41 Facts About Cristy Lane

Cristy Lane was raised in Peoria, Illinois, and married Lee Stoller at age 19.

Cristy Lane raised three children while Stoller worked a sales job in the Peoria area.

Cristy Lane recorded for a series of small labels during the decade with no success.

Traumatized by the experience, Cristy Lane considered ending her career but ultimately decided to continue.

The family moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in the early 1970s to restart Cristy Lane's country singing career.

Cristy Lane began releasing Cristy Lane singles in the mid 1970s.

In 1979, Cristy Lane signed with United Artists Records, where she would record "One Day at a Time".

Cristy Lane was born Eleanor Johnston in Peoria, Illinois, to Andrew and Pansy Johnston, one of 12 children.

Cristy Lane was given the nickname, "Ellie", by her father at an early age and was called it throughout her early years.

Cristy Lane eventually graduated from East Peoria High School in the late 1950s.

Cristy Lane was introduced to country music by her husband, Lee Stoller, whom she met in her late teens.

Cristy Lane continued finding more nightclub work, sometimes changing out of her nightgown to perform last-minute dates.

Cristy Lane was given a slot to perform on Chicago's local country music television program titled National Barn Dance.

The Stollers opened a pair of nightclubs in the late 1960s where Cristy Lane could perform on a regular basis.

The first nightclub titled Cristy Lane's Inc was bought out by a nursing home company.

In 1966, the Stollers took a trip to Nashville where Cristy Lane recorded several selections supervised by businessman Cliff Parnum.

Yet Cristy Lane's songs were rejected by every major country record label.

Cristy Lane recorded several more singles for K-Ark in the mid-1960s and cut material for the Spar and Extremely Brave record labels through 1972.

At times, Cristy Lane performed despite hearing bombs and fighter jets less than a mile away.

Cristy Lane slumped over the gun he had been strapped to.

Cristy Lane became increasingly unhappy following her return home from Vietnam.

Cristy Lane continued regularly performing at "The Flame", but found her schedule too busy and unfulfilling.

Cristy Lane was reliving the experiences of watching warfare day after day.

Cristy Lane arranged several recording sessions for his wife, paying a reported three thousand dollars per session.

Cristy Lane made regular trips to Nashville where he shopped Lane's material.

Cristy Lane arranged for a photography business to operate from the office.

In 1977, Cristy Lane recorded her next single release titled "Let Me Down Easy".

The latter songs were included on her second album titled Cristy Lane Is the Name.

Cristy Lane rated Love Lies four stars in his AllMusic album review and called it "among her best efforts".

Cristy Lane's success was recognized by the Academy of Country Music Awards, who named her their "Top New Female Vocalist" in 1979.

Cristy Lane had several offers from major labels before choosing United Artists Records in 1979.

Cristy Lane eventually received approval from label record-head Don Grierson to release the track.

Cristy Lane's next single release was a cover of ABBA's "I Have a Dream".

Cristy Lane continued to record "straight country music and secular pop", according to writer Greg Adams.

In 1983, Cristy Lane's musical version of the poem "Footprints in the Sand" was a success on contemporary Christian radio.

Cristy Lane left Liberty Records in 1985 and began recording exclusively for LS Records.

Cristy Lane's next studio project was an album of traditional pop standards called Harbor Lights.

Cristy Lane was among the first country artists to use Branson as a tourist attraction to Nashville music fans.

Cristy Lane's theater was used as a way to introduce up-and-coming music acts.

The theater was sold after Cristy Lane fell off the stage in 1995 and injured her leg.

Cristy Lane was the first female country performer to be inducted into their hall of fame.