The Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena begins its 2023 Roadhouse Series with “A Tribute to Loretta Lynn” on Thursday, Jan. 19, starting at 8 p.m.
This edition is also a tribute to Bob Stane and the Singer-Songwriter Movement, says the Coffee Gallery Backstage.
Loretta Lynn is the undisputed Queen of Country Music. With a career that spanned seven decades, she can easily be regarded as the one of the key figures in American music over the last century.
From the early days when she was influenced by the founders of real country music like Roy Acuff, Kitty Wells, and Hank Williams, to her passing in October of 2022, Lynn remained relevant even as modern country music lost its edge; she kept hers razor-sharp with a series of albums that have framed her storied career and landmark recordings beginning with Van Lear Rose produced by Jack White.
When Lynn first appeared on the Grand Ole Opry stage, Patsy Cline was just hitting her stride, and Lynn wasn’t far behind. The accepted feminine role model in Nashville in those days was Kitty Wells, whose straight-forward vocal delivery carried integrity along with the feeling of the traditional heartbreak that women were expected to portray in the traditional culture of the 1950s.
But in those post-war years, Lynn surprised everyone by breaking out of the mold with “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels,” in answer to Hank Thompson’s 1952 hit song, “Wild Side of Life.” The message was that women were no longer to be considered as wayward victims, but could stand up to the men folk, even on the Opry stage. As she became so loved by more than just her country fans, Lynn continued to write and sings songs that were down to earth and straight from the heart.
Her book, the film and especially her song, “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” established her legend and her legacy.
Tickets to the Roadhouse Series are $20. To reserve your space, call (626) 798-6236.
For more information, visit www.coffeegallery.com/blog/01-19-23-the-roadhouse-series-presents-a-tribute-to-loretta-lynn.html.
