Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:27 — 21.0MB) | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More
When I started out, I was very, very shy. I do not know how I even got on stage, because if I could have hidden behind the microphone stand, I would have. -Crystal Gayle
In this episode, we’re on Music Row in Nashville to meet country music icon, Crystal Gayle. As one of the first female singers to crossover from country music to pop, she is considered a trailblazer by many. Born in Paintsville, Kentucky, Crystal is the youngest of 8 children and the sister of country legend Loretta Lynn. In this interview, she walks us through a career that is filled with equal parts luck and hard work. While it was fortunate that Crystal had a sister who could open doors for her, she had to walk through them on her own, proving that she had her own unique style. Signed to Decca Records at only 19, it wasn’t long before she scored her first hit in 1970 with a single called “I’ve Cried the Blues Right Out of My Eyes.” Six years later, she released “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue,” for United Artists and that song changed the trajectory of her career reaching #1 on the country charts and #2 on the pop charts. Later that year, the song would win Crystal the Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal and she would also become the first female country artist to go platinum. From that moment on, this shy singer with black hair that nearly touched the floor, was a superstar. A wife and mother of two grown children, Crystal opens up about what it was like to win the Grammy, the stories behind her songs “Talking In Your Sleep” and her duet with tour partner Eddie Rabbit called “You and I.” But what comes across in this very personal interview are Crystal’s combination of drive and humility. Determined to forge her own path, she admits she was scared to death. “If I could talk to my 19 year old self, I would tell her: Lighten up. Don’t worry so much. You don’t need to be perfect.“ For an honest look into the life of a country music legend, hit that download button. #countrymusic #inspiration #countrymusicsuccessstories