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Kitty Wells

Ellen Muriel Deason (August 30, 1919 – July 16, 2012), known professionally as Kitty Wells, was an American pioneering female country music singer. She broke down a barrier for women in country music with her 1952 hit recording "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels", which also made her the first female country singer to top the U.S. country charts and turned her into the first female country superstar. “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” would also be her first of several pop crossover hits. Wells is the only artist to be awarded top female vocalist awards for 14 consecutive years. Her chart-topping hits continued until the mid-1960s, paving the way for and inspiring a long list of female country singers who came to prominence in the 1960s.

Wells ranks as the sixth most successful female vocalist in the history of the Billboard country charts, according to historian Joel Whitburn's book The Top 40 Country Hits. In 1976, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 1991, Wells became the third country music artist, after Roy Acuff and Hank Williams, and the eighth woman to receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Wells' success and influence on country music garnered her the title "Queen of Country Music".

Birth and Death Data: Born August 30, 1919 (Nashville), Died July 16, 2012 (Nashville)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1949 - 1972

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, leader

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 451-475 of 503 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca NA 16166 7/29/1970 Rocky top Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 16167 7/29/1970 You can't love me when I'm gone Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 16205 9/2/1970 Wonder could I live there anymore Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 16206 9/2/1970 All for the love of sunshine Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 16207 9/2/1970 They're stepping all over my heart Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 16350 2/16/1971 One hundred children Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 16351 2/16/1971 The last one to touch me Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 16352 2/16/1971 Jesus loved the devil out of me Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 16353 2/16/1971 Where is my castle Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 16354 2/17/1971 A hundred thousand times Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 16355 2/17/1971 Help me make it through the night Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 16356 2/17/1971 Today I started loving you again Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 16357 2/17/1971 Precious memories Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 16375 3/15/1971 J.J. Sneed Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 16376 3/15/1971 Pledging my love Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 16377 3/15/1971 Thank you for loving me Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 16496 6/29/1971 Reno Airport, Nashville plane Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 16497 6/29/1971 Rose garden Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 16498 6/29/1971 Step aside Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 16499 6/29/1971 I'm the wreck of number two Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 16500 6/30/1971 Baby's back again Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 16501 6/30/1971 Mother of your child Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 16502 6/30/1971 Sincerely Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 16503 7/19/1971 Just one time Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 16504 7/19/1971 He don't make me cry Kitty Wells vocalist  
(Results 451-475 of 503 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Wells, Kitty," accessed May 2, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/350416.

Wells, Kitty. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved May 2, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/350416.

"Wells, Kitty." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 2 May 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/350416

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