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Kitty Wells music biography continued...

and has a teenager sang with her sisters, who performed under the name "Deason Sisters," on the local radio station. At the age of 18 she married Johnnie Wright, a cabinet-maker who aspired to country-music stardom. Wright made a name for himself as part of the post-World War II country duo Johnnie & Jack (Anglin), and Wells toured with them, singing back up vocals. In 1952, however, an executive at Decca Records approached Wells to record "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels." The single took off during the summer and crossed over to Billboard's pop charts, hitting #27. The song, with its feminist message, was banned by many radio stations in 1952 and was also temporarily banned from the Grand Ole Opry. It became the first single by a female Country singer to peak at #1. "Honky Tonk" was followed by "Paying for That Back Street Affair," which reached number six in the spring of 1953, helping to establish a permanent place at the top of the charts for Wells. Between 1953 and 1955, Wells was popular on the Country charts, and was the only female solo artist at the time to be able to maintain her success. In 1956, she became the first female country singer to issue an LP, with Kitty Wells' Country Hit Parade, which consisted of Wells' biggest hits, and made her a superstar.



For the rest of the '50s, Kitty Wells hit the Top Ten with regularity, amassing a total of 23 Top Ten hits. In the early '60s, her career faded slightly, but she continued to have Top Ten hits regularly. During the late '60s and '70s, Well's streak of hits ended, but she managed to have a string of minor hits and remained a popular concert attraction. In 1974, Wells was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 1991, Wells also became the third country music artist, after Roy Acuff and Hank Williams, to receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. She still ranks as the sixth most successful female vocalist in the history of the Billboard country charts.