Reba McEntire took the stage during Wednesday night’s Opry 100 celebration to pay tribute to two legendary women of country music: Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn.
Reba McEntire, a legend herself, honored Patsy and Loretta with a medley of their biggest hits during the Opry 100 birthday special. It was only fitting that Reba paid tribute to the trailblazer as she has spoken about both women in the past and shared how they inspired her own career.
In 1979, Reba recorded Patsy’s song “Sweet Dreams” and it became her first Top 20 hit. The song was a staple on McEntire’s set list and she routinely closed out her concerts with an a cappella rendition. In 1991, when 7 members of her band were killed along with her manager, the pilot, a co-pilot in a tragic plane crash following a concert in California. Reba retired the song from her concerts as it was the last song she and her band ever performed together.
Reba didn’t perform the song live again until 2020 when the Country Music Hall of Fame requested it for their Hall of Fame’s Big Night (at the Museum) fundraising event. While Reba didn’t know Patsy Cline personally, the latter clearly had a major impact on Reba’s career, as did Loretta Lynn.
When Loretta Lynn died in 2022 at the age of 90, Reba shared her love for the Coal Miner’s Daughter. In a post shared to social media, Reba compared Loretta to her own mom who was “strong” and “love their children and were fiercely loyal.”
“Now they’re both in Heaven getting to visit and talk about how they were raised, how different country music is now from what it was when they were young,” Reba wrote. “I always did and I always will love Loretta. She was always so nice to me. I sure appreciate her paving the rough and rocky road for all us girl singers.”
Reba Honored Patsy and Loretta and was joined by a special guest.
Reba McEntire had the honor of kicking off the Opry 100 by singing “Sweet Dreams.” Reba stood alone on the hallowed Opry circle and sang the familiar tune a cappella.
She followed up with a cover of Loretta Lynn’s “You Ain’t’ Woman Enough To Take My Man” as Lynn’s sister Crystal Gayle and granddaughter Emmy Russell watched from the audience. Trisha Yearwood then joined Reba on stage to sing Reba’s 1991 hit, “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia.”
About Patsy Cline’s Opry Membership
Patsy Cline joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1960 following the success of her first major hit, “Walkin’ After Midnight.” She charted her Billboard No. 1 with “I Fall To Pieces” the next year.
A car accident left her hospitalized for a month and briefly derailed her career. After recovering, Cline recorded and released “Crazy,” a song penned by Willie Nelson. It became her signature song and one of her biggest hits. Over the course of the next two years, Patsy would find further success with songs like “She’s Got You,” “So Wrong,” and “Leavin’ On Your Mind.”
When Patsy Cline was only 30 years old she was killed in a tragic plane crash in 1963. She left behind a legacy as one of country music’s greatest female successes. She influenced the genre more in her short career than most artists do in a lifetime.
It has been reported that Patsy Cline is the only Opry member to join by request. She wanted to be a member, so she simply asked, and the Opry granted her request.
Loretta Lynn’s Opry History
Two years after Pasty Cline joined the Opry, Loretta Lynn had the same honor. Lynn had signed her first record deal in 1960 and looked up to Patsy Cline as a mentor. After Cline’s car accident, Loretta paid tribute to her on the Opry, a move that led to a close friendship between the two that lasted until Patsy’s death.
Loretta once spoke of how much Patsy helped her and other rising stars in the early years of her career. “She taught us everything about singin’, about how to act onstage, how to stagger the numbers, how to dress,” Loretta said in a 1985 interview. “When I heard that morning that Patsy was gone, I said out loud, ‘What am I going to do?’ It was like a rug had been pulled out from under me. She was my friend, my mentor, my strength.”
Like Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn broke down barriers for women in country music. Patsy became the first woman inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Loretta Lynn became the first woman to win the coveted Entertainer of the Year award for the Country Music Association.
