Comments on: In Memoriam: Kitty Wells, 1919-2012

By: Erik North

Erik North — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 14:13:50 +0000

A great tribute to the country music world’s first real female superstar. It’s kind of easy to forget the impact she had at a time when women were still expected to conform, and thankfully Kevin has given us a reminder of how big a deal she was, and continued to be even after her hit-making days slowed down in the 1970s, and beyond even the country music world itself.

By: Ben Foster

Ben Foster — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 02:12:03 +0000

Very sad news. How I’ve loved her music. Words fail to describe what she did for country music, or the paths she blazed for the long succession of outstanding female talent that succeeded her.

Thanks for such a fine tribute, Kevin! It’s always great to revisit her classic songs.

By: Rachael Sarah Williams

Rachael Sarah Williams — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 21:03:06 +0000

Thank you for posting this so quickly, Kevin. I believe you’ve scooped CMT on reporting Kitty’s passing.

I’d never heard of Kitty Wells until I began researching country music in 2005. My goodness, I’d been missing out on some amazing songs. As you note above, she started the tradition of female country singers tackling controversial topics–and it’s telling that fans clamored for more even when country radio stations banned her songs for just talking back to the widely accepted male/female double standard. Record companies wouldn’t release full albums by female singers back in the 1950s–”women can’t sell records,” they always said–until Kitty Wells proved them wrong, wrong, wrong.

I was fortunate to see Kitty at the Country Music Hall of Fame in August 2008. CMHOF had a wonderful exhibit on her career and music, and she was there in person for the opening day of the exhibit. In her late 80s then, she still held the entire auditorium spellbound during the 90-minute interview. She made us laugh several times when she politely dismissed “nonsense” questions from her interviewer.

Rest in peace, Kitty…and thank you.