In 1988, Loretta Lynn stood onstage at the Country Music Association Awards beside Kitty Wells, Brenda Lee, and k.d. lang. Four remarkable women were sharing a moment that celebrated the history of country music.
But for Loretta Lynn, standing beside Kitty Wells meant something much more personal.
Years earlier, Loretta Lynn had been so excited to meet Kitty Wells that Loretta Lynn reached out and touched the dress Kitty Wells had worn onstage. It was a small gesture that Loretta Lynn remembered for the rest of her life.
And more than three decades later, Loretta Lynn told the story herself.
The Day Loretta Lynn Finally Met Her Hero
During a September 2014 interview with Dan Rather, Loretta Lynn was asked about Kitty Wells. The question brought back a memory from the years when Loretta Lynn and her husband, Oliver “Doolittle” Lynn, lived in Washington state.
Kitty Wells was performing nearby, and Loretta Lynn wanted desperately to meet the woman whose records she admired.
After the show, Loretta Lynn and Doolittle caught Kitty Wells heading toward the tour bus.
Doolittle approached Kitty Wells and introduced Loretta Lynn as her biggest fan. Doolittle explained that Loretta Lynn loved Kitty Wells and tried to sing just like Kitty Wells.
Kitty Wells graciously thanked them.
Then came the detail Loretta Lynn never forgot.
Kitty Wells was carrying the dress Kitty Wells had just worn onstage, draped over one arm. Loretta Lynn reached out and felt the fabric, delighted simply to be that close to something belonging to her favorite singer.
Recalling the experience to Dan Rather, Loretta Lynn laughed at how excited she had been.
For Loretta Lynn, Kitty Wells wasn’t simply another successful singer. Kitty Wells represented the possibility that a woman’s voice could be heard and respected in country music.
The Woman Who Opened the Door
In 1952, Kitty Wells recorded It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels, an answer to Hank Thompson’s popular recording The Wild Side of Life.
The song challenged the idea that women alone deserved blame for broken relationships. Some radio executives resisted its message, but audiences embraced it.
The recording reached No. 1 on Billboard’s country chart, establishing Kitty Wells as the first female solo artist to achieve that milestone.
Kitty Wells had accomplished something the recording industry had long considered unlikely: a woman could sell country records in extraordinary numbers and become a major star.
For younger singers like Loretta Lynn, that breakthrough mattered. Kitty Wells had helped make room for women to sing about their experiences in their own voices.
By the late 1960s and 1970s, Loretta Lynn had become a country music superstar, recording songs such as Coal Miner’s Daughter, Fist City, and You Ain’t Woman Enough.
Yet Loretta Lynn never forgot the woman who inspired her.
The Remarkable Reunion of 1988
In 1988, legendary producer Owen Bradley brought together Kitty Wells, Loretta Lynn, Brenda Lee, and k.d. lang to record Honky Tonk Angels’ Medley for k.d. lang’s album Shadowland.
Owen Bradley had worked with some of country music’s greatest female voices, including Patsy Cline. This new collaboration brought several generations of country talent together.
And the recording session had a surprisingly relaxed beginning.
In a June 1988 interview with The Hamilton Spectator, Owen Bradley recalled inviting the three established stars to join k.d. lang. Rather than immediately beginning work, the singers spent approximately an hour socializing.
Only afterward did Owen Bradley bring everyone together to work on the music.
The recording itself took roughly another hour. When the finished performance was played back, Owen Bradley remembered everyone laughing and enjoying what they had created.
Later that year, the four women performed the medley at the CMA Awards.
The recorded collaboration received a Grammy nomination in 1989 for Best Country Vocal Collaboration.
It was a recognition of four distinctive voices brought together by their shared musical heritage.
From Touching a Dress to Sharing the Stage
What makes the 1988 performance so memorable is the history behind those four women.
Kitty Wells had broken through in 1952. Brenda Lee had become a major recording star while still very young. Loretta Lynn had established herself as one of country music’s most important storytellers. And k.d. lang represented a younger generation discovering and celebrating traditional country sounds.
That same year, Loretta Lynn was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, joining Kitty Wells, who had received the honor in 1976.
But beyond the awards and achievements, there was that memory from Washington state.
Once, Loretta Lynn had been thrilled simply to meet Kitty Wells beside a tour bus and touch a stage dress.
In 1988, Loretta Lynn no longer had to stand outside hoping for a brief introduction.
Loretta Lynn was standing beside Kitty Wells, singing as an equal.
And when Loretta Lynn recalled that first meeting in 2014, long after Kitty Wells had passed away, the excitement of that young country music fan was still unmistakable.
Some memories remain special because of what happened. Others become even more meaningful because of everything that happened afterward.
For Loretta Lynn, a dress carried toward a tour bus and a shared stage at the CMA Awards became two unforgettable moments in one remarkable country music story.