HONKY TONK LEGEND LORETTA LYNN KEEPS THE COUNTRY REAL

By Daniel Durchholz -Stltoday.com

It's been 50 years since Loretta Lynn scored a hit with her very first recording, "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl." Reminded of the years gone by, the country superstar seems impressed by her own longevity — as she should be.

"Ain't that something?" Lynn says by phone from her home outside Nashville. "I couldn't believe it when they told me how long it's been." more!

AMERICA CELEBRATES THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF COUNTRY GREAT LORETTA LYNN'S DEBUT CHARTING SINGLE

With Albums and More During Yearlong Celebration

Marking the 50th anniversary of her first charting single--1960's "I'm A Honky Tonk Girl"--country music great Loretta Lynn received a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award on this year's January 31st Grammy broadcast. That honor will serve as just the beginning of a yearlong celebration of her extraordinary legacy, not only in country music (16 #1 singles among 51 Top 10s) but in American popular culture.
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COAL MINERS DAUGHTER PICKED AS ONE OF THE TOP MUSIC BIOGRAPHIES
By Grace Wong -CNN.com

Whether they're overcoming odds to reach stardom, battling inner demons or dealing with tragedy, the personal histories of our musical heroes are made for the big screen.

Film biographies of musicians may be criticized for their convention, but when done right, they're movies that can affect us deeply.

The Screening Room has chosen, in no particular order, 10 of our favorite music biopics -- movies which we think tell captivating stories, but above all, bring the music of these talented artists to life.
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GRAMMYS GET IT RIGHT: LYNN TO GET LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

It's way past time for Kentucky icon

When Loretta Lynn's “Van Lear Rose” won a Grammy for best country album in 2005, she offered the following nugget in her acceptance speech:

“The main thing about country music is, I love to sing it,” said the native of Butcher Hollow, Ky. “And there's a lot of people who love to hear country music.”

You could write that off as an empty sound bite, but it actually speaks directly to the phenomenal longevity of Lynn's career.
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LORETTA LYNN ENTERTAINS ARKANSAS CROWD

On Jan. 22, Loretta Lynn and her entourage stopped at the Reynolds Performance Hall on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. The legendary songstress treated the audience to one hour of down-home fun and country music.

To a standing ovation, Lynn opened her set with “They Don’t Make ‘Em Like My Daddy.” Without interruption, she followed with “You’re Lookin’ at Country,” “When the Tingle Becomes a Chill” and “I Wanna Be Free.”  more!

LORETTA LYNN ADDED TO 2010 LILITH FAIR LINE UP

The 2010 Lilith Fair Tour is pleased to announce exciting line-up additions to the summer touring festival: Loretta Lynn!

"I'm happy they wanted me on this Lilith tour. I have never done shows just with other girl singers before.  When I first started out, they said girl singers couldn't sell records or concert tickets.  We've come a long way since then and we're gonna have a big time out there!" - Loretta Lynn more!

LORETTA LYNN KEEPS IT REAL AT BILLY BOB’S

Durable, demure and ferociously talented well into her 70s, country legend Loretta Lynn is something of a regular ’round these parts. She may frequent North Texas venues, but that doesn’t mean fans should take her appearances for granted. Country music doesn’t look, feel or sound anything like it once did (and if it does, it’s impossible to find it in the mainstream). Lynn is living, breathing proof of that fact.  more!

DON'T MISS LORETTA LYNN ON THE ROAD IN 2010

Brand new 2010 Loretta Lynn concert dates have been added to the tour page! Check back soon for more ranch updates and the latest Loretta news! more!

LORETTA LYNN FEELS 'GREAT,' IS RECOVERING FROM FLU

Country music legend Loretta Lynn is "feeling great" and planning a trip to her home in the Bahamas over the holidays, according to her daughter Patsy Lynn Russell. Reports have circulated on the Web about Lynn's declining health after she canceled her four remaining shows this year because of the flu.

Russell says Lynn will return to the U.S. in late January to resume touring. more!

GRAMMYS TO HONOR LORETTA LYNN, HAROLD BRADLEY, WALTER MILLER

Loretta Lynn, Harold Bradley, and Walter Miller will be honored by the Recording Academy this Grammy season. They will be feted at a special invitation-only ceremony to be held Saturday, Jan. 30, as part of Grammy week. A formal acknowledgment will also be made during the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards telecast, set for the next day at the L.A. Staples Center.

Lynn, a three-time Grammy winner, will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award for her nearly 50 years in the music industry. more!

DECEMBER CONCERTS POSTPONED, LORETTA LOOKING FORWARD TO THE HOLIDAYS

Loretta's December 11th Concert at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort has been canceled, as well as her December 12th show in Munhall, PA. Click here for more information or contact the point of purchase for a refund. Loretta is at home and recovering and looking forward to the Holiday's with her family. The doctor has ordered that Loretta take some additional time off until after the first of the year due to the flu. Please check back often and we will post the new dates for Loretta as soon as we receive them!

LORETTA JOINS THE HULLABALOU

The home of the Kentucky Derby will become a stomping ground for Loretta Lynn, Bon Jovi, Kenny Chesney and other music stars during a three-day festival that organizers hope will become as renowned in music circles as the Run for the Roses is in horse racing, officials said Monday.

The "HullabaLOU Music Festival" represents a major venture by a new wholly owned subsidiary of Churchill Downs Inc. that was formed with the goal of making Churchill Downs an industry leader in live entertainment. more!

LORETTA TALKS ABOUT THE LYNN LEGACY

Loretta sat down with Robin Roberts for "In The Spotlight With Robin Roberts: Bright Lights. Big Stars. All Access Nashville." Loretta talks about her granddaughter and the "Lynn" last name.  Click here to watch a clip of Loretta's interview! more!

THE 50 BEST ALBUMS OF THE DECADE: VAN LEAR ROSE
Paste Magazine

When this decade began, the Paste website was barely a year old, and the magazine was still a twinkle in its daddies’ eyes. So looking back over the first 10 years of the 2000s feels like looking back over our own history. There hasn’t been a new album Paste has covered that wasn’t eligible for our “Best of the Decade” consideration. Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose

"IN THE SPOTLIGHT WITH ROBIN ROBERTS: BRIGHT LIGHTS. BIG STARS. ALL ACCESS NASHVILLE"

Robin Roberts sits down wish some of Country Music's hottest stars in this hour-long special. In addition to interviews with legendary artists Loretta Lynn, Vince Gill and Rosanne Cash, Carrie Underwood takes Roberts back to her hometown in Oklahoma where Underwood surprises her former high-school with a very big, musical surprise; Tim McGraw takes Roberts horseback riding on his family farm and opens up about his challenging childhood; and Robin Roberts joins Martina McBride and her family in their Nashville home and also spends time with the country superstar at Blackbird Studios. 

LORETTA LYNN STILL A HONKY-TONK GIRL AT HEART

by Marianne Horner
In 1960, Loretta Lynn and her husband, Dolittle, worked tirelessly to earn her first hit single -- 'I'm a Honky Tonk Girl' -- by driving around the country in their car, visiting radio stations. Fifty years later, Loretta is still doing that. But these days, she gets to pick and choose when, where, and how often. more!

LORETTA LYNN’S REQUEST LINE STILL OPEN

After more than four decades in show business, Loretta Lynn knows her limits.

Would she consider a guest mentor spot on “American Idol”? Sure.

“Dancing With the Stars”? Not so much.

“I can’t dance my way out of a paper bag,” she said in a recent phone interview. more!

WEARING HER CROWN LIGHTLY: LORETTA LYNN, COUNTRY QUEEN, RETAINS HER JUST-FOLKS APPEAL

Picture the Coal Miner’s Daughter at home, chatting with a reporter for the umpteenth time in her career.

"I have my hair tied up in a fat towel," Loretta Lynn, 74, reveals. "I put a rinse on it."

The homey warmth and down-to-earth honesty you’d expect from this Nashville icon are much in evidence, even over the phone. But Lynn sounds slightly scattered at the moment, less than an hour before a scheduled rehearsal.  more!

NASHVILLE MUSIC GARDEN INAUGURAL CLASS INCLUDES COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER

The Nashville Music Garden took root in the Hall of Fame Park, located at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Demonbreun (across from the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum), yesterday with the help of celebrity hosts Barbara Mandrell and Lynn Anderson as well as emcee Ralph Emery in an all-star ceremony befitting a garden created to recognize Music City's best.  Mayor Karl Dean was also on hand to cut the ribbon and officially open the garden that pays tribute to the artists, songwriters, authors, television personalities, industry leaders, venues, organizations and icons who have made a positive impact on Nashville's entertainment community.   Other celebrities in attendance included Brenda Lee,  Little Jimmy Dickens,  and the families of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, Patsy Cline, Minnie Pearl, Jimi Hendrix, Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn, songwriter Ben Peters, The Big Bopper, Merle Kilgore and DeFord Bailey. more!

LORETTA LYNN INDUCTED INTO GEORGE D. HAY MUSIC HALL OF FAME
Branson Courier

Gene Williams, Loretta Lynn, Mike Snider and the late Dottie Rhodes were inducted Sept. 20 into the George D. Hay Music Hall of Fame, named for the man who created the Grand Ole Opry.

They join the ranks of past inductees such as Ferlin Husky, Jan Howard, George Jones, Skeeter Davis, Bill Carlisle, Kitty Wells, Bill Anderson, Jean Shepard, Jim Owen, Conway Twitty, Bill Monroe, Barbara Fairchild, Jeannie Seely, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Buck Owens, June Carter Cash, Charley Pride, Leroy Van Dyke, Jim Ed Brown, Hank Williams Sr., Brenda Lee and Ray Price.  more!

KELLIE PICKLER MEETS A REAL AMERICAN IDOL

by Joyce Rizer - The Boot

Another of Kellie Pickler's childhood dreams came true last Friday when she discovered she was sharing the bill of Canada's Havelock Country Jamboree with the legendary Loretta Lynn, whom she'd never met. more!