Pigeon Forge Welcomes Loretta Lynn!

In the Smokies, most locals could pick out Loretta Lynn in a crowd, having grown up with her music and with her roots regionally based. It should also be no surprise that an April concert at the Country Tonite Theater in Pigeon Forge featuring Lynn is drawing interest all over the South. More specifically on April 12 to what will likely be a sold out show.

Loretta Lynn is a country music icon that has been wowing audiences with her performances for over 50 years. Known the world over as the “Coal Miner’s Daughter”, her music has confronted many of the major social issues of her time, and her life story is a rags-to-riches tale familiar to pop, rock and country fans alike.

The nickname, Coal Miner’s Daughter, is a reference to Lynn’s hit single, as well as an album, a best-selling autobiography, and an Oscar-winning film. It all stems from Lynn’s upbringings in the Kentucky hills. “Coal Miner’s Daughter”, “You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man)”, “Don’t Come Home A’ Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ On Your Mind)”, and “Fist City” are just a few of the songs that made her famous and brought her millions of fans.

To say that she’s talented would be an understatement. Shes recorded over 160 songs and 60 albums, and appeared in number of films and television shows. Besides her ten No. 1 albums and sixteen No. 1 country singles, Lynn-has won a multitude of awards, including four Grammy Awards, 12 Academy of Country Music awards, eight Country Music Association and 26 fan-voted Music City News awards. She was the first woman in country music to receive a certified gold album for 1967’s “Don’t Come Home A’ Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind)”.

In 1972, Lynn was the first woman named “Entertainer of the Year” by the Country Music Association, and is one of six women to have received CMA’s highest award. She was named “Artist of the Decade” for the 1970s by the Academy of Country Music. Lynn was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Country Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1999. She was also the recipient of Kennedy Center Honors in 2003. Lynn was the first female country artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1977. In 2001, “Coal Miner’s Daughter” was named among NPR’s “100 Most Significant Songs of the 20th Century”.