Barbara Mandrell

Barbara Ann Mandrell (born December 25, 1948) is an American country music singer and musician. She is also credited as an actress and author. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, she was considered among country's most successful music artists. She had six number one singles and 25 top ten singles reach the Billboard country songs chart. She also hosted her own prime–time television show in the early 1980s that featured music, dance numbers and comedy sketches. Mandrell also played a variety of musical instruments during her career that helped earn her a series of major–industry awards. Mandrell was born in Texas and raised mostly in California. Mandrell is from a musical family; she played several instruments by the time she was a teenager. Her skills on the steel guitar were noticed by country music entertainers, who gave Mandrell the chance to perform in public at age 13. During this period she became a regular on the television program Town Hall Party. She also performed as a musician when she toured in shows featuring Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline. Her family formed a band in her late teens which traveled overseas and entertained military bases. After marrying in 1967, Mandrell briefly retired, but was inspired to pursue a singing career after watching a performance of the Grand Ole Opry live at the Ryman Auditorium. In 1969, she signed her first recording contract with Columbia Records. She was inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1972. In the early 1970s, Mandrell recorded a number of singles that combined country influences with R&B–soul. Her singles frequently made their way onto the country charts. Her most successful singles of this period were "Tonight My Baby's Coming Home" (1971) and "The Midnight Oil" (1973). In 1975, she moved to ABC–Dot records and reached her commercial breakthrough with country–pop singles like "Sleeping Single in a Double Bed" (1978), "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" (1979), "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool" (1981) and "One of a Kind Pair of Fools" (1983). She became a concert headliner and won several major music awards including the Entertainer of the Year accolade from the Country Music Association two years in a row. After a near-fatal car accident in 1984, Mandrell seriously considered retirement. However, she returned to recording in 1985 and had several more top ten country singles including "Fast Lanes and Country Roads" (1985), "No One Mends a Broken Heart Like You" (1986), and "I Wish I Could Fall in Love Today" (1988). She resumed performing, touring, and began guest-starring in several television shows and numerous commercials. Mandrell appeared in several television films and shows during the late 1980s and 1990s like Burning Rage and Empty Nest. She continued recording into the 1990s, releasing several albums for the Capitol label including No Nonsense (1991). In 1997, Mandrell announced her retirement from performing and recording. She continued acting until 2000. In 2009, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame for her work in the industry.

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