Remembering Loretta Lynn

The South lost one of its greatest artists this week, and Salvation South brings you two remembrances of the truth-telling singer from Butcher Holler, Kentucky.

By Chuck Reece

Oct 6, 2022

When Loretta Lynn died this week, the headline in The New York Times read, “Loretta Lynn, Country Music Star and Symbol of Rural Resilience, Dies at 90.”

A symbol of rural resilience.

I’d go further than that. I’d say that Loretta was the voice of rural people. I’d say that probably no songwriter ever captured the strong backbone and indomitable spirit of country folks — particularly country women — the way Loretta Lynn did.

This week, we offer two tributes to Loretta. The first — and most important — comes from Todd Snider, a tremendous Nashville songwriter. I’ve been a fan of Todd’s for more than 20 years. In the late ’00s, Todd and Loretta co-wrote and duetted on a barnburner of a tune called “Don’t Tempt Me.” They also co-wrote "Everything It Takes," which appeared on Loretta's 2016 album, "Full Circle."

After the great lady passed away on Tuesday, Todd wrote down his memories of Loretta, and we’re beyond grateful that he offered those words to the readers of Salvation South.

The second tribute comes from me in one of my commentaries for Georgia Public Broadcasting. The piece will air on all 18 GPB radio stations at 4:44 p.m. today during “All Things Considered.” You can listen live on GPB’s website, or you can hear it when it appears later today on our “Listen” page.

To round out the week, we have a wonderful story from Shawn Pitts about the great West Tennessee folk artist Hattie Duncan. Stricken by polio when she was a child, Hattie eventually turned her affliction into a source of creativity — and into a beautiful outlook on life. Read Shawn’s story — “The Art of Forgiveness” —and meet a woman whose work is visually striking and deeply spiritual.

And for those of you who like to go to the local fair every autumn, we recommend you head to Montgomery sometime over the next 10 days fair the Alabama National Fair — a county fair writ very large. The fair has been going on for almost 70 years, and Montgomery writer Jennifer Kornegay gives us a fine story about all her favorite things on the midway.

Chuck Reece

Website

Chuck Reece is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Salvation South, the weekly web magazine you're reading right now. He was the founding editor of The Bitter Southerner. He grew up in the north Georgia mountains in a little town called Ellijay.