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and without any job skills to speak of. Add to that a migration to the state of
Washington, where the child had no friends or relations; the arrival of four babies; regular—and reportedly mutual—domestic violence; and an income so unstable that there were times when the family had nothing to eat but dandelion greens, and you have a situation that might well have led to murder. But what actually happened was so improbable, so unimaginable, that the lives of Loretta and Mooney Lynn became one of the great legends of the twentieth century.
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would be hard to shove out the door. Doo was my security, my safety net. And just remember, I'm explainin', not excusin'. (Still Woman Enough xvii) ... Doo was a good man and a hard worker. But he was an alcoholic, and it affected our marriage all the way through. He was also a womanizer. Cheating husbands have been all over the news talk shows for a few years now. Lots of women say they don't understand why women stay with them dogs. My story is about one who did—me.(Still Woman Enough, p. xiii).
184:, and a womanizer who was a somewhat reluctant participant in his wife's life as a country music celebrity. Nonetheless, he was a central figure in many of his wife's hits, including "Fist City", "The Pill", "Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind)", and "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)". Loretta said, "Doo really gave me a lot of things to write about, you know. He was very...what do you call it? Inspirational".
228:, which earned him the nickname "Mooney." He earned the nickname "Doolittle"—which his wife Loretta shortened to "Doo"—because he was regarded by locals as a lazy person who didn't "do much." At age 20, Lynn met the 15-year-old Loretta Webb at a pie social, and a month later they married. A year later, the newlyweds relocated to
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When you shake all the stardust off this tale, what you must begin with is an uneducated child from one of the most isolated cultures in the United States who was given in marriage to a man some six years her senior, a man who was a violent and sometimes brutal alcoholic, who was similarly uneducated
232:, as Lynn searched for better work opportunities. By the time his wife was 19, the couple had three children. Throughout the course of their marriage, the Lynns had six children: Betty Sue, Jack Benny, Clara Marie ("Cissy"), Ernest Ray, and twins Peggy Jean and Patsy Eileen (the latter named after
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talent manager for many years. Lynn was also the
President of Loretta Lynn Enterprises, Inc., a company formed in 1973 to take care of Lynn's businesses. He also worked on the farm he and his wife bought in 1966 and eventually opened as a tourist attraction. Lynn worked the land, and developed the
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I married Doo when I wasn't but a child, and he was my life from that day on. But as important as my youth and upbringing was, there's something else that made me stick to Doo. He thought I was something special, more special than anyone else in the world, and never let me forget it. That belief
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In addition to his ongoing support for his young wife's career, Lynn's relationship with his wife was described in the following: " thought I was something special, more special than anyone in the world, and never let me forget it... Doo was my security, my safety net". He was also known to be
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The couple's marriage, which began when he was 21 and she was 15, has been described by historians and music scholars as "one of the great legends of the twentieth century" and "one of the most compelling tales in
American popular culture."
171:. Over the course of their often-tumultuous 48-year marriage, Lynn was instrumental in developing his wife's musical talent and country music career, purchasing her first guitar, lining up her first radio appearances, and serving as her
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In 1953, Lynn bought his 21-year old wife a guitar as an anniversary present and encouraged her to perform in local venues and on local radio. At a televised talent competition in
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to Angie “Sissie” Webb Lynn (1903–1990) and Oliver
Vanetta "Red" Lynn Sr (1897–1981) as the oldest of seven. Of
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Talent agent, President of
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531:"Inside Loretta Lynn's 'Up and Down' 48-Year Marriage to Oliver 'Doo' Lynn: 'He Meant Everything to Me'"
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Loretta Lynn in her autobiography
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466:"Loretta Lynn's Children: Who are they and What Happened to Them?"
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solely to promote
Loretta's music. As chronicled in the movie
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first
Loretta Lynn Rodeo in Goodlettsville in the early 1960s
147:(August 27, 1926 – August 22, 1996), commonly known as
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437:"AP: Country singer Loretta Lynn married at 15, not 13"
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Vanetta Lynn Jr. was born August 27, 1926, in
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figure, known as the husband of country music legend
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583:Deaths from diabetes in the United States
480:"Oliver Vanetta Lynn Jr and Loretta Webb"
97:Doolittle Lynn, Mooney Lynn and Doo Lynn
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588:20th-century American businesspeople
578:People from Johnson County, Kentucky
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258:, Loretta Lynn was discovered by
287:Music scholar Martha Hume wrote:
543:from the original on 2022-10-04
529:DeSantis, Rachel (2022-10-04).
511:from the original on 2019-10-01
486:from the original on 2010-07-22
447:from the original on 2019-04-07
418:from the original on 2011-10-08
339:from the original on 2018-03-30
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381:. May 18, 2012. Archived from
192:Early life, family, and career
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307:Hurricane Mills, Tennessee
80:Hurricane Mills, Tennessee
65:Hurricane Mills, Tennessee
412:"Loretta Lynn's Marriage"
198:Butcher Hollow, Kentucky
47:Butcher Hollow, Kentucky
145:Oliver Vanetta Lynn Jr.
327:"Find-a-Grave profile"
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33:Oliver Vanetta Lynn Jr
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278:I'm a Honky Tonk Girl
273:Coal Miner's Daughter
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210:Paintsville, Kentucky
385:on November 28, 2012
76:Loretta Lynn’s Ranch
23:Oliver "Mooney" Lynn
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358:Still Woman Enough
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59:(1996-08-22)
573:1996 deaths
568:1926 births
260:Norm Burley
234:Patsy Cline
113:1958 - 1990
86:Nationality
562:Categories
547:2023-09-18
515:2019-10-01
490:2010-06-18
451:2017-09-24
422:2010-06-18
343:2018-02-19
313:References
39:1926-08-27
441:USA Today
226:moonshine
182:alcoholic
541:Archived
509:Archived
484:Archived
445:Archived
416:Archived
337:Archived
303:diabetes
173:de facto
89:American
414:. UWM.
389:May 21,
379:WSAZ-TV
220:during
208:, near
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536:People
157:Mooney
151:(also
118:Spouse
297:Death
202:Irish
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