65 Years Ago Today, Kitty Wells Reached No. 1 for the Final Time With This Aching Long-Distance Love Ballad

Making it as a country singer wasn’t exactly easy in the 1950s, but for a woman, it was nearly impossible. After years of being downplayed or downright ignored by promoters who believed women couldn’t sell country records, Kitty Wells walked into the studio to record one final song before she quit music altogether. Long story short, that song was “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky-Tonk Angels”, and Wells did not quit music. Instead, she became the first female solo artist to ever top Billboard’s U.S. Hot Country Songs chart.

Wells’ career paved the way for a wave of other female country artists with something to say—Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Jeannie Seely. On this day (July 10) in 1961, the “Queen of Country Music” found herself on top of the charts for a third and final time with “Heartbreak U.S.A”.

This Song Spent 23 Weeks on the Charts

Written by top songwriter Harlan Howard and produced by Owen Bradley, “Heartbreak U.S.A.” takes the listener on a trip through a fictional land of love and loss.

The harbor’s empty, my love has gone / With aching heart I face each cold and lonely dawn / And till the trade winds bring him home to stay / I’ll live in heartbreak USA.

“Heartbreak USA” spent a remarkable 23 weeks on the country charts, including four at number one. The song’s B-side, “There Must Be Another Way to Live”, also reached number 20 on the same chart.

Country singer Jeanne Black recorded a cover version of “Heartbreak USA” in 1961, and Dottie West did the same three years later.

The Incredible Legacy of Kitty Wells

While “Heartbreak USA” was Kitty Wells’ last chart-topper, she would continue releasing top 10 hits throughout the early 1960s. Some of those included “Will Your Lawyer Talk to God”,  “Unloved Wanted”, and “We Missed You”.

Wells’ final top 20 hit came in 1966 with “It’s All Over but the Crying”, which peaked at number 14 on the country charts.

After leaving Decca Records in 1973, she signed with Capricorn and recorded the bluesy album Forever Young, which saw her backed by members of southern rock staples like the Allman Brothers Band and the Marshall Tucker Band.

[RELATED: Remembering Kitty Wells, The True Queen Of Country]

Kitty Wells also continued performing at smaller venues with her husband, Johnnie Wright, playing their final show on December 31, 2000, at the Nashville Nightlife Theater. She died from complications of a stroke on July 16, 2012, at age 92.

Kitty Wells was the first solo female country artist to reach number one on the charts, sell one million records, and headline a major tour. She also remains the only artist to receive top female vocalist honors for 14 consecutive years

Featured image by David Redfern/Redferns

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