Features – Page 19 – Country Universe

100 Greatest Women, #13: Patty Loveless

June 17, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 42

100 Greatest Women #13 Patty Loveless “I’m a combination of Linda Ronstadt, Loretta Lynn and Ralph Stanley.” – Patty Loveless, 1989 Patty Loveless may be the last of the great mountain singers who will ever

100 Greatest Women, #14: Barbara Mandrell

June 16, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 25

100 Greatest Women #14 Barbara Mandrell Every once in a while, an artist comes along who both defies and redefines expectations. Barbara Mandrell was one of those artists. She completely transformed the notion of what

100 Greatest Women, #15: Tanya Tucker

June 15, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 11

100 Greatest Women #15 Tanya Tucker She was barely a teenager when she first appeared on the country music scene, but her voice had a tortured wisdom far beyond her years. Her early singles were

100 Greatest Women, #16: Shania Twain

June 14, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 110

100 Greatest Women #16 Shania Twain The biggest-selling female country artist in history, Shania Twain achieved success on a worldwide scale that had never been seen before in country music, and hasn’t been seen since,

100 Greatest Women, #17: Brenda Lee

June 13, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 5

100 Greatest Women #17 Brenda Lee She was the rockabilly superstar that Music City had dreamed would come along, a pioneer who made the fusion of early rock and country commercially viable. She made timeless

100 Greatest Women, #18: Cindy Walker

June 12, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 11

100 Greatest Women #18 Cindy Walker For all intents and purposes, the story of professional female songwriters in country music begins with Cindy Walker. In an era where almost all artists and writers were men,

100 Greatest Women, #19: Dottie West

June 11, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 2

100 Greatest Women Dottie West She started out as a heartache singer who could wail a lonesome tune with the best of them. She developed into a sultry, showy stage performer. For more than two

100 Greatest Women, #20: Rosanne Cash

June 10, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 10

100 Greatest Women #20 Rosanne Cash She was one of the dominant female country voices throughout the eighties, and the incisive words and music of Rosanne Cash were leagues beyond most of her contemporaries. She

100 Greatest Women, #22: Wanda Jackson

June 8, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 5

100 Greatest Women #22 Wanda Jackson The original rockabilly queen. When Wanda Jackson heeded Elvis Presley’s advice and put some rock in her country, she shattered all conventions associated with her gender’s place in country

100 Greatest Women, #23: Crystal Gayle

June 7, 2008 Kevin John Coyne 8