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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 101-125 of 503 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca NA 10437 10/28/1958 I heard my savior call Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 10438 10/28/1958 I dreamed I searched heaven for you Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 10447 10/30/1958 The great speckled bird Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 10448 10/30/1958 Matthew Twenty-Four Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 10449 10/30/1958 I need the prayers Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 10450 10/30/1958 My loved ones are waiting for me Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 10451 10/30/1958 Lord, I'm coming home Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 10452 10/30/1958 He will set your fields on fire-1 Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 10453 10/30/1958 Lonesome valley-1 Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 10454 10/30/1958 We buried her beneath the willows Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 10661 3/24/1959 Your wild life's gonna get you down Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 10662 3/24/1959 You'll never be mine again Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 10663 3/24/1959 Left to right Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 10712 5/18/1959 He made you for me Webb Pierce ; Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 10713 5/18/1959 Finally Webb Pierce ; Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 10807 7/31/1959 Lonely is a word Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 10808 7/31/1959 Amigo's guitar Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 10809 7/31/1959 Leave all the heartaches to me Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 10810 7/31/1959 Memory of a love Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 10917 12/7/1959 Half as much Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 10918 12/7/1959 Your cheatin' heart Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 10919 12/7/1959 Tennessee waltz Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 10920 12/7/1959 Jambalaya Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 10921 12/7/1959 Sugartime Kitty Wells vocalist  
Decca NA 10922 12/7/1959 Dark moon Kitty Wells vocalist  
(Results 101-125 of 503 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Wells, Kitty," accessed April 26, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/350416.

Wells, Kitty. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 26, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/350416.

"Wells, Kitty." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 26 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

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

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