For over four decades, Lynn Anderson has played a vital role in the country music scene. She has won a pair of ACM “Top Female Vocalist” awards [in 1968 and 1970], the prestigious CMA “Female Vocalist of the Year” award in 1971, a Grammy, and holds multiple honors to her credit.
On February 20, 2012, Suite101 spoke with the beloved songstress about her career, mega-hit “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden,” Martina McBride, as well as her future plans in music.
Lynn Talks About Country Music
“I love the fans. There is nobody more loyal than country fans. Once they are a fan, they are always a fan,” she acknowledges.
Lynn Opens Up About “Rose Garden”
Her smash single “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden” spent five weeks at the top of the Billboard Country Charts in the early 1970s, reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts, and was a #1 hit in many countries overseas.
Regarding the success of her signature tune, she states, “it felt great! It became a #1 hit on the Cash Box Charts on the same that I had my baby daughter. It was quite a day for me!”
Subsequently, it garnered a prestigious Grammy award for “Best Female Country Vocal Performance” in 1971. “That was amazing! That was an evening like no other, to be recognized by your peers,” she shares.
Lynn Talks About Martina McBride
Lynn remarks, “Martina McBride covered ‘Rose Garden’ for her Timeless album, and I thought it was great! She’s wonderful, and she’s quite a girl. Four of the people in her band had worked for me at one point, including her bandleader. When she did her television special in support of her record, she invited me and Ray Price to sing with her on stage.”
“That was a great honor. When I walked into the Grand Ole Opry, the orchestra was playing ‘Rose Garden,’ so I walked up to microphone and started singing it. The bandleader came up to me and said ‘that was great, but did you realize that it was a key higher than you did it in,’” she says with a laugh.
The veteran musician notes that there is a rose named after her, and when she and McBride performed a rendition of “Rose Garden” as a duet, she handed her a “Lynn Anderson rose,” which she describes as “white with raspberry around the edges.”
Lynn Discusses “40 Greatest Women of Country Music” Recognition
In 2002, Country Music Television (CMT) honored Lynn in its “40 Greatest Women of Country” episode, listing her as the 29th most influential woman in the genre’s history. “That was incredible to be in the same line-up with some of my heroes that include Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn and Connie Smith. To be ranked amongst these women is thrilling!” she exclaims.
Lynn Addresses Hardest Aspect of her Job
“The hardest part of my job is staying current,” she reveals. “To stay up with new trends, as well as the changes in the music business is a challenge. Also, travelling is a lot more difficult now than it used to be. We travel by airplane all the time, and very rarely we take the bus. Flying has become much more of a chore than it used to be.”
Lynn Talks About Riding Horses
In addition to being one of country’s greatest vocalists, she is a trained equestrian.
According to Lynn, “I’ve been riding horses all of my life. My grandparents raised horses in North Dakota, so I started riding them when I was two years old. They said I could ride and sing, before I could walk and talk. I’ve always loved horses. When I go travelling, I ride the native horses. When I sing in foreign countries, I like to sing in foreign languages as well.”
Lynn Talks Alternate Careers
“I would love to be a journalist,” she admits.” That’s what I majored in school. I was writing stories in my high school paper. I was the editor of my high school and college newspapers. When some of the artists would come into town, I would be the reporter from the newspaper to go backstage and interview them. A while back, I’ve interviewed Sonny and Cher years, Glenn Campbell, and The Dave Clark Five.”
Lynn Talks About Contemporary Country Singers
“I love Brad Paisley, and I think he’s incredible. He pays respect to some of the legendary artists. I love his collaborations with Little Jimmy Dickens. I also love Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland. She has such a great voice and an interesting personality.”
Lynn Shares her Future Plans
“I am doing a lot of travelling and I am remodeling my house. I’m also activated on Twitter and Facebook. I need to get in the swing of things to keep up in Nashville,” she says.
Lynn adds that she continues to do meet and greets with her fans. “I believe that the personal interaction with fans is important! They remember you if you sign autographs, and they remember if you do not.”
In her spare time, she notes that she enjoys riding horses, cooking [especially Mexican food] and gardening.
Lynn Talks About the Key to Longevity in Music
“Mine is just a blessing,” she says. “I’ve been lucky, and I have been able to maintain my voice, and work for a very long time now. I really enjoy it!”
Lynn Offers Advice for Aspiring Country Singers
For people that wish to go into country music, Lynn underscores that it’s important for them to be themselves. “My mother told me that long ago. I used to sing what was on the radio, and she reminded me to always be myself, since it didn’t do any good to sing like everybody else. You need to have some individuality. Be true to yourself and do not let people change you and who you are,” she adds.
Lynn Defines Success
“Success means being able to come home to my friends and family, as well as to enjoy life,” the country queen concludes.
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