LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Loretta Lynn was a Kentucky icon. Kentuckians who work in the music business say her influence on the industry is immeasurable. Tonight, they're reflecting on what she's meant to them and so many others.
It's hard to sum up a legend like Loretta Lynn, but if you had to, it might be the way Deidre Ransdell puts it.
"Loretta Lynn is the most relatable star in country music," Ransdell said.
Ransdell is the program director for Lexington country music station K 92.9.
"Her story may be rooted deeply in Eastern Kentucky and it may be rooted deeply in country music, but the songs that she sang and the topics that she related to other people, they're not just country. They're real-life. They're people stories and that transcends all genres. It just crosses every border," Ransdell said.
Lynn tackled topics few others would. Several of her songs were banned for being too controversial, like "The Pill", a song celebrating birth control. Ransdell said Lynn's words meant the world to women who felt unseen.
"She gave you a voice. You may be experiencing that same thing and you feel like you're fenced in. You feel like you have nowhere to go. You can't even talk about it with your family because it's taboo," Ransdell said.
"'The Pill' came out in a crazy time and for her to put that on the radio, that took a lot of guts. I always think about her as being kind of a pioneer that pushed through and set the bar,' said country music artist J.D. Shelburne, a University of Kentucky graduate and Kentucky native. "It's hard to believe she's from the same state we're from, being from Kentucky, it means that much more knowing that her roots started kind of where ours started,"
Shelburne said Lynn's career was an inspiration to artists across the industry.
"A lot of country music died today. It's been kind of a sad time to think back and reflect on just what she meant to me as an artist from Kentucky," he said.
Ransdell says there will never be another Loretta Lynn, but there are plenty in the younger generations ready to take Lynn's torch and run.
"I think of Miranda Lambert first and foremost. She is very good at speaking her mind. It doesn't always have to be popular. Maren Morris is doing a great job with that as well, taking a leadership role. You don't always win friends when you do that, but sometimes, you discuss the things that need to be discussed," she said. "Then you've got, of course, a contemporary of Loretta Lynn's, you've got Dolly Parton, who is such a gem in country music. Her legacy is just as large as Loretta Lynn's, and as impressive, and loving, and generous. You've got Reba McEntire, Trisha Yearwood, so many people who have taken those leadership roles,"
Besides her number one hits and industry awards, Ransdell says Lynn will be remembered for her impact on everyone in the country music world.
"Her songs will stand the test of time and that's definitely a legacy, but also her kindness and her love for everyone. It's a beautiful thing. She was an amazing woman with such talent, so strong, so determined, and so focused and a loving leader of her family," Ransdell said.
