Loretta Lynn's two living siblings —fellow country singers Peggy Sue Wright and Crystal Gayle— paid tribute to their late sister during this year's CMT Artists of the Year event by covering "Coal Miner's Daughter."
Like older sister Lynn (born Loretta Webb), 79-year-old Wright was born in Butcher Hollow (pronounced "Butcher Holler"), Ky. She was the sixth of their parents' eight children. Seventy-one-year-old Gayle is the youngest Webb sibling. Together, they sang Lynn's iconic song about their family upbringing.
"The world lost a legend. We lost a sister," Gayle said during the event, which was broadcast Friday night (Oct. 14) on CMT. "As I look out into the audience, I see so many faces that my sister considered friends. And in her words, 'Love you, honey.'"
The classic country-flavored rendition earned a standing ovation, with cameras capturing that Cody Johnson in particular appreciated the steel guitar-led accompaniment.
During the same segment as Wright and Gayle's performance, Tanya Tucker put over Lynn's impact as a mentor for other country stars.
"She guided me through this business. I grew up singing her fightin', drinkin', cheatin' songs... she went from being my hero to my great friend," Tucker said.
Wright had a string of charting singles in the '60s and '70s. Debut "I'm Dynamite" (Decca Records, 1969) remains her most successful, peaking at No. 28 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. She shared songwriting credit with Lynn on several songs, most notably "Don't Come Home A' Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)."
Gayle needs no introduction. She scored numerous country and pop hits, including 1977 Grammy award-winner "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue." The Kentucky native is a multi-time CMA (Country Music Association) Female Artist of the Year honoree, and in 1978 and 1979, she was an Entertainer of the Year nominee.
