Me Tomorrow, Mama Said, Baby Its You, Soldier Boy, Foolish Little Girl. Michael Franti has become known for his electrifying live performances that can feel more like a peace rally than a standard music concert. Emmylou has long been an advocate of social justice and has counted Joan Baez and Bob Dylan among her many influences. The top 50 folk artists of all time, in alphabetical order. Behind the scenes in this era, producers like Chet Atkins played an important part in putting Nashville on the map by striving for a compromise between traditional country sounds and commercially-appealing pop. Such was her wide vocal appeal and heart-melting songs that Patsy Cline (1932-1963) achieved legendary status in the relatively short six-year period she recorded. He loves researching, writing and editing music content for Music Grotto. Cher 18. Tina Turner 10. Despite a number of songs in her repertoire prior, Clines first big hit was Walkin After Midnight, which peaked at No. Georgia Holt is a retired American actress, singer-songwriter, and former model. The Almanacs were really the first folk music supergroup and spun off into rather successful careers for Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, Josh White, Burl Ives, and various other folks who made up the core of the group or who joined them on occasion. If 1960s country music has now largely faded from the public memory, then 1960 country music by female performers is even more obscure. While the 50s were generally regarded as a feel-good era in America, country music was ironically dominated by tear-in-my-beer honky-tonk songs in the first portion of the decade. Even though he'd been playing music his whole life, Shindell didn't start making waves in the folk world until Joan Baez picked up three of his songs for her 1997 album. Her songs have been used in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Though her solo career was phenomenal, her collaborations with trumpeter Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and The Ink Spots formed some of her most famous hits, including Dream a Little Dream of Me, Cheek To Cheek, and Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall. The singer won 13 Grammy Awards along with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. She has also worked in several movies and is a prolific songwriter. There were plenty of issues, to be sure. But, it was his involvement in the scene that put him on the map; literally, there's a street in the West Village of New York named after him. You can't really argue with a folksinger so good that his song managed to get him out of jail for murder. His song "Wild World" has frequently been covered by artists of various genres. After being diagnosed with intraductal carcinoma, a form of breast cancer, Sheryl Crow opened the Sheryl Crow Imaging Center by joining hands with her surgeon Kristi Funk. The scene was shifting and the female voice was getting more airplay and beginning to dominate the charts. 7. He's also become a star of the big screen, lending his talents to more than 50 films. In his collaboration with Portland fiddle player Tracy Grammer, the duo managed to sing and play their way into the hearts of folk fans, even in the short time before Carter's death in 2002. She charmed generations of movie viewers in the blockbuster film Grease. Their first recording was titled Lets Get Together and Swing in 1936. Any purchase that a visitor makes for a product mentioned or directed to by Music Grotto, may result in us receiving a commission.As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. | The list includes many familiar and great female country singers such as Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, Shania Twain.The women country singers featured in this list are from United States, United Kingdom, Canada & Australia and many more countries. 1 songs include Endless Love, Why Do Fools Fall In Love, and When You Tell Me That You Love Me.. 3. Her subsequent 47 chart singles included such Top 5 hits as Then and Only Then, If I Talk to Him, Nobody But a Fool (Would Love You), Ain't Had No Lovin' and The Hurtin's All Over. She joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1965 and in 1997 married Marty Stuart. Her biggest hits include Over the Rainbow, The Man That Got Away, and The Trolley Song, all of which were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. She's managed to influence an enormous crop of folksingers, including Gillian Welch and Janis Ian. The women featured here are standouts in a number of genres. Aretha Franklin was one of the most talented and influential singers not just in the 60s but the Ross embarked on her acting and solo career, and Wilson also released two solo albums throughout her career, including an expanded version of her 1978 self-titled debut prior to her death in 2021. As the frontman of the North Carolina Ramblers, Poole became an influence on the founding fathers of American bluegrass. These classics include such semi-sermons as You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man), Don't Come Home A' Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind) and Rated X. She raised the hackles of radio censors -- while delighting other women -- with The Pill, a song she didn't write but which echoed her approval of birth control pills. She appeared prominently on The Johnny Cash Show from 1969 to 1971. Townes Van Zandt could be considered one of the best songwriters of all time. Her hits include I Can Dream, Cant I?, Too Young, and Kiss of Fire.. Wells may have been countrys first queen, but Patsy Cline was soon to follow and emerged as an indelible part of the Nashville sound, a polished subgenre that dominated radio airwaves in the late 1950s and early 1960s. 2 on theBillboardHot Country and Western Charts. Cline suddenly passed away during a plane crash in 1963, but she left a legacy behind, earning herself a spot in the Country Music Hall of Fame and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Notable artists include Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, Bill Haley. 1 on the charts for 10 weeks. Judy Garland. He's a Grammy Award-winning songwriter and has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Hits: Heat Wave, Dancing in the Street, Quicksand, Nowhere to Run, Produced by Phil Spector, The Crystals has a steady run of hits from 1961 through 1964 with Hes a Rebel, Uptown, Da Doo Ron Ron, Theres No Other (Like My Baby), Then He Kissed Me, andHes Sure the Boy I Love., Hits: Da Doo Ron Ron, Then He Kissed Me, Hes a Rebel, Ellie Greenwichhad originally written Chapel of Love forThe Ronettes, but the song was ultimately recorded by The Dixie Cups and produced by Phil Spector. 1 on theBillboardHot 100. One year later, after auditioning for WDAY in Fargo, radio personality Ken Kennedy gave her the stage name Peggy Lee. Only members can comment. Her elegant voice was only part of her legacy. Patsy Cline - Walkin' After Midnight (Live), Get Happy Judy Garland | Summer Stock | Warner Archive, Teresa Brewer "Music! 1 hit Leader of the Pack, along with songs like Give Him a Great Big Kiss and Remember (Walking in the Sand)., Hits: Leader of the Pack, Remember (Walking in the Sand), I Can Never Go Home Anymore. 1 on her own with A Lesson in Leavin' and did it again that same year with Are You Happy Baby? Paired again with Rogers, she topped the charts in 1981 with What Are We Doin' in Love. Her daughter Shelly West followed in her mother's footsteps as a country artist. List of older women in pop, soul and country with black female vocalists from the 50s, 60s and 70s who are still alive in 2023. Many of the best Black female singers have reached the top of the charts with their catchy tunes. Lesley Gore 12. 1 singles on theBillboardHot 100 as a solo artist, half of a duet, a member of a trio, and a member of an ensemble. Doris Day. Barbara Lynn 19. 1 in 1964, sold more than one million copies, and led the way for the groups continued hits throughout the 60s like People Say, You Should Have Seen the Way He Looked at Me, Little Bell, and Iko Iko., Hits: Chapel of Love, People Say, Iko Iko, Addressing all the teen drama and more tragic scenarios of youth, the New York City-bred pop group The Shangri-Las had more edge but still embodied the youthful strains of love and heartbreak with No. The two sang as a duo for most of Clooneys early career. Her first no. Although both Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon have had careers since the duo split up, and although Paul Simon has become a rather influential, prolific songwriter, it's hard to deny the level of artistry they were able to achieve as a pair. The academy honored her with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013. Presley certainly wasn't the first to sing what's now considered rock 'n' roll; other notable artists Her songs were (and are) deep, compassionate and insightful. Her first million-selling single was With My Eyes Wide Open, Im Dreaming. Page followed this up with Tennessee Waltz in 1950, which spent 13 weeks as a no. She has won more Academy of Country Music Awards than any artist. Ernest Tubb - Waltz Across Texas 5. Though their roots began in the San Francisco Bay area bluegrass scene, the Grateful Dead soon became one of the most prolific, popular, successful folk-rock bands. Seely scored a hit Wish I Didn't Have to Miss You with fellow Opry member Jack Greene in 1969 and a solo hit Can I Sleep in Your Arms in 1973. WebThe list includes many familiar and great female country singers such as Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, Shania Twain.The women country singers featured in this list are from United States, United Kingdom, Canada & Australia and many more countries. 1s, including her duets with Jones, before tapering off, chartwise, in the mid-1970s. Her songs Am I Asking Too Much? and Baby Get Lost peaked at no. Carrie Underwood is an American singer-songwriter and one of the best female country music singers of all time. Even though they were pieced together with the intention of being an ideal folk-pop money-making supergroup, there's not a lot about Peter, Paul & Mary that was contrived. In response, Dobbins wrote the groups biggest hit Please Mr. Postman, which reached No. While the man who would later become known as The King had a hard time catching a break in Nashville, one rockabilly artist signed under the same record label would capture the hearts of country enthusiasts and rock n roll fans alike: Johnny Cash. She gained fame with her first hit, Sentimental Journey, which became a sort of anthem during World War II. Check out the full track listing below: 1. It reached no. Her first chart record under her own name came in 1949 via Baby, It's Cold Outside, which paired her with the comic duo Homer & Jethro. Cass Elliot 8. Best known for "Stand by Your Man," Tammy Wynette was one of country's biggest female stars in the '60s and '70s. She wouldnt be recognized for her vocals until she performed in an L.A. jazz club in early 1955. A [ edit] Kay Adams Julien Aklei Lauren Alaina Daniele Alexander Jessi Alexander Susie Allanson Deborah Allen Rosalie Allen Amy Allison Liz Anderson Lynn Anderson Jessica Andrews Sheila Andrews Lisa Angelle Susan Anton Katie Armiger Susan Ashton Patti Austin B [ edit] Joan Baez Katherine Bailess She placed six singles on the country charts between 1967 and 1970, three of them duets with Glen Campbell, and co-hosted the first CMA Awards show with Sonny James. She first got the chance to sing in a movie in 1953. In 2013, Georgia Holt became the subject of a documentary titled Dear Mom, Love Cher, which also featured her famous daughter Cher. During the mid-1960s, the Supremes achieved mainstream success with Ross as lead singer, backed by the Motown hit-making HollandDozierHolland as its songwriting and production team throughout the mid-60s. Last but certainly not least, we added probably one of the most famous 1950s female singers. WebKitty Wells made history as the first woman to have a No. In the 1950s, country music continued to benefit from commercial success thanks to post-war prosperity. Many of them have become as much a part of the Great American Songbook as those written by Ira Gershwin or Johnny Mercer -- classics such as Coat of Many Colors, I Will Always Love You, Jolene and 9 to 5, the theme from her 1980 movie of the same name. The 2023 version of "The Exorcist" is a fresh interpretation of the horror classic that will be released in theaters on Oct. 13. In many ways, what happened in this decade would set the stage for some of country musics biggest moments. The daughter of musician Johnny Cash, Rosanne Cash followed in the footsteps of her father. From his work with Crosby Stills Nash and Young to his numerous solo albums, Neil Young has been a serious force in the folk-rock world. She rose to become the most influential female executive on Music Row and then went on to head BMI in New York from 1986 until her retirement in 2004. From his early 60s topical tunes to his heartbreak songs of today, Dylan is easily one of the greatest American folk artists. Dubbed Country Music's reigning Queen, Underwood has influenced several other singers, such as Kelsea Ballerini, Lucy Hale, Lauren Alaina, Mollie King, and Danielle Bradbery. Next: Our picks for the best black female singers of all time. She performed primarily as a jazz artist, incorporating blues, R&B, and pop styles into her music. In 1955, despite music trends moving toward rock and roll and Carson being a pop singer, she managed a no. She has also been a board member of an organization called Center To Prevent Youth Violence, which works towards preventing gun violence. Betty Clooney briefly touched stardom alongside her sister, Rosemary. Del Wood: Wood (1920-1989) had only one chart hit -- the No. Indeed, there aren't a lot of songwriters working these days who don't feel some reverence towards his work. Under the Influence, America's Sweetheart, Good Girls, Different for Girls, Wild Love are some of her other popular songs. 27. of 50. Over the years, Crow has contributed to several film soundtracks, including the iconic theme song for the popular James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies. and her frequent collaboration with David Rawlings is one of the most appreciated musical partnerships these days. Loretta Lynn (b. 5 piano tour de force Down Yonder in 1951. Somewhere in the middle of mostly male-dominated doo-wop groups, Elvis Presley swiveling his hips and the emergence of rock and roll with the likes of Little Richard, Bill Haley, Chuck Berry, and Jerry Lee Lewis, and a burgeoning British invasion of the 1960s, there were the women of girl groups. Female Singers of the '60s: Top 20 Greatest Artists We Love Aretha Franklin. Sitting at the top of our list of the greatest female singers of the '60s, Aretha Franklin was the real "Queen of Soul." Nina Simone. Although the nickname "The High Priestess of Soul," Nina Simone wasn't tied down by any musical genres. Etta James. Shirley Bassey. Dusty Springfield. Janis Joplin. Dionne Warwick. Joan Baez. Cass Elliot. More items By 1996, The Shirelles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At the age of 54, she posed for Playboy magazine, becoming one of the oldest women to do so. Also a philanthropist, Judd joined hands with Habitat for Humanity and helped raise more than $90 million to aid victims of natural disasters. The group dwindled to four members by the following year. 1 on both the country and pop charts in 1968 and won a Grammy in the process. They've released more than 40 albums in the last 50 years, and have become somewhat of an institution in contemporary folk music. Widely regarded as the Queen of Country Pop, Shania Twain is the best-selling female artist in the history of country music, having sold more than 100 million records worldwide. Her recording debut came later that year, and both that record and its successor made theBillboardHarlem Hit Parade in 1944. However, this isn't just about country music. In the '50s, '60s, and '70s, female solo singers were ever-present on radio, TV and the pop charts -- as they should have been! Womens History Month: These Artists Thrived in the '50s and After Webbs death, Fitzgerald took over as band leader while performing with the Benny Goodman orchestra and working on her own side project. Dave Carter was inarguably one of the best songwriters the contemporary folk scene as known in some time. Hits: Please Mr. Postman, Beechwood 4-5789, Dont Mess With Bill, Playboy. Jackson went on to release one of her biggest songs, Dont You Know, peaking at no. She signed with King Records, releasing a few hits, including Kiki and Youre All I See.. WebHer and Bob Regan made good music together. He had a very low bass voiceand was renowned for bringing some classic African-American spirituals like "Go Down Moses" to national and international attention. The academy inducted her version of You Belong to Me and The Pied Pipers Ill Never Smile Again into the Grammy Hall of Fame. However, despite gender equality still being a major issue, many female vocalists of the 1950s rose to fame and made their mark in history. Dave Van Ronk was one of the most important figures in the Greenwich Village folk-music scene of the 1960s. Their songs captured a moment in time, of naivete and love and loss and remain classics today. Top 10 Female Singers Of The '50s, '60s, And '70s. 2. Some famous Black female singers sing the blues while other top Black woman artists are pop superstars. Billboardawarded her the most popular female vocalist in 1955, 1956, and 1957. June was also a well-known philanthropist. Web101 Female Rock 'n Roll Girls of the '50s - Compilation by Various Artists | Spotify Home Search Your Library Create Playlist Privacy Center Cookies Preview of Spotify Sign up to James Taylor is often considered one of the most successful of the "sensitive singer/songwriters." He's easily one of the most influential artists in the genre, and one of the most gifted instrumentalists.