11 Years Ago Today, We Said Goodbye to the “Great Lady of Country Music” Who Helped Bring Country Into the Pop Mainstream

It took a special kind of woman to excel in the boys’ club that was country music in the 1970s. Lynn Anderson, known to many as the “Great Lady of Country Music,” proved she had all it took and more with her international crossover hit “Rose Garden”, which she released in 1970 over the objections of her producer (and husband at the time), Glenn Sutton. Topping the charts in several countries—including Australia, Finland, and Germany—“Rose Garden” helped usher in a generation of country-pop crossover artists like Martina McBride and Reba McEntire.

In addition to releasing five number-one hits and 18 top 10 singles, Anderson shattered multiple glass ceilings, becoming the first female country artist to both appear on national television and headline Madison Square Garden. Her trophy case included two from the Academy of Country Music, along with one each from the Country Music Association and the Grammy Awards.

On this day (July 30) in 2015, Lynn Anderson died from a heart attack at Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center after contracting pneumonia. She was 67 years old.

Today, we’re celebrating one of the most influential women in country music of all time on the 11th anniversary of her passing.

Who Was Lynn Anderson?

Born to Scandinavian immigrants in Grand Forks, North Dakota, on September 26, 1947, Lynn Rene Anderson’s life revolved around two things: country music and horses.

Anderson grew up primarily on a ranch in Sacramento, California, where she learned to ride and look after the horses her family raised. At age nine, she won second place at a horse-racing contest in San Francisco.

Country Music Ran in the Family

Both her parents were aspiring songwriters who instilled a love of performing in their daughter.

In fact, her mother, Liz, wrote “Just Between the Two of Us”, a hit for Merle Haggard and Bonnie Owens in 1964, and Haggard’s 1966 solo hit, “All My Friends are Gonna Be Strangers.”

In fact, it was this connection that helped launch Lynn Anderson’s career. Legendary producer Chet Atkins signed Liz to a recording contract with RCA Victor, and the family moved to Nashville.

Before officially relocating, Lynn visited Music City with her mother, where the two joined an informal sing-along with several other artists at their hotel.

Producer Slim Williamson was also there, and Lynn impressed him so much that he offered her a recording contract of her own. She signed with Chart Records in 1966.

Launching Her Own Career

Lynn Anderson scored her first two charting hits with “Ride, Ride, Ride” and “If I Kiss You (Will You Go Away)”.

Both penned by her mother, the latter reached number five on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1967. Another top-five single, “Promises, Promises”, followed. It was the title track to her second studio album, which topped the country albums charts in 1968.

Soon, Anderson’s success led to a regular role on The Lawrence Welk Show. The program’s first country performer ever, she toured the nation with the cast.

Going Traditional

Despite substantial commercial success, Lynn Anderson still felt like an outsider among the Nashville establishment. Therefore, she chose to record more traditional material.

In addition to original songs like “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “That’s a No No”, Anderson also scored hits with covers of the Osborne Brothers’ “Rocky Top” and Hank Snow’s “I’ve Been Everywhere”.

Breaking Through

In 1970, Lynn Anderson moved to Columbia Records. Her husband, Glenn Sutton—whom she had married two years earlier—became her producer.

After hearing the song “Rose Garden” on a Joe South album, she brought the song to Sutton—who almost immediately shut down the idea of her recording it due to its perceived “male-centric” lyrics.

However, Sutton eventually relented after Anderson persisted in bringing the song to recording sessions. Released in October 1970, “Rose Garden” spent five weeks atop the Hot Country Singles chart.

It also peaked at number three on the pop charts, selling more than a million copies. Anderson’s album of the same name also reached number one, and she followed “Rose Garden” with another pair of chart-topping hits: “You’re My Man” and “How Can I Unlove You”.

While reaching her commercial peak in the 1970s and 1980s, Lynn Anderson continued recording and performing until her death in 2015. Additionally, she competed in show horse and cutting competitions while raising horses at her farm in Taos, New Mexico.

[RELATED: These 3 Lynn Anderson Songs Make Me Fall in Love With Country Music All Over Again]

“… She was a good gal. I’m gonna miss her,” Dolly Parton said of Anderson after her death. “I made a quote this morning that said she’s blooming in God’s rose garden now.”

Featured image By Rick Diamond/Getty Images

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