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Barbara Mandrell
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Barbara Mandrell | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Barbara Ann Mandrell |
| Also known as | The Princess of Steel |
| Born | December 25, 1948 |
| Origin |   Houston, Texas |
| Genre(s) | Country, Country-Pop, Adult Contemp. |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Songwriter, Actress |
| Years active | 1969 – present |
| Label(s) | Columbia Records ABC/Dot Records MCA Records Capitol Records Universal Records |
| Associated acts |
Louise Mandrell, David Houston, Lee Greenwood, Lynn Anderson, Dottie West, Dolly Parton, Crystal Gayle, Kenny Rogers, Eddie Rabbitt |
| Website | Barbara Mandrell Official Site |
Barbara Mandrell (born Barbara Ann Mandrell on December 25, 1948) is an American country music singer. She is best-known for a series of Top 10 hits from the late 1970s that helped her become one of country music's most successful female vocalists of the 1970s and 1980s.
Thanks to a string of hit singles and a popular television variety series, Mandrell was arguably the biggest female star in country music in the late '70s and early '80s.[1] She is one of the few females in country music to win the "Entertainer of the Year" award, and she has also won the Country Music Association's "Female Vocalist of the Year" twice.
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Born the oldest daughter into a musical family in Houston, TX, on Christmas Day, 1948, Mandrell was already reading music and playing accordion by the age of five. Just six years later, she was so adept at playing the steel guitar that her father escorted her to a music trade convention in Chicago, where her talents caught the attention of Chet Atkins and Joe Maphis. Soon after, she was a featured performer in Maphis' Las Vegas nightclub show, followed by television performances and tours with Red Foley, Johnny Cash, and Tex Ritter. [2]
While growing up, she was taught the steel guitar and many other instruments, including the accordion, saxophone and banjo. She even played steel guitar for the legendary Patsy Cline. Cline once wrote to a friend in a letter that Mandrell was "a 13 year old blonde doll that plays the steel guitar out of this world! What a show woman!" Mandrell toured as a 13 year old with Cline, Johnny Cash and George Jones. She also played guitar for Joe Maphis in Las Vegas and even on the Town Hall Party show. A couple of years later, Barbara and her sisters, as well as her parents founded the Mandrell Family Band. With this, they toured all over the United States and Asia. The drummer in the band, Ken Dudney became Mandrell's husband shortly after she finished high school.
Later, Dudney enlisted in the Navy, serving as a pilot, and was sent overseas. Mandrell decided that she would become a country singer and moved to Nashville. Her father was now her manager and with his help, she signed on with Columbia Records in 1969. Over the next couple of years, Mandrell had a few minor hits. This was only showing the potential Barbara had inside of her to become successful. Her producer at the time was Billy Sherrill, who was known for producing other well-known singers in Country music like Tammy Wynette, Charlie Rich and Tanya Tucker.
Within 48 hours of a nightclub appearance near the Grand Ole Opry, she received offers for recording contracts from six record companies. In 1969, she signed with CBS Records, and emerged on the record charts with Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long", unveiling a "blue-eyed soul" style that garnered instant radio airplay. She recorded a collection of country hit singles, including her first No. 1 hit, "Midnight Oil". Today, that record is regarded as a major breakthrough in female country music because of its drama and startling frankness [3]
While under Columbia records, Mandrell worked with legendary Country producer, Billy Sherrill, who also produced Charlie Rich and Tammy Wynette. Under Sherrill's direction, Mandrell recorded a lot of Country-Soul material, which really never gained her widespread success, however, she did have hits within the Country Top 40, which would occasionally yield Top 10 hits, like 1971's "Tonight My Baby's Comin' Home", or 1970's "After Closing Time" (a duet with David Houston). Her records barely sold under Columbia. Sherrill later said in the book, How Nashville Became Music City, that he was contiually asked every year by the other Columbia executives why he was keeping Barbara Mandrell because she wasn't selling any records. Sherrill kept Mandrell under their label until 1975.
In 1975, she switched to ABC/Dot Records (purchased by MCA Records in 1978). Her first release on that label, "Standing Room Only". Another one of her first hits to reach the top of the country charts was the bubbly "Sleeping Single in a Double Bed". Ther record became a cross-over hit on the pop charts--a forecast of the direction many of her recordings would take. As he 70's drew to a close, Mandrell's style gravitated to a country version of rhythm and blues, and she topped the charts with touchy tunes like "Woman to Woman", "Married But Not to Each Other", "Years", and "If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Want to Be Right)". She recorded 18 hit albums for MCA Records before moving to Capitol Records in 1986 where she released 6 recordings. [4]
During the 1980s Mandrell had more hits, including "Crackers" and "Wish You Were Here," but perhaps more importantly, in terms of gaining exposure, she started off the decade by starring in her own television variety show, supported on screen by her two sisters, Louise and Irlene, who were also talented on a wide variety of instruments. [5] The show, "Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters," fared extremely well for a variety program, and lasted two seasons. Possibly the increased recognition Mandrell received from being seen by millions of television viewers helped her garner six consecutive People's Choice Awards for Favorite All-Around Female Entertainer during the span from 1982 to 1987. [6]
In 1980 Barbara won the Entertainer of the Year Award from the Country Music Association and won it again in 1981. This was unprecedented as in the several years prior to her, it was understood that it only went to an artist once - but she nabbed it a 2nd year in a row with her non-stop touring, hit records, and popular TV show. This began the huge array of awards and accolades she would win: several CMA, ACM, and MCN awards, 7 American Music Awards, and 9 People's Choice, making her one of the most awarded country acts in history.
During the peak of the Urban Cowboy movement in Country music in 1981, Mandrell released, "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool", a song that is considered her "anthem" or signature song today. The song reached the No. 1 spot on the Country charts in 1981, and the live version of the song (featuring George Jones) is the best-known version. The album the song was put on, Barbara Mandrell Live was one of her biggest-selling albums, certified "Gold" by the RIAA that year.
A collection of duets with Lee Greenwood, Made for Each Other, followed in 1984. Tragedy struck later in the year, however, when Mandrell and two of her children were involved in a nightmarish head-on car crash that left the other driver dead. Though Mandrell and her kids survived, all three faced a long period of recovery. When she finally returned to performing a year later, the country music landscape had changed dramatically, with the "new traditionalist" movement gaining dominance while the glitzier, more pop-influenced music Mandrell favored began falling out of favor. As the 1980s became the 1990s, she began focusing almost exclusively on live performing, where she remained a significant draw. [7]
In 1984, at the height of her popularity Barbara opened a fan-based attraction across from the Country Music Hall of Fame in the heart of music row in Nashville called Barbara Mandrell Country. This museum was to remain a strong tourist attraction for the next decade as it chronicled the life & times of Barbara Mandrell's incredible career.
On the evening of September 11, 1984, Barbara had a major brush with death when a young driver's car drifted across the center line of a street in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and crashed head-on with Barbara's car. Both cars were demolished, and the other driver was killed. Barbara suffered a severe head injury, a broken right leg, broken right ankle, damaged right knee and various cuts and bruises. Her son, Matt and daughter Jaime also suffered injuries. Only minutes before the crash, for some fateful reason, Barbara had suggested that Matt, Jaime and she buckle up. Until that moment, Barbara confesses she had not been a seatbelt user. The accident had brought her skyrocketing career to an abrupt halt. There were months and months of physical pain and mental anguish. Many painful hours were spent in physical therapy. Barbara's head injury was so severe, she has no memory for 2 weeks after the accident. It took well over 2 years for Barbara to recuperate enough to perform again. Barbara debuted her first live performance since the September 1984 accident at the Universal Ampitheatre in Los Angeles on February 28, 1986. Now a confirmed seatbelt advocate, she has completed a national Public Service Announcement available on audio, video and poster, strongly urging the public to "Please, buckle up. You may never get a second chance". [8]
On a side note, during the recuperation period, Ms. Mandrell was unable to work and therefore needed to collect on her insurance to pay for medical bills, and to keep her band paid. Ms. Mandrell was informed that under Tennessee law, she had to sue the estate of the other driver in order to collect. It went misunderstood for years - until she was allowed to clarify in 1990 on the The Oprah Winfrey Show. Barbara said she never planned to take a penny from the family of the other driver, who was killed in the accident. Instead, she hoped to collect on the insurance to which she paid such high premiums. But there was a huge immediate backlash, from which she never quite recovered.
In 1997 she shocked all of her fans by stating she was leaving her Country music career and moving more into her acting career. She held her last concert at the Grand Ole Opry in October 1997, and it was televised on TNN to huge ratings. The title of the show was "The Last Dance." However, despite having retired from the business, she still remains a member of the Grand Ole Opry to this day.
In the middle of 1997 and the beginning of 1998, Barbara had a short recurring role as Alex Mitchum in NBC daytime drama Sunset Beach. Barbara starred in the made-for-TV movie, The Wrong Girl. She followed that success up with 2000's Stolen From the Heart. Barbara also continued her work in episodic television appearances. In October 1999 she was inducted into the Country Gospel Music Hall of Fame with fellow artist, Andy Griffith, Loretta Lynn, Gary S. Paxton, David L Cook, Lulu Roman and Jimmy Snow. [1]
On October 17, 2006 Barbara was honored with the release of a new tribute album titled She Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool: A Tribute To Barbara Mandrell on BNA Records. The album debuted on Billboard's Country Album's chart at an impressive #25. This was on the strength of its featured artists (Reba McEntire, Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans, LeAnn Rimes, Brad Paisley and Gretchen Wilson) and Barbara's strong fan base. GAC (Great American Country channel) had several specials throughout October to promote the album. Barbara even hosted the Grand Ole Opry live on October 28, where several of the artists on the album sang many of her classics.
On November 6, 2006, Barbara made an appearance on the 40th Annual CMA Awards. She presented the same award she won 2 consecutive years, Entertainer of the Year, to Kenny Chesney to close the show. Barbara is also the first country artist (and the only woman) to ever win the CMA Entertainer of the Year Award 2 years in a row -- she received those accolades in 1980 and 1981.
Time Life has recently released a DVD collection called The Best of Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters on May 1, 2007, and that features over 40 guest musical performances including Country superstars Johnny Cash, Alabama, Marty Robbins, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, The Statler Brothers, Ray Charles, John Schneider, Glen Campbell and many more, as well as comedy legends such as Bob Hope, Phyllis Diller and Andy Kaufman. Fans of the original series have been critical of the DVD release, since it cuts out many of the song and dance routines, opening numbers, as well as the sketch comedy that rounded out the series.
Mandrell, along with Vince Gill and Rodney Crowell, was awarded a star on Nashville's WALK OF FAME on Monday, Nov. 5th, 2007.
In 1980, the TV program Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters premiered on NBC. In addition to hosts Barbara, Louise, and Irlene Mandrell, the show featured musical guests and comedy sketches. Each broadcast also closed with a gospel song, and in 1982 Mandrell released her own inspirational album, He Set My Life to Music. As a result of her busy schedule, she began suffering from vocal strain, and on doctor's orders pulled the plug on the television program in 1982. In 1983, she premiered The Lady Is a Champ, a Las Vegas stage show. [9]
Barbara also focused more on acting. Barbara had the starring role in "Burning Rage" alongside Tom Wopat in 1984 just prior to her car accident. Later, she also had starring guest roles on hit shows such as "Empty Nest", "Diagnosis: Murder", Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, The Commish, Baywatch, and Walker, Texas Ranger. She even had a recurring featured role in the late 90's on Aaron Spelling's daytime drama, Sunset Beach. Many of these performances can be caught on late-night television or on the DVD box sets of the respective shows. In 1990, she wrote an autobiography called Get to the Heart: My Story, which was a New York Times Bestseller for over 3 months, and in 1997 became a highly rated CBS TV movie of the week starring Maureen McCormick (Marcia on "The Brady Bunch). Barbara faithfully made the talk show rounds to promote her autobiography on shows such as "Sally Jesse Raphaël", "Geraldo", and The Oprah Winfrey Show - whom she shared the "Woman of the World" honor with in 1992. In primetime, she sat on the couches of the "Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson", Ralph Emery's Nashville Now, and she even "rapped" during one of her 3 memorable "Arsenio" visits.
Mandrell's daughter Jaime Dudney was Miss Tennessee Teen USA 1993 and placed in the semi-finals at Miss Teen USA 1993. Jaime was Miss Golden Globe in 1996, following a long line of tradition where one son and one daughter of famous parents present the Golden statues. Following this, Jaime played her Aunt Irlene in "Get to the Heart (The Barbara Mandrell Story)" and was seen on the long running CBS daytime drama, As The World Turns, from June 1998 - January 2000.
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | People Magazine | Ranked in "100 Most Beautiful" list |
| 2005 | CMT Music Awards | Triple Crown Award |
| 2002 | CMT's "40 Greatest Women of Country Music" | Rank - #38 |
| 2001 | Academy of Country Music Awards | Pioneer Award |
| 1999 | Country-Gospel Music Hall of Fame | Elected to the Country-Gospel Hall of Fame |
| 1992 | Woman of the World | Woman of the World Award (tied w/ Oprah Winfrey) |
| 1991 | TNN/Music City News Awards | Minnie Pearl Award |
| 1987 | People's Choice Award | All-Around Female Performer |
| 1987 | American Music Awards | Favorite Female Country Artist |
| 1986 | People's Choice Awards | All-Around Female Performer |
| 1985 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite All-Around Female Performer |
| 1985 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Female Musical Performer |
| 1985 | American Music Awards | Favorite Female Country Artist |
| 1985 | Music City News Country | Living Legend Award |
| 1984 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite All-Around Femnale Musical Performer |
| 1984 | American Music Awards | Favorite Female Country Artist |
| 1983 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite All-Around Female Performer |
| 1983 | American Music Awards | Favorite Female Country Artist |
| 1982 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite All-Around Female Performer |
| 1982 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Female Personality |
| 1982 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Female Musical Performer |
| 1982 | Grammy Awards | Best Gospel Performance |
| 1982 | Music City News Country | Female Artist of the Year |
| 1982 | Music City News Country | Instrumentalist of the Year |
| 1981 | Academy of Country Music Awards | Top Female Vocalist |
| 1981 | Country Music Association Awards | Entertainer of the Year |
| 1981 | Country Music Association Awards | Female Vocalist of the Year |
| 1981 | American Music Awards | Favorite Female Country Artist |
| 1981 | Music City News Country | Comedian of the Year |
| 1981 | Music City News Country | Female Artist of the Year |
| 1981 | Music City News Country | Instrumentalist of the Year |
| 1981 | People Magazine | 25 Most Intriguing List |
| 1980 | Academy of Country Music Awards | Entertainer of the Year |
| 1980 | Country Music Association Awards | Entertainer of the Year |
| 1980 | American Music Awards | Favorite Country Single - "Sleeping Single In a Double Bed" |
| 1979 | Music City News Country | Female Artist of the Year |
| 1979 | Country Music Association Awards | Female Vocalist of the Year |
| 1978 | Academy of Country Music Awards | Top Female Vocalist |
| 1976 | Music City News Country | Most Promising Female Artist of the Year |
| 1971 | Academy of Country Music Awards | Top New Female Vocalist |
- ^ Barbara Mandrell at CMT.com
- ^ Babara Mandrell at CMT.com
- ^ Barbara Mandrell's Home Page at Geocities.com
- ^ Barbara Mandrell's Home Page at Geocities.com
- ^ Barbara Mandrell at Musician Guide.com
- ^ Barbara Mandrell at Musician Guide.comn
- ^ Barbara Mandrell at CMT
- ^ [ http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/9532/biograph.htm Barbara Mandrell at] Geocities.com (Home Page for Barbara Mandrell)
- ^ Barbara Mandrell at Cmt