Country women, making their voice heard

The claim that recent female country stars like LeAnn Rimes, Mindy McCready, and Shania Twain are the first women in country music to buck the system, and fight to make their voice heard, is a myth in the highest order.

Women of the original Carter family are considered by many to be "the first truly liberated women", women who showed a dominate interest in quality and content of their music. (1)

Country singer Patsy Montana, was the first woman who's song "I wanna be a cowboy's sweetheart " sold a million copies. Patsy was also the first singer to travel with men she was not related to her and she demanded she receive equal pay. She said about this "They wanted to pay me less 'cause I was a girl but I stood my ground" she continued "I wudn't scared ... I stood my ground".(2)

What of young LeAnn Rimes, she far from the first youthful country performer to have an adult presence. What about 1950's, country singer Brenda Lee, at a time most children hit puberty, Brenda Lee was a successful country artist. She was seen as a successful counterpart to Elvis, and people were sure she didn't mean anything by shaking her hips. (3)

What about the way the new country women dress? Country singer Wanda Jackson was asked by the Grand Ole Opry to cover her bare shoulders. Because it was considered too sexy. (4)

What of the attitude of todays country women? People who knew country music legend Patsy Cline professionally, saw in Patsy a Self-determined women with little care in the world what others thought. (5)

Even female singers who's songs are now definitively country at one time faced ridicule. The Grand ole Opry wouldn't allow Kitty Wells to sing her hit, "It wasn't God who made Honky Tonk Angels" because it was "too outspoken".(6)

A page on the net supposedly done by a feminist, is calling for women such as LeAnn Rimes, Mindy McCready, Shania Twain, to be "silenced." Its hard to imagine that any feminist knowing how hard women in the country music industry have struggled to make their voice heard, its hard to imagine, they would call for them to be silence. Knowing the contribution women have made to country in general its hard to imagine that a country music fan would either.

To my cites

Shania: We're on our way