Dottie West Biography, Photos and Posters

Dottie West

Biography

Born: October 11, 1932
City and Country of Origin: Frog Pond, Tennessee
Music Training:
Awards: Clio 1974, "Country Sunshine;" CMA 1979 Vocal Duet of the Year (with Kenny Rogers); Vocal Duo of the Year (with Kenny Rogers); 1978 Vocal Duo of the Year (with Kenny Rogers); Grammy 1965 Best Female Country & Western Vocal Performance, "Here Comes My Baby"
Top Recordings: "Here Comes My Baby," "Love Is No Excuse," "Rings of Gold," "Country Sunshine," "Every Time Two Fools Collide," "Anyone Who Isn't Me Tonight," "All I Ever Need Is You ," "A Lesson in Leaving," "What Are We Doin' In Love," "Are You Happy Baby"
Dottie West Biography: Dorothy Marie Marsh was one of the early products of the Nashville Sound. Her career span is one of the longest in country music history, lasting from 1964 through 1985. CMT.com considers her to be one of the most successful and controversial stars to rise to fame during the height of the Nashville Sound.

She was the first of Hollis and Pelina Marsh's 10 children. Hollis was an alcoholic and moonshiner who ran a still out of the family's house and rarely if ever worked. As a result, the family rarely had enough to eat. Hollis was purported to be a violent drunk who started whipping his oldest daughter while she was still a baby and sexually molesting her when she was 12. The abuse stopped when Hollis found work in Detroit, MI and wanted Dorothy to move with him to do the housework. Dorothy told her principal about the abuse and Hollis was arrested, convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison based on the testimony of young Dorothy.

While in high school she joined a music group called the Cookskins. She worked par-time jobs to pay for music lessons and to save to go to college. In 1951, she enrolled in Tennessee Technological University on a scholarship, majoring in music.

She met her future husband, Bill West, a steel guitar player, at a college talent show. They soon formed their own ban called the Tech Two-By-Fours, which played at events around Cookeville. In summer 1952, the couple were married just before the start of her sophomore year. By 1955, the couple had 2 sons. She dropped out of college and the family moved to Cleveland, OH where Bill had secured a position as an engineer. He also worked a guitarist on the television show Landmark Jamboree and recommended that they audition his wife as a singer. She got the job and performed for 5 years until the show was cancelled.

The West's went on vacation to Nashville where they auditioned for every record company in town, finally gettinga contract with Starday Records. Her first recording "Angel on Paper" did not sell, but it got her a spot on the Grand Ole Opry. The couple moved to Nashville in 1961 where she learned about songwriting fromt he likes of Willie Nelson and Kris Kris Kristofferson while becoming close friends with Patsy Cline. Patsy helped the aspiring young singer out until her death in a plane crash in 1963.

West also befriended singer Jim Reeves about this time. She pitched him a song and he recorded it. West won a BMI Writers Award for songwriting. Reeves helped her secure a recording contract with RCA Records. Together, they recorded the album Love Is No Excuse and released the title track as a single which made the country top 10 in 1964. Unfortunately, Reeves died in a plane crash that year.

West recorded her first solo single for RCA, "Let Me Off At the Corner full top 30. In 1964, she became an official member of the Grand Ole Opry. In 1964, West recorded a self-penned song called "Here Comes My Baby". The song was a hit, making it to #10 on the Country charts, and became her first Top Ten hit. In 1965, she became the first female country singer to win a Grammy. West would continue to turn out hits throught the 60s.

In 1969 she teamed with Don Gibson on a series of duets which included "Rings Of Gold" which went to number 2 in 1969 and was Dottie's biggest country hit up to that point. She then recorded an album with Jimmy Dean. In 1971 she helped jumpstart the career of songwriter Larry Gatlin.

It was around that time that West signed a contract with Coca Cola for which she the songs "Country Girl," and "Country Sunshine." The campaign was a huge succes and "Country Sunshine" went on to be a huge commercial success.

She divorced her husband in 1972 and married drummer Byron Metcalf. At this time sh began to project a much more sexually provacative onstage image. By the mid 70s her career had stalled. In 1976 she left RCA to sign with United Artists Records with whom she got her career back on track with hits like "When It's Just You And Me" and "Come See Me and Come Lonely." She met Kenny Rogers and together they recorded a duet album called Every Time Two Worlds Collide. In 1978, they released the hit song "Every Time Two Fools Collide", which hit number 1. They recorded another album together and became the most successful country duet of all times packing stadiums across the country.

By 1980 Rogers and West had parted company to focus on their solo careers. It was in the early 80s that West reached the pinnalce of her career with hits like "A Lesson in Leaving" and "Leavin's For Unbelievers." In 81 she reunited with Rogers to record a #1 duet hit called "What Are We Doin' In Love." Around this time she was having her stage wardrobe supplied by Hollywood fashion designed Bob Mackie.

By 1985 she had divorced her husband and remarried a man 22 years her junior. In 1985 she released the album Just Dottie the biggest commercial failure of her career. By the late 80s her records were barely selling. In the early 90s she toured with her daughter after having filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

On August 30, 1991, West was in a serious car accident. West suffered a ruptured spleen and a lacerated liver. Her spleen was removed that Friday and, the following Monday, she underwent two more surgeries to stop her liver from bleeding. On September 4, 1991, during her third operation, West died in surgery at 9:43 AM, at the age of 58.
Died: September 4, 1991

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