(UTC)

Crystal Gayle (born January 8, 1951) is an American country singer best known for a series of country-pop crossover hits in the late 70s and early 80s, including the Grammy Award-winning, "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue." She accumulated 18 No. 1 country hits during the 1970's and 1980's. She is also famous for her nearly floor-length hair and was voted one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world in 1983. She is the sister of singer Loretta Lynn (17 years her senior) and the distant cousin of singer Patty Loveless. is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Paintsville is a city located in Johnson County, Kentucky. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Country Pop is a subgenre of country music that first emerged in the 1970s, with roots in both the countrypolitan sound and in soft rock. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... It has been suggested that Decca Music Group be merged into this article or section. ... United Artists Records was a record label founded by United Artists soon after its own founding in 1919 to distribute soundtracks from its movies. ... Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, and today operates under Atlantic Records Group. ... Warner Bros. ... Southpaw is a term used to describe left-handed people, particuarly within sports and in the United States. ... Loretta Lynn (born Loretta Webb April 14, 1934) is an American country singer-songwriter and was one of the leading country female vocalists during the 1960s and 1970s and overall is revered as a country icon. ... Eddie Rabbitt (born November 27, 1941 - May 7, 1998) was a country music singer. ... Gary Morris (born December 7, 1948) is an American Country Music singer and theater actor, who enjoyed a string of Countrypolitan hit songs throughout the 1980s. ... Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. ... is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Country music, the first half of Billboards country and western music category, is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Dont It Make My Brown Eyes Blue is a famous Country/Pop ballad written by Richard Leigh and was released as a single by Crystal Gayle in 1977. ... Loretta Lynn (born Loretta Webb April 14, 1934) is an American country singer-songwriter and was one of the leading country female vocalists during the 1960s and 1970s and overall is revered as a country icon. ... Patty Loveless signing a shirt Patty Loveless (born Patricia Lee Ramey on January 4, 1957 in Pikeville, Kentucky) is an American country music singer. ...

Biography & career

Early years

Crystal Gayle was born Brenda Gail Webb in Paintsville, KY, on January 9, 1951, the youngest daughter of Melvin "Ted" and Clara Marie (Ramey) Webb. ^[1] Her sister, country music legend Loretta Lynn, was raised in nearby rural Butcher Holler and had already married and left home by the time Webb was born. ^[2] Webb's family moved to Wabash, IN when she was four. Paintsville is a city located in Johnson County, Kentucky. ... Loretta Lynn (born Loretta Webb April 14, 1934) is an American country singer-songwriter and was one of the leading country female vocalists during the 1960s and 1970s and overall is revered as a country icon. ... Childhood home of Loretta Lynn Butcher Hollow (also known as Butcher Holler) is a coal-mining community located in Johnson County, Kentucky. ...

Inspired by Lynn's success, Webb learned guitar, performed folk songs in high school and sang backing vocals in her brother's band. ^[3] Lynn encouraged her younger sister by bringing her out on tour for a few weeks each summer. Lynn's label, Decca, signed the young singer after she completed high school, but suggested a name change to avoid confusion with labelmate Brenda Lee. Lynn suggested the name Crystal, inspired by the Krystal hamburger chain, and Webb adopted her middle name to derive "Crystal Gayle". ^[4] It has been suggested that Decca Music Group be merged into this article or section. ... Brenda Lee (born December 11, 1944) is an American pop singer, who was immensely popular during the 1950s and 1960s. ...

1970 – 1977: Country beginnings

Gayle's debut single, I've Cried (The Blues Right Out of My Eyes), was released in 1970 peaking at No. 23 on Billboard's Country singles chart. The song was written by Loretta Lynn and performed in a style very similar to her sister's. Decca pushed for more records styled like Lynn's with Lynn actually writing more of her early singles. Unfortunately, this approach failed to establish Gayle in her own right even with regular appearances on Jim Ed Brown's television show The Country Place. ^[5] She did not return to the Country Top 40 until 1974's Restless (No. 39). Loretta Lynn (born Loretta Webb April 14, 1934) is an American country singer-songwriter and was one of the leading country female vocalists during the 1960s and 1970s and overall is revered as a country icon. ... The Browns were an American family singing group from Sparkman, Arkansas made up of Jim Ed Brown (b. ...

Frustrated, she parted ways with Decca and signed with United Artists in 1974 where she teamed with producer Allen Reynolds. Reynolds offered Gayle the creative freedom she wanted helping her develop her own distinctive style and phrasing. ^[6] Her first album, Crystal Gayle, was released in 1974 yielding her first Top Ten country hit, Wrong Road Again (No. 6). By 1976, Gayle amassed the first of her 18 Number One country singles, I'll Get Over You, ^[7] which also became her first single to reach Billboard's Hot 100 (No. 71) and Adult Contemporary chart (No. 40). She scored two more Top 2 country hits, "You Never Miss A Real Good Thing (Till He Says Goodbye)" (No. 1) and "I'll Do It All Over Again" (No. 2), in 1977 before achieving the greatest success of her career. United Artists Records was a record label founded by United Artists soon after its own founding in 1919 to distribute soundtracks from its movies. ... Lee Reynolds, {August 18, 1938 – ?), is a record producer and songwriter. ... Crystal Gayle is the eponymous first-released album by Crystal Gayle, although she had previously recorded material which was not released until later. ... Wrong Road Again is a Country song written by songwriter Richard Leigh and was Crystal Gayles first hit song. ...

1977 – 1989: Crossover

Believing Gayle was poised for a larger breakthrough, Reynolds encouraged her to record the jazz-flavored ballad, Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue. The song became the most successful of Gayle's career spending four weeks atop the country chart. The song became her biggest hit on the Hot 100 (No. 2), peaked at No. 4 AC and gained considerable airplay worldwide. Gayle earned a Grammy award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance and the song also earned a Grammy as Country Song of the Year for its writer, Richard Leigh. ^[8] The song helped her album, We Must Believe in Magic, become the first by a female country artist to be certified platinum. ^[9] She toured worldwide, including Britain with Kenny Rogers and China with Bob Hope, where she became the first person to tape a performance on the Great Wall of China. Dont It Make My Brown Eyes Blue is a famous Country/Pop ballad written by Richard Leigh and was released as a single by Crystal Gayle in 1977. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance was first awarded in 1965. ... We Must Believe in Magic was the fourth album by Crystal Gayle, eventually becoming one of her two highest ranking Billboard Country Albums when it reached the #2 spot. ... Kenneth Donald Kenny Rogers (born August 21, 1938, in Houston, Texas) is a prolific American country music singer, photographer, producer, songwriter, actor and businessman. ... Bob Hope, KBE (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003), born Leslie Townes Hope, was an English-Born American entertainer who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, on radio and television, in movies, and in performing tours for U.S. Military personnel, well known for his good natured humor and career longevity. ... The Great Wall of China (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; literally Long wall) or (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; literally The long wall of 10,000 Li (里)[1]) is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in China, built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 5th century BC and the 16th...

After the success of Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue, Gayle and her record producers leaned more toward crossover music with each new release. For the next ten years, she would have her greatest success. Gayle was awarded "Female Vocalist of the Year" for two years by the Country Music Association Awards (1978 and 1979) and for three years by the Academy of Country Music (1976 – 1977 and 1979). Dont It Make My Brown Eyes Blue is a famous Country/Pop ballad written by Richard Leigh and was released as a single by Crystal Gayle in 1977. ... The Country Music Association Awards also known as the CMA Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country Music Association. ... The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California. ...

Gayle remade a previously recorded track from her Crystal album, Ready For The Times To Get Better, as her first single after Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue. Although the single became her fourth No. 1 Country hit, it failed to reach the Pop Top 40 (No. 52). Gayle's next album, When I Dream, yielded three Top 3 Country hits - the No. 1 songs Talking In Your Sleep and Why Have You Left The One You Left Me For as well as the No. 3 title track. Talking In Your Sleep returned Gayle to the Pop Top 20 (No. 18). Gayle left United Artists for Columbia Records in 1979 for her next album, Miss The Mississippi. She returned again to the Pop Top 20 with that album's first single, Half The Way (No. 15 Pop, No. 2 Country, No. 9 AC) ^[10] which became her last solo Top 20 Pop hit. Dont It Make My Brown Eyes Blue is a famous Country/Pop ballad written by Richard Leigh and was released as a single by Crystal Gayle in 1977. ... United Artists Records was a record label founded by United Artists soon after its own founding in 1919 to distribute soundtracks from its movies. ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ...

Gayle started the 1980s with another No. 1 country hit, It's Like We Never Said Goodbye (No. 63 Pop, No. 17 AC). This song led a historic Top 5 on the Billboard Country Singles chart on which the Top 5 positions were all held by women:

1. Crystal Gayle ("It's Like We Never Said Goodbye")
2. Dottie West ("A Lesson In Leavin'")
3. Debby Boone ("Are You On The Road To Lovin' Me Again")
4. Emmylou Harris ("Beneath Still Waters")
5. Tammy Wynette ("Two Story House" with George Jones)

Gayle's next album, Hollywood, Tennessee, was her most blatant attempt at country crossover. The album's A-side, Hollywood, was pop while the album's B-side, Tennessee, was country. The album's three singles all reached the Country Top 10, but only the first single, The Woman In Me, reached the Hot 100 (No. 76). Gayle's singles, however, frequently charted Top 20 on the AC chart throughout the 1980s. Dottie West (born Dorothy Marie Marsh October 11, 1932 – September 4, 1991) was an American country music singer. ... Debby Boone (born Deborah Ann Boone, on September 22, 1956) is an American singer and theater actress. ... Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947, Birmingham, Alabama) is a country, folk, alternative rock, and alternative country musician. ... Tammy Wynette (May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country singer and songwriter. ... For other persons named George Jones, see George Jones (disambiguation). ...

In 1982, Gayle worked on the Francis Ford Coppola film, One from the Heart, recording songs for the movie's soundtrack with Tom Waits. She then switched record labels again to Elektra Records. She recorded a duet, You And I, with Elektra labelmate Eddie Rabbitt for his Radio Romance album. The duet quickly ascended to No. 1 on the Country charts, returned Gayle to the Pop Top 10 (No. 7) and became her biggest AC hit ever (No. 2). Her first Elektra album, True Love, surprisingly excluded this duet. It did produce three more No. 1 country hits - Til I Gain Control Again, Our Love Is On The Faultline (No. 23 AC) and Baby, What About You (No. 83 Pop, No. 9 AC). Francis Ford Coppola (born April 7, 1939) is a five-time Academy Award winning American film director, producer, and screenwriter. ... One from the Heart is a 1982 musical film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. ... Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. ... Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, and today operates under Atlantic Records Group. ... Eddie Rabbitt (born November 27, 1941 - May 7, 1998) was a country music singer. ... True Love rose to #14 on the Billboard Country Albums charts for Crystal Gayle. ...

After Elektra Records was folded into Warner Bros. Records in 1983, Gayle released her next album, Cage The Songbird, which spawned two more No. 1 Country hits - The Sound Of Goodbye and Turning Away - and two other Top 5 Country hits - I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love (No. 2) and Me Against The Night (No. 4). The Sound Of Goodbye became her final entry on the Hot 100 (No. 84) and Top 10 AC hit (No. 10) to date. In 1985, she released her next album, Nobody Wants To Be Alone, which contained two Top 5 Country hits - the title track (No. 3) and A Long And Lasting Love (No. 5). Later that year, she teamed with Gary Morris to record a duet for the soundtrack to the Dallas television series. The song, Makin' Up For Lost Time (The Dallas Lovers' Song), reached No. 1 Country, but became Gayle's last AC chart appearance (No. 36) to date. Warner Bros. ... Dallas title card. ...

Her 1986 album, Straight To The Heart, began promisingly with two more No. 1 Country singles - Cry (a remake of the Johnnie Ray classic) and the title track. These songs, however, would become the last of Gayle's 18 No. 1 Country singles. She reunited with Gary Morris in 1987 to record the album, What If We Fall In Love, which would yield another theme from a television soap opera, Another World (No. 4). Gayle guest-starred on the show as herself, a friend of the character Felicia Gallant, who was menaced by a serial killer known as the "Sin Stalker." Gayle and Morris performed the theme at the Daytime Emmy Awards and the song was used as the show's theme until March 1996. Johnnie Ray from the trailer for one of his few films, Theres No Business Like Show Business (1954) John Alvin Ray (January 10, 1927–February 24, 1990) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. ... Felicia Gallant as played by actress Linda Dano in Another World. ...

Another World became Gayle's last Top 10 Country hit to date. As traditional Country singers such as Randy Travis and the Judds began to dominate the country airwaves in the late 1980s, the success of crossover artists like Gayle began to wane. Gayle's last charted single was 1990's Never Ending Song Of Love (No. 72). This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The Judds are an American mother/daughter country music duo of Naomi Judd and her daughter, Wynonna. ...

1990 – present: Later career

Gayle released two more studio albums during the 1990's: Ain't Gonna Worry (1990) produced by Allen Reynolds and Three Good Reasons (1992). Both albums failed to chart and their singles all failed to reestablish Gayle at country radio. Gayle subsequently recorded several specialty projects. She released two gospel albums - Someday (1995) and He Is Beautiful (1997). In 1999, she released the tribute album, Crystal Gayle Sings The Heart And Soul Of Hoagy Carmichael. ^[11]. Gayle released a children's album, In My Arms, in 2000. Her most recent studio album was the 2003 standards collection, All My Tomorrows. Gayle has since released two live albums, Crystal Gayle In Concert (2005) and Live! An Evening With Crystal Gayle (2007). Aint Gonna Worry, released in 1990, marked the end of Crystal Gayles run of Billboard chart appearances (as of 2005). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Crystal Gayle Sings The Heart And Soul Of Hoagy Carmichael is Crystal Gayle’s tribute to the songwriter Hoagy Carmichael. ... All My Tomorrows is the name of an album by Country music singer Crystal Gayle in 2003. ... Crystal Gayle in Concert is the name of a live album and DVD by Crystal Gayle from one of concerts, released in 2005. ... Live! An Evening With Crystal Gayle is the name of a live album/DVD of Crystal Gayle, released in 2006. ...

In January 2007, Gayle became involved in the hunt for fugitive Christopher Gay. Gay escaped from custody at an Interstate 95 welcome center near Hardeeville, South Carolina and made his way to Tennessee where he stole Gayle's tour bus. Gay drove the bus from Old Hickory, Tennessee to the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, parking the bus in a VIP spot next to NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Jeff Gordon. Gay was arrested the following day and the bus was returned to Gayle.^[12] Interstate 95 is a major interstate highway, running along the East Coast of the United States from Florida to Maine. ... Hardeeville is a city located in Jasper County, South Carolina. ... Old Hickory, Tennessee is a section of metropolitan Nashville, Tennessee, named in honor of President Andrew Jackson who was nicknamed Old Hickory. This area is located in the Hadley Bend section of eastern Davidson County, Tennessee. ... Daytona International Speedway is a superspeedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. ... Daytona redirects here. ... The NASCAR Championship is the championship held in NASCARs top stock car racing series. ... Jeffery Michael Gordon (born August 4, 1971) is a professional American race car driver. ...

Gayle was ranked No. 33 in a 2002 CMT countdown of the 40 Greatest Women of Country Music. She was awarded "Best Female Entertainer" in 2007 by the Second Annual American Entertainment Magazine Reader's Choice Awards as she continues to regularly tour the globe. In 2008, Gayle received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame. Buskers perform on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. ...

Gayle's admitted "heartbeat" is her family. She married her high school sweetheart, Bill Gatzimos, shortly after graduating high school. The couple have two children, Katherine and Chris, and one grandson, Elijah. Gayle's family resides in Nashville where she also has her own specialty store, "Crystal's for Fine Gifts and Jewelry."

Floor-length hair

Gayle is known to be the female artist with the longest hair in the world. Her website says she grew her hair to such incredible lengths because she had to have it boyishly short as a child. She has had at least "classic length" hair all through adulthood, but now keeps her hair to three inches off the floor (though, because of its excellent condition, many people think it is indeed floor-length, despite that while on stage, she always wears high heels to lift it higher.) While singing, she frequently stands with her back to the audience, who watch her luxurious hair sway back and forth. Gayle has confessed she sometimes has nightmares about waking up with all her hair cut off, and ever since a fan cut off a large chunk of her sister's hair (as depicted in the movie Coal Miner's Daughter), Gayle has been extra protective of her own hair. She has also posed for pictures with other women with very long hair (also sometimes to the floor). Her daughter has much shorter hair, and Gayle has often said she is sad that so far her daughter has chosen not to follow in her mother's long-hair footsteps, (All the same, her daughter has always resisted Gayle herself getting her hair substantially cut, telling her once “Mom, if you do, you won’t be Crystal Gayle anymore.”)

Awards and Honors

American Entertainment Magazine

• Best Female Entertainer (2007)

American Music Awards

• Favorite Female Country Artist (1979)
• Favorite Female Country Artist (1980)
• Favorite Female Country Artist (1986)

Academy of Country Music Awards

• Top New Female Vocalist (1975)
• Top Female Vocalist (1976)
• Top Female Vocalist (1977)
• Top Female Vocalist (1979)

Country Music Association Awards

• Female Vocalist of the Year (1977)
• Female Vocalist of the Year (1978)

Grammy Awards

• Best Female Country Vocal Performance - "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue"

Hollywood Walk of Fame (2007)

Kentucky Music Hall Of Fame (2008)

Music City News

• Most Promising Female Artist of the Year (1975)

Discography

Main article: Crystal Gayle discography

References

• Flippo, Chet. (1998). "Crystal Gayle." In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Ed. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 156-7.

External links

• Official Website
• A fan web page from France including many documents
• Crystal's Place: A Tribute to Crystal Gayle
• CMT.com: Crystal Gayle
• Crystal Gayle feature in Long Hair World

 Crystal Gayle at MySpace