Kitty Wells photo courtesy of countrymusichalloffame.com.
Aug. 14, 2008 — Kitty Wells’ 1952 single "It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" was an important one for country music, becoming the first hit recorded by a woman to reach No. 1 on the Billboard chart. But it was only the beginning of an incredible string that saw her nab 35 Top 10 hits in the next 14 years.
"That was a groundbreaking thing in country music," says Mick Buck, a curator at the Country Music Hall of Fame. While other women — including Patsy Montana, Rose Maddox, Goldie Hill and Jean Shepard — had significant hits in that era, Kitty was the first woman to sustain such success.
That provides the historical backdrop for a new exhibit, Kitty Wells: Queen Of Country Music, which opens Friday at the Hall of Fame. Sponsored by GAC, the exhibit features reams of memorabilia and visual material that underscores her place in history. Among the artifacts are replicas of telegrams she received from the likes of Bill Monroe, Johnny Cash and Ringo Starr; the gown she wore the night she became a Hall of Fame member; rare color TV footage from the 1950s; stage wear belonging to her husband and touring mate, Johnny Wright; and a heavily jeweled sky-blue crown made for her by a Pennsylvania booking agent to celebrate her place as the Queen of Country.
How important was she? No less than Barbara Mandrell once said, "If it hadn’t been for Kitty Wells, there wouldn’t be a Dolly Parton or Tammy Wynette, and there certainly wouldn’t be a Barbara Mandrell."
Kitty Wells: Queen Of Country Music will remain open through June 14, 2009.