Dottie West
This is a photograph of Dottie West from 1977.
West in a promotional photograph, 1977
Born(1932-10-11)October 11, 1932
Frog Pond, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedSeptember 4, 1991(1991-09-04) (aged 58)
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Alma materTennessee Polytechnic Institute
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • actress
Years active1959–1991
Spouses
  • Bill West
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1953; div. 1972)​
  • Byron Metcalf
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1973; div. 1981)​
  • Al Winters
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1983; div. 1990)​
Children4, including Shelly
Musical career
OriginMcMinnville, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Labels

Dottie West (born Dorothy Marie Marsh; October 11, 1932 – September 4, 1991[1]) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Along with her friends and fellow recording artists Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, she is considered one of the genre's most influential and groundbreaking female artists. West's career started in the 1960s, with her top-10 hit "Here Comes My Baby Back Again", which won her a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 1965, the first woman in country music to receive a Grammy.

In the early 1970s, West wrote a popular commercial for the Coca-Cola company, titled "Country Sunshine", which reached number two on Billboard's Hot Country Singles in 1973. In the late 1970s, she teamed up with country pop superstar Kenny Rogers for a series of duets that took her career to new highs, earning platinum-selling albums and number-one records for the first time.

Her duet recordings with Rogers, "Every Time Two Fools Collide", "All I Ever Need Is You", and "What Are We Doin' in Love", became country music standards. In the mid-1970s, her image and music underwent a metamorphosis, bringing her to the peak of her popularity as a solo act, and reaching number one on her own for the first time in 1980 with "A Lesson in Leavin'".

In 2018, West was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.[2]

Early life

Dorothy Marie Marsh was born on October 11, 1932, in Frog Pond, Tennessee a community roughly 64 miles (103 km) northeast of Nashville. She was the eldest of ten children born to Pelina Artha (née Jones) and William Hollis Marsh.[1] Hollis Marsh was a musician who played the guitar and fiddle.[3] Pelina Marsh enjoyed singing while doing housework. While Dorothy was a child, the family often sang along to the music of Jimmie Rodgers or the songs performed on the Grand Ole Opry radio program.[4] Hollis suffered from alcoholism which caused him to become abusive and unable to hold a job.[5] The Marsh family lived a reportedly impoverished life, often running out of food and other resources.[6][7][8] In Dorothy's early years, the family lived in dilapidated homes. At one point a new home was being constructed by Pelina's extended family but was burnt to the ground by Hollis before its completion.[9]

Hollis Marsh was drafted during World War II but was discharged after three months. The family received military allotment checks which provided enough financial stability to build their own home.[10] Pelina Marsh then took on a job at a tree nursery to provide for her children. Being the oldest child, Dorothy took on the responsibility of caring for her younger siblings while her mother worked.[11] Dorothy and Pelina also worked in the fields of their neighbor's farm, picking fruits and vegetables.[12] At age 12, Dorothy raised money through a school fundraiser to buy her first guitar.[13]

During her teen years, Dorothy attended Central High School in McMinnville, Tennessee.[14] During this period, her father continued abusing alcohol and physically abusing his children including Dorothy. On some occasions, Hollis Marsh would hold his wife and children at gunpoint.[15] Around age 11, Dorothy began being repeatedly molested by her father. Too afraid to report it, she allowed the abuse to continue for several years. She never spoke of the abuse during her lifetime. As a result of her father's sexual abuse, Dorothy had a miscarriage at age 15.[16]

At age 17, her father had found a job working for the Ford Motor Company in Detroit, Michigan. He threatened to take Dorothy out of school so she could move to Detroit with him. After being told the news by her father, Dorothy became uncontrollably emotional at school.[14] The same day, she confessed the molestation to her high school teachers.[16] Hollis Marsh was then arrested on rape and incest charges. Dorothy subsequently went to live with the county sheriff for several weeks while her mother moved the family into a McMinnville apartment.[17] Dorothy later testified in court against her father.[18] Hollis was ultimately found guilty of all charges and sentenced to 40 years at Tennessee State Prison. He eventually died in prison in 1967.[19][16][20]

Dorothy eventually moved back into her mother's McMinnville apartment. Her mother had to go on welfare to support her family. Along with her mother, Dorothy became held a waitress job at a local restaurant.[5] Her mother eventually moved the family into a house and opened up her own restaurant in McMinnville.[21][22][23] During this time, Dorothy began going by the name of Dottie. She also began singing and playing guitar in a high school band called The Coonskins.[5] The group played at high school events and also at square dances, picnics and other local events.[24] Following high school graduation, a McMinnville businessman got Dottie a music scholarship to attend Tennessee Polytechnic Institute. During her first day, Dottie met fellow student and steel guitar player Bill West[25] whom she later married. As a result she changed her name to Dottie West.[26]

Career

1956–1962: Regional TV in Ohio and beginnings in Nashville

In 1956, the West family moved to Cleveland, Ohio.[27] Bill West found work in a steel facility and Dottie obtained a five-year contract on the regional country music television program Landmark Jamboree.[16] On the show, West formed a singing duo called The Kay-Dots with Kathy Dee.[28] The Landmark Jamboree often had mainstream country artists appear including The Carter Sisters, whom West met later worked with.[16] West also had aspirations of mainstream country stardom herself. Along with her husband and children, the family spent numerous weekends traveling to Nashville, Tennessee where she attempted to score a recording contract.[28][18][23] On one 1959 trip, West went into every Nashville record label but still could not get signed. Feeling discouraged, the family was about to drive back to Cleveland when they spotted the office of Starday Records. Auditioning live for Starday's Don Pierce, she was signed to the label on the spot.[29][16]

One week later, West self-financed $511 to record her first Starday single titled "An Angel on Paper".[29] The single, along with several further releases, failed to gain commercial success.[23] However, "An Angel on Paper" did receive occasional local Nashville airplay. Ott Devine of the Grand Ole Opry heard the song and had West make her debut appearance on the show in 1960. She traveled with her family for several more sporadic Opry appearances during the year. After saving nearly a $1000, the West family officially moved to Nashville in 1961. They temporarily lived with West's in-laws before finding their own small house in West Nashville.[30] The same year, West was hired by booking agent Lucky Moeller who arranged her first tours and shows in the United States.[31]

During this period, West and her husband met aspiring Nashville songwriters Hank Cochran, Red Lane, Roger Miller, Willie Nelson and Justin Tubb.[16] The family often brought songwriters back to their home where West would cook for them and in return learn to write songs.[5][32] West also became close friends with Patsy Cline during this time.[23] Struggling financially, Cline on occasion brought the West's on the road with her to help provide work.[33] West also toured with several other Grand Ole Opry performers and was now being managed by the Jim Denny Artist Bureau. In July 1962, moved to Atlantic Records, becoming the label's first country music artist on the roster.[34] However, the label also failed to generate any commercial success for her.[28]

According to West, the first song she ever wrote was "Is This Me?". She then recorded a demonstration tape with the help of steel guitarist Pete Drake.[5] "Is This Me?" was heard by Jim Reeves who chose to record it. Released as a single, the song became a commercial success for Reeves in 1963.[35] Reeves liked West's singing voice and brought her to the attention of Chet Atkins of RCA Victor records. Atkins signed her to his label shortly afterward. "Dottie was the best female singer in town [Nashville] and everybody knew it," he later said.[5]

1963–1968: "Here Comes My Baby" and success at RCA Victor

West's first RCA Victor recordings were released as singles in 1963: "Touch Me"[36] and "Let Me off at the Corner".[37] The latter became her first to make the US country chart[23] reaching number 29.[38] Her next release "Love Is No Excuse" was a duet with Jim Reeves that reached the top ten.[23] Yet it was the next single that was considered West's breakthrough solo recording: "Here Comes My Baby".[28][18][39] Co-written by West and her husband,[18] it reached number ten on the US country chart in late 1964.[38] "Here Comes My Baby" led to West winning the first-ever Grammy award given to a female country artist[40] and a membership to the Grand Ole Opry.[23] "Here Comes My Baby" was then included on West's debut studio album of the same name (1965), which was produced by Chet Atkins and included five self-composed songs.[41] The disc reached number 12 on the US country albums chart, as did her next studio album Dottie West Sings.[42] Her follow-up singles reached the US country top 40 through 1966: "Didn't I", "Gettin' Married Has Made Us Strangers", "No Sign of Living" and "Before the Ring on Your Finger Turns Green".[38]

West c. 1965

By this point, West was being highlighted by critics for her "heart-wrenching" self-penned lyrics and her emotional vocal performances.[23][39] Her third album Suffer Time (1966) was conceptualized from West's new musical style. The characters of its songs were often victims of heartache and failing relationships.[39][43] The disc was her highest-charting yet, reaching number three on the US country chart.[42] It also spawned four chart singles.[44] The second single, "Would You Hold It Against Me", reached the top five of the US country chart.[38] With Chet Atkins still serving as West's producer, the pair recorded three studio albums that were issued in 1967: With All My Heart and Soul, Dottie West Sings Sacred Ballads and I'll Help You Forget Her.[23] With All My Heart and Soul reached the US country top ten while I'll Help You Forget Her charted at number 11.[42] The albums included the top ten single "Paper Mansions" and the top 20 single "Like a Fool".[38]

Now in popular demand, West formed her own touring band called The Heartaches. It featured Bill West on steel guitar, along with Bobby Taylor, Ray Wix and Danny Shannon. West and The Heartaches toured frequently across the United States and Canada, often performing at state fairs, auditoriums and occasionally headlining venues like the Black Poodle Club in Nashville.[45] Her 1967 album The Sound of Country Music gave dual credit to West and her new band.[46] West also appeared in two country music-themed films during this time: Second Fiddle to a Steel Guitar and There's a Still on the Hill.[47] RCA continued releasing new material of West's as well. In 1968, the label released the studio LP's What I'm Cut Out to Be, Country Girl and Feminine Fancy. All three discs reached the US country albums chart.[42] The same year, the singles "Country Girl" and "Reno" became US top 20 country songs[38] and top ten songs on the Canadian country chart.[48]

1969–1976: Collaborations, "Country Sunshine" and commercial decline

As West's career progressed, she was chosen as a collaborator on duets for male country artists.[49] She first collaborated with Don Gibson on several duet recordings that were released on the 1969 album Dottie and Don. The project was her final with Chet Atkins.[23] Their first collaborative single was 1969's "Rings of Gold", which reached number two on the US country chart[38] and topped the Canadian country chart.[48] It was followed by "Sweet Memories" (later recorded by Willie Nelson)[50] and "There's a Story (Goin' 'Round)". The latter was a top ten country single in the US.[38] In 1971, she joined Jimmy Dean on the single "Slowy",[5] which made the US country top 30.[38] The duo also recorded an album of duets which was titled Country Boy & Country Girl.[51] Together, Dean and West played the Landmark and Golden Nugget hotels in Las Vegas.[5]

West also continued recording solo material.[5] Between 1970 and 1972, RCA Victor released the charting singles "Clingin' to My Baby's Hand", "Careless Hands", "Lonely Is" and "I'm Only a Woman". The highest-charting was 1970's "Forever Yours", which climbed to number 21 on the US country chart.[38] Its corresponding studio album reached the US country top 40.[42] By the early 1970s, critics noticed an increasing emotional vocal delivery from West on her recordings. Robert K. Oermann and Mary A. Bufwack wrote that West developed a "moaning quality that she began using to great emotional effect".[39] AllMusic's Bill Carpenter found her 1971 single "Six Weeks Every Summer (Christmas Every Other Year)" to have both "substance" and "passion".[52] In the latter (whose story line is based on a single mother), West reportedly cried during its recording session.[39]

In the early 1970s, Coca-Cola advertising executives heard West's 1968 song "Country Girl". In turn, West agreed to compose and record commercial jingles for Coca-Cola.[53] In 1972, the company adapted "Country Girl" into a jingle that was played routinely as a television commercial. As a result, the company gave West a lifetime contract to make jingles for Coke. A follow-up jingle was co-written with Billy Davis called "Country Sunshine".[47] The McCann Ericson television commercial had become so popular with audiences that it was adapted into a RCA Victor single.[18][54] Released in 1973, the single version reached number two on the US country chart[38] and crossed over to number 49 on the US Hot 100.[55] It also made similar positions in Canada.[48][56] A studio album of the same name made it to number 17 on the US country albums chart.[42]

In 1974, West had a second US top ten country single with "Last Time I Saw Him". Her follow-up releases failed to gain the same momentum and West's commercial popularity began declining.[18] Her next studio album House of Love[57] spawned two top 40 singles: the title track and "Lay Back Lover". However, further singles released through 1976 reached positions outside the US country top 40.[38] West's final RCA album Carolina Cousins (1975) only reached number 45 on the US country chart.[42] In 1976, West departed the RCA Victor roster.[18][47]

1976–1985: Country pop

In the late 1970s, West's image underwent a major metamorphosis; the woman who had once performed outfitted in conservative gingham dresses, and had originally refused to record Kris Kristofferson's "Help Me Make It Through the Night" because it was "too sexy", began appearing in spandex-sequined Bob Mackie designs with 20 costumes under a $400,000 contract (she had relented in late 1970 and recorded "Help Me Make It Through the Night" on the album Careless Hands, which was released in 1971). As the sexual revolution peaked, so did West's career.[23] Under United Artists, West's material changed from traditional country to up-tempo and slow-tempo Adult Contemporary-styled music. In 1977, West released her first album under United Artists, When It's Just You and Me.[1] The title track peaked at number 19 on the country chart.

In 1977, she was due to record the song "Every Time Two Fools Collide", when Kenny Rogers vocals were added. Released as a duet, the single hit number one, West's first; the duo's 1979 "All I Ever Need Is You" and 1981 "What Are We Doin' in Love" topped the chart.[1] A 1979 duets album, Classics, also proved successful.[23] The duo proved popular enough to be booked in some of the biggest venues in the United States and other countries. In 1978 and 1979, the duo won the Country Music Association's "Vocal Duo of the Year" award.[1]

West in a promotional photo from 1981

In 1980, West filed for divorce from Byron Metcalf, citing his drinking and infidelity.[58]

During the 1980s, West continued to generate solo hits, most notably "A Lesson in Leavin'". Her popularity as a featured performer on the Grand Ole Opry endured.[1] "A Lesson in Leavin'" was West's first number-one solo hit. It also peaked at number 73 on the pop charts. A week before "A Lesson in Leavin'" reached the number-one, it was part of a historic top five in country music, when those spots were all held by women. The album that included this song, Special Delivery, included two other top-15 country hits from 1980, "You Pick Me Up (And Put Me Down)" and "Leavin's for Unbelievers". In 1981, West had a pair of back-to-back number-one hits, "Are You Happy Baby" and "What Are We Doin' in Love" with Kenny Rogers. "What Are We Doin' in Love" was West's only top-40 hit on the pop charts, reaching number 14, becoming a major crossover hit in mid-1981. Her 1981 album Wild West was one of her biggest sellers.

As the 1980s progressed, West's popularity began to slip.[23] However, she did introduce herself to younger audiences as she lent her voice to Melissa Raccoon in the film The Raccoons and the Lost Star (1983), a precursor to the later series produced by Kevin Gillis, The Raccoons.[59] West's 1982 album High Time spawned her last top-20 hit, "It's High Time", which reached number 16.[1] The album's other single, "You're Not Easy to Forget", peaked at only number 26. West's next two albums under Liberty Records, Full Circle and New Horizons, were both commercial failures. West's last top-40 hit was "Tulsa Ballroom" (1983). In 1984, West departed from her label and switched to the independent label Permian.[1]

In 1981, West's daughter Shelly also made a career in country music; she is best known for her hit duet with David Frizzell, "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma", which hit number one that year. As a solo artist, Shelly notched her own number one in 1983 entitled "José Cuervo". During the early and mid-1980s, Shelly achieved several more hits, including top-10 solo hits "Flight 309 to Tennessee" and "Another Motel Memory". After getting married in the late 1980s, Shelly left the music business.

In 1982, West was asked to play the lead role in the stage production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. That summer, she toured for four weeks in the stage production, performing across the country. She had her own float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade that year. She also posed for a revealing photo in the men's magazine Oui. In 1983, she married her sound man, Al Winters, 22 years her junior. In 1984, she appeared in the play Bring It On Home. In 1986, she made her screen debut in the science-fiction film The Aurora Encounter. In 1984, West released her final studio album, Just Dottie.[1] This album was not very successful; all three of the singles that it contained failed to chart in the top 40. Her last chart hit, "We Know Better Now", reached only number 53 in 1985.[23]

In 1983, West, who was a lifelong active Democrat, performed on the party's syndicated telethon, "Celebrate America".[60]

Personal problems

1989–1990: Financial problems

Although she remained a popular touring act, West's financial problems mounted. West and Winters filed for divorce in 1990, and he sued her for $7,500. By this time, extravagant spending and a string of bad investments had left her nearly broke.[61] In March, her Los Angeles manager sued her for $130,000, and her former manager sued her for $110,295. Furthermore, a local bank foreclosed on her mansion outside of Nashville, and sent West an eviction notice on August 1, 1990.[23] At this time, West owed the IRS $1.3 million and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; she later switched to Chapter 7, which allowed her to liquidate her assets.[1] West's fan-club president, Sandy Orwig, told The Nashville Network in a 1995 interview that according to West, the "IRS would show up at her door anytime of the day or night, taking her possessions. They even separated and took apart her award plaques, throwing half in one box and the other in another."

After a car accident in her Corvette and a public auction of her mansion and possessions, West began making plans for a comeback, including an album of duets and an autobiography.[23] The album was to feature West's friends and fellow artists Kenny Rogers, Roger Miller, Tanya Tucker, and Tammy Wynette. However, the album never materialized. She recorded her last song in July 1991 called "As For Me", a duet with Norwegian country singer Arne Benoni.

Death and legacy

On August 30, 1991, West was scheduled to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. Shortly after she left her apartment at Nashville's Wessex Towers, her car, a Chrysler New Yorker that Rogers had given to her following the loss of her possessions at the IRS auction, stalled in front of the old Belle Meade theater on Harding Road. West's 81-year-old neighbor George Thackston spotted her on the side of the road and offered to drive her to the Opry for her scheduled appearance.[1] Frantic about reaching the Opry on time, West urged Thackston to drive at high speed.

Thackston lost control of his vehicle while traveling through the Opryland exit on Briley Parkway at a speed of 55 miles per hour; the speed limit for the exit ramp was posted as 25 miles per hour. The car left the ramp, went airborne and struck the central divider. Thackston was found to have had a blood-alcohol content of 0.08%. He pled no contest to reckless endangerment and was ordered to complete an alcohol treatment program.[62] West did not believe that she had been as badly injured as had Thackston and insisted that he be treated first. Officers who responded to the scene incorrectly reported that she did not appear to be injured. However, she had suffered severe internal injuries, including a ruptured spleen and a lacerated liver. Her spleen was removed on Friday, and on the following Monday she underwent two more surgeries to stop her liver from bleeding, but these efforts ultimately failed. Doctors said that West knew the extent of her injuries and even visited with Kenny Rogers shortly before her last operation. On September 4, 1991, during her third operation, West died on the operating table at the age of 58.[1]

West's funeral was held at Christ Church on Old Hickory Boulevard with 600 friends and family attendees, including Emmylou Harris, Connie Smith, Johnny and June Carter Cash and Larry Gatlin. West's friend and fellow artist Steve Wariner, whom she had helped move to Nashville as a young artist, sang "Amazing Grace".

West's hometown of McMinnville, Tennessee, dedicated Highway 56 to her memory, naming it the Dottie West Memorial Highway.[63]

A previously planned country music-themed week for the 1991–92 season of the syndicated Family Feud, scheduled to feature Grand Ole Opry stars playing for charity, was dedicated in her memory.

In 1995, actress Michele Lee, with the help of West's daughter Shelly, produced and starred in the CBS television biopic Big Dreams and Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story. Lee starred with Rogers, wore all of West's original clothes, including her famous Bob Mackie outfits, and sang West's hits. It became one of the most successful television movies in CBS history. That same year, a biography titled Country Sunshine: The Dottie West Story was released, written by Judy Berryhill and Francis Meeker.

In 1999, country music singer Jo Dee Messina covered West's greatest solo hit, "A Lesson in Leavin'", for her album I'm Alright. The song spent seven weeks at number two on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

In 2000, West was honored at the BMI Golden Voice Awards with the Female Golden Legacy Award. She was only the second woman to win the award; the first was West's friend and mentor Patsy Cline. Her hometown of McMinnville holds a Dottie West Music Festival each year in October. West was ranked number 23 in Country Music Television's 40 Greatest Women of Country Music in 2002.

Discography

Awards and honors

Year Award Category
1963 BMI Awards Songwriters Award - "Is This Me" (w/ Bill West)
1964 BMI Awards Songwriter's Award - "Here Comes My Baby" (w/ Bill West)
1965 Grammy Awards Best Female Country Vocal Performance - "Here Comes My Baby"
1966 BMI Awards Awards Songwriter's Award - "What's Come Over My Baby" (w/ Bill West)
1973 BMI Awards Songwriter's Award - "Country Sunshine"
1974 Billboard Magazine No. 1 Female Songwriter in the USA
1974 British Country Music Awards Number-one Female Performer
1974 CLIO Awards Excellence In Advertising - Country Sunshine Coca-Cola Commercial
1978 Country Music Association Awards Vocal Duo of the Year - (w/ Kenny Rogers)
1979 Country Music Association Awards Vocal Duo of the Year - (w/ Kenny Rogers)
1979 Music City News Country Awards Duet of the Year - (w/ Kenny Rogers)
2000 BMI Golden Voice Awards Golden Legacy Award
2000 Billboard Magazine's 200 Most Played Artists Ranking - No. 44
2002 CMT's 40 Greatest Women of Country Music Ranking- No. 23
2018 Country Music Hall of Fame Elected

References

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Larkin, Colin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Country Music (First ed.). New York City: Guinness Publishing. pp. 439/440. ISBN 0-85112-726-6.
  2. ↑ "Country Music Hall of Fame Elects Ricky Skaggs, Dottie West, Johnny Gimble". CMT. Archived from the original on April 1, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  3. ↑ Bufwack & Oermann, p. 222.
  4. ↑ Berryhill & Meeker, p. 22.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Oermann, Robert K. (2008). "3: A Lesson in Leavin'". Behind the Grand Ole Opry Curtain. Center Street Publishing. ISBN 978-1599951843.
  6. ↑ Berryhill & Meeker, pp. 20–25.
  7. ↑ "Dottie West dies on operating table". United Press International. September 4, 1991. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  8. ↑ Simmonds, Jeremy (2012). The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars Heroin, Handguns, and Ham Sandwiches. Chicago Review Press. p. 277. ISBN 978-1613744789.
  9. ↑ Berryhill & Meeker, p. 24.
  10. ↑ Berryhill & Meeker, pp. 39–45.
  11. ↑ Berryhill & Meeker, pp. 45–46.
  12. ↑ Berryhill & Meeker, p. 49.
  13. ↑ Berryhill & Meeker, pp. 54–55.
  14. 1 2 Berryhill & Meeker, pp. 64–65.
  15. ↑ Berryhill & Meeker, pp. 62–63.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Bufwack & Oermann, p. 223.
  17. ↑ Berryhill & Meeker, pp. 65–67.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Snaith, Holly (September 5, 2022). "Dottie West: Raised on Country Sunshine". Medium. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  19. ↑ Walker, Deborah (January 17, 1995). "DOTTIE WEST TV FILM DOESN'T DO HER WRONG". Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  20. ↑ Berryhill & Meeker, p. 67.
  21. ↑ Berryhill & Meeker, pp. 72–73.
  22. ↑ Goldsmith, Thomas (September 4, 1991). "Legendary Dottie West Dies". USA Today.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Ankeny, Jason. "Dottie West | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  24. ↑ Berryhill & Meeker, pp. 69–70.
  25. ↑ Berryhill & Meeker, p. 75.
  26. ↑ Thanki, Juli (August 26, 2016). "Country trailblazer Dottie West remembered". The Tennessean. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  27. ↑ West, Dottie (May 1964). "The Country Girl Singing Sensation (LP Liner Notes)". Starday Records. SLP-302.
  28. 1 2 3 4 "Dottie West". Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  29. 1 2 Berryhill & Meeker, p. 78.
  30. ↑ Berryhill & Meeker, p. 79.
  31. ↑ Berryhill & Meeker, p. 79-80.
  32. ↑ Thanki, Juli (August 26, 2016). "Country Trailblazer Dottie West Remembered". Tennessean. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  33. ↑ Moore, Addie. "Dottie West: A Country Music Success Story With a Tragic Ending". Wide Open Country. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  34. ↑ "Atlantic in C&W with Dottie West" (PDF). Music Reporter. July 14, 1962. p. 19. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  35. ↑ Bufwack & Oermann, p. 223-224.
  36. ↑ West, Dottie (April 1963). ""Touch Me"/"More Than I Meant To" (7" vinyl single)". RCA Victor Records. 47-8166.
  37. ↑ West, Dottie (August 1963). ""Let Me off at the Corner"/"I Wish You Wouldn't Do That" (7" vinyl single)". RCA Victor. 47-8225.
  38. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Dottie West chart history (Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  39. 1 2 3 4 5 Bufwack & Oermann, p. 224.
  40. ↑ "Dottie West, 58; Country Singer Won Top Vocalist Award". The New York Times. September 5, 1991. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  41. ↑ West, Dottie (June 1965). "Here Comes My Baby (Liner Notes -- Vinyl insert)". RCA Victor. LSP-3368.
  42. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Dottie West chart history (Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  43. ↑ West, Dottie (July 1966). "Suffer Time (Liner Notes and Album Information)". RCA Victor. LSP-3587.
  44. ↑ Adams, Greg. "Suffer Time: Dottie West: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  45. ↑ Berryhill & Meeker, p. 93-94.
  46. ↑ West, Dottie (February 1967). "The Sound of Country Music (Liner Notes and Album Information) [credited as Dottie West and the Heartaches]". RCA Camden. CAS-2155.
  47. 1 2 3 Stambler, Irwin; Landon, Grelun (2000). Country Music: The Encyclopedia. St. Martin's Press. p. 526-527. ISBN 9780312264871.
  48. 1 2 3 "Search results for Dottie West under "country singles"". RPM. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
  49. ↑ "The 10 Best Dottie West Songs, Ranked". Wide Open Country. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  50. ↑ Streissguth, Michael (2009). Always Been There Rosanne Cash, The List, and the Spirit of Southern Music. Da Capo Press. p. 28. ISBN 978-0306818523.
  51. ↑ Dean, Jimmy; West, Dottie (November 1970). "Country Boy & Country Girl (Album Information/Liner Notes)". RCA Victor. LSP-4434.
  52. ↑ Carpenter, Bill. "The Essential Dottie West: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  53. ↑ "Dottie West". Billboard. Vol. 78, no. 31. July 29, 1972.
  54. ↑ "COUNTRY COMMERCIALS". United Press International. March 30, 1981. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  55. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Singles 1955–2010. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-188-8.
  56. ↑ "Search results for Dottie West under "top singles"". RPM. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
  57. ↑ West, Dottie (May 1974). "House of Love (Album Notes/Liner Notes)". RCA Victor. APL1-0543.
  58. ↑ "Dottie wins divorce". The Evening News. Associated Press. April 7, 1981. p. 2A. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  59. ↑ "The Raccoons and the Lost Star". IMDb. January 1, 2000.
  60. ↑ Mathews, Jay (May 28, 1983). "Democrats Hope to Get $6 Million in Telethon". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  61. ↑ "Singer Dottie West files for divorce". UPI. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  62. ↑ Probation given in West smashup, Tuscaloosa News, page 2A (March 28, 1992); retrieved August 14, 2012.
  63. ↑ "Memorial Built In Memory Of Dottie West". Yahoo! News. August 31, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2022.

Books

Further reading

  • Oermann, Robert K. (1998). "Dottie West". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 578. ISBN 9780195395631
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