LORETTA LYNN ENTERTAINS ARKANSAS CROWD
By
Charles Haymes
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.”
As flashbulbs flickered throughout the venue, Lynn sat in a
chair and welcomed the crowd to her show. It has been a
tradition in Lynn’s career that she often takes audience
requests as opposed to sticking with a permanent set list.
For the most part, Lynn sang whatever the crowd hollered.
Those requests included such staples as “You Ain’t Woman
Enough,” “Fist City,” “Don’t Come Home a Drinkin’ (With
Lovin’ on Your Mind),” “The Pill” and “Your Squaw Is on the
Warpath.”
This marked Lynn’s first live show in three months. The
rustiness could be blamed for Lynn’s struggles on “One’s on
the Way” and “Blue Kentucky Girl.” However, the country
superstar was in top form on knockout versions of “Love Is
the Foundation” and “She’s Got You.”
Lynn often interacted with the audience, especially when she
received a request for “I’m a Honky Tonk Girl.”
Before performing the song, she said, “Oh Honey, that was
the first song I ever wrote. We put that thing out on the
Zero record label, and zero was what I made on it too!”
Additionally, she was very chatty about her late singing
partner, Conway Twitty.
“I know a lot of y’all remember Conway Twitty,” Lynn
commented. “He took part of his name from this town. He sure
was a great singer. I loved him, and I miss him.”
A little later in the show, rhythm guitarist Bart Hansen
joined Lynn on one of her past duet hits with Twitty. Their
rendition of “Lead Me On” was one of the evening’s biggest
crowd pleasers.
Born in Kentucky, Lynn is among music’s most recognizable
talents. From her rural upbringing to early motherhood to
superstar status, the 75-year-old entertainer has never lost
her desire to please the people that have helped make her a
star. Throughout the night, it was evident by her facial
expressions that her love for being on stage has never
diminished.
Lynn surrounds herself with a host of fine musicians. Also,
her show is enhanced by harmonies provided by a trio of
backup singers. Near the end, the trio gave Lynn a few
minutes of vocal rest. They performed two songs before
gathering around her for a gospel medley, which was
highlighted by “Where No One Stands Alone.”
Fittingly, Lynn closed the evening with her signature song,
“Coal Miner’s Daughter.”
The concert was a bit of a throwback to country shows of the
past. It was simply an artist, a band and believable music.
Lynn needs no fancy stage design, nor does she require any
up-and-coming stars to open her performance.
Today, her shows are a family affair. Promptly at 7:30, her
son Ernest Ray opened with two songs. He was followed by
three tunes by her twin daughters, known as The Lynns. And
with no intermission, Lynn strolled on stage, giving the
audience exactly what they wanted – a country music concert.
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