Kitty Wells Biography, Photos and Posters

Kitty Wells

Biography

Born: August 30, 1919
City and Country of Origin: Nashville, Tennessee
Music Training:
Awards: 1976 inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame; 1991 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
Top Recordings: "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels," "As Long As I Live" (with Red Foley), "Makin' Believe," "No One But You" (with Red Foley), "Searching (For Someone Like You), "You and Me" (with Red Foley), "She's No Angel," "Heartbreak U.S.A."
Kitty Wells Biography: Ellen Muriel Deason is an American Country Music Singer. Her 1952 hit recording "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" made her the most popular female country singer for a decade and led to numerous other women becoming stars in the male-dominated Country Music field.

Kitty Wells' success in the 1950s and 1960's was so enormous that she still ranks as the sixth most successful female vocalist in the history of the Billboard country charts according to historian Joel Whitburn's book "The Top 40 Country Hits", behind Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Reba McEntire, Tammy Wynette, and Tanya Tucker. Wells was the third country music artist, behind Roy Acuff and Hank Williams, to receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991 as well as being the seventh woman and first Caucasian woman to receive the honor. In 1976, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

She debuted on on WSIX, a Nashville-area radio station while still in her teens. There she met singer Johnnie Wright who would later become part of the Country group Johnnie and Jack. They were married when Kitty was only 18. The couple toured along with Johnnie's sister Louise Wright as Johnnie Right & the Harmony Girls. After the trio added Jack Anglin they became known as the Tennessee Hillbillies and then became the Tennessee Mountain Boys. When Anglin was drafted during WW2 Wells adopted her stage name from the Folk tune "My Sweet Kitty Wells."

When Anglin returned after the war Kitty was the mother of 2 and she rarely had time to perform. Meanwhile Johnnie and Jack made their way onto the newly formed Louisiana Hayride. With the help of the duo Wells also became a part of the Hayride. When th eduo cut their first records for RCA in 1949 Wells also cut 4 sides of her own. In those days women did not get much playing time on the country stations and Wells was no exception. The label kept the duo, but dropped Wells.

Her husband convinced Paul Cohen of Decca Records to record Wells. The result was "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels," written by J.D. Miller, that went immediately to number 1 on the Country Music charts in 1952 and crossed over onto the pop charts coming in at number 30. The song was extremely controvrsial especially among country's demographic as it expressed a feminist's point of view. It was soon banned from the Grand Ole Opry. Even though Wells was accepted as a member of the Opry that same year. She followed up with a series of major hits like "Paying for That Back Street Affair" and a duet with Red Foley "One By One."

Her success continued throughout the 50s and right through the 60s. In 1968 Wells became the first female country artist to have her own syndicated TV show The Kitty Wells Show. Wells continue to tour well into the 90s. In 2001 she finally announced her retirement at a farewell performance in her hometown of Nashville.

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