Crystal Gayle(I)

Born Brenda Gail Webb in Paintsville, Kentucky, the future Grammy award winner displayed musical aptitude from a young age. Growing up in a musical family, she was encouraged to continue singing into her teenage years. Her professional music career began in the late '60s, touring with her older sister Loretta Lynn. Loretta Lynn. Gayle soon signed a contract with Decca, the same label Lynn was signed with. After signing, the label insisted on a name change from Brenda, due to Brenda Lee already being signed to Decca. Around the same time, Lynn noticed a sign for the Krystal restaurant chain, suggesting the name Crystal. Gayle was then added, taken from her middle name of "Gail" and from that point forward she was Crystal Gayle.

She recorded her first hit song, "I've Cried the Blue (Right Out of My Eyes)", in 1970, which peaked at #23. While with Decca, Gayle struggled to find her own style, singing songs that were similar to Lynns. Feeling as though she was seen as just "Lorettas's sister", she decided to leave Decca in 1974, signing with United Artists Records. There, she was paired with producer Allen Reynolds, who encouraged her to move to a softer, country-pop crossover style. This pairing and stylistic change would soon lead to Gayle's success as a country-pop star. Over the next two years she released three albums and had several hit songs, including "This Is My Year for Mexico", "I'll Do It All Over Again", "Wrong Road Again" and "I'll Get Over You", her first #1. The next year, 1977, would prove to be a landmark year for her, with the release of her album "We Must Believe in Magic" and the worldwide smash hit, "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue", which--along with her almost floor-length hair--made her a household name. The song also won her the 1978 Grammy away for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. She had many more hits throughout the rest of the 1970s, including "Talking in Your Sleep", "Ready for the Times to Get Better" and "Half the Way".

She continued into the 1980s with such hits as "If You Ever Change Your Mind", "Too Many Lovers", "The Woman in Me", "Til I Gain Control Again" and "The Sound of Goodbye". In 1982 she recorded a duet with Eddie Rabbitt, the acclaimed "You and I", which has become one of the most popular wedding songs ever. In 1985 she teamed up with Gary Morris to record the love theme for the prime-time soap opera Dallas (1978), called "Makin' Up For Lost Time", which turned into yet another #1 hit. Her other 1980s hits included "A Long and Lasting Love", "Nobody Wants to Be Alone", "Straight to the Heart", "Cry" and "Nobody's Angel". In 1987 she guest-starred on the daytime soap opera Another World (1964) for a week. She teamed up again with Gary Morris and turned out the hit "Another World", which was also used as the new theme song for the soap opera. Her career took somewhat of a downturn in the late 1980s and she released her last major single, "Never Ending Song of Love", which peaked at #72, in 1990. She has since released several albums, with the most recent being her 2019 Country Classics compilation album, which includes Gayle's final recording with her sister Lynn. She has continued to have an active music career as of 2024, still frequently touring and making regular public appearances.