Country Music Singer. Born Ollie Imogene Shepard, she had many hits on the country music charts during her long career. She grew up singing in the church, and was drawn to the music of Jimmie Rodgers and Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. As a teenager, she played bass in the Melody Ranch Girls, an all-female band formed in 1948. Hank Thompson discovered her a few years later and with his help, she signed with Capitol Records in 1952, which followed the success of Kitty Wells. She cut four songs at her first session with popular band players Jimmy Bryant, Speedy West, Cliffie Stone and Billy Strange and recorded her first single for the label in 1952, "Crying Steel Guitar Waltz", but it failed to chart. Her next single "A Dear John Letter", a duet with Ferlin Husky in 1953, hit number one on the country charts and was number four on the pop charts. The duo's follow-up, "Forgive Me John", was another crossover hit, peaking in the Top 10 on the country chart and the top 25 on the pop chart. She would go on to release 70 singles to the Hot Country Songs chart and a total of 24 studio albums from 1956 to 1981. She became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1955 and remained a member for the next 61 years. Her first marriage was to fellow singer Hawkshaw Hawkins, but it ended when he, along with Patsy Cline and Cowboy Copas, was killed in a plane crash in 1963. In 1981 she released her final album "Dear John". She continued to perform until her retirement from the stage in 2015. During her long career, she was considered a pioneer "who opened the doors for women in country music". She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2011. She passed away from Parkinson's Disease.
Country Music Singer. Born Ollie Imogene Shepard, she had many hits on the country music charts during her long career. She grew up singing in the church, and was drawn to the music of Jimmie Rodgers and Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. As a teenager, she played bass in the Melody Ranch Girls, an all-female band formed in 1948. Hank Thompson discovered her a few years later and with his help, she signed with Capitol Records in 1952, which followed the success of Kitty Wells. She cut four songs at her first session with popular band players Jimmy Bryant, Speedy West, Cliffie Stone and Billy Strange and recorded her first single for the label in 1952, "Crying Steel Guitar Waltz", but it failed to chart. Her next single "A Dear John Letter", a duet with Ferlin Husky in 1953, hit number one on the country charts and was number four on the pop charts. The duo's follow-up, "Forgive Me John", was another crossover hit, peaking in the Top 10 on the country chart and the top 25 on the pop chart. She would go on to release 70 singles to the Hot Country Songs chart and a total of 24 studio albums from 1956 to 1981. She became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1955 and remained a member for the next 61 years. Her first marriage was to fellow singer Hawkshaw Hawkins, but it ended when he, along with Patsy Cline and Cowboy Copas, was killed in a plane crash in 1963. In 1981 she released her final album "Dear John". She continued to perform until her retirement from the stage in 2015. During her long career, she was considered a pioneer "who opened the doors for women in country music". She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2011. She passed away from Parkinson's Disease.
Bio by: Mr. Badger Hawkeye
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