1. Dottie West was known for mentoring up-and-coming artists and being the first woman to win a country music accolade from the Grammy Awards.
90 Facts About Dottie West
1. 2.
In 1963, Dottie West signed with RCA Victor, where she had first success.
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Dottie West's self-penned "Here Comes My Baby" became a top ten US country song and won her a Grammy.
4.
Dottie West continued recording for RCA through 1976, having a crossover pop single with 1973's "Country Sunshine".
5.
In 1980, Dottie West had her first chart-topping solo single with "A Lesson in Leavin'" and was followed by several more top 20 songs.
6.
Dottie West signed a new recording contract with Permian Records and her last album was released there in 1984.
7.
Dottie West was the eldest of ten children born to Pelina Artha and William Hollis Marsh.
8.
Dottie West never spoke of the abuse during her lifetime.
9.
Dottie West threatened to take Dorothy out of school so she could move to Detroit with him.
10.
Dottie West's mother had to go on welfare to support her family.
11.
Dottie West began singing and playing guitar in a high school band called The Coonskins.
12.
Bill West found work in a steel facility and Dottie obtained a five-year contract on the regional country music television program Landmark Jamboree.
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The Landmark Jamboree often had mainstream country artists appear including The Carter Sisters, whom Dottie West met later worked with.
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On one 1959 trip, Dottie West went into every Nashville record label but still could not get signed.
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One week later, Dottie West self-financed $511 to record her first Starday single titled "An Angel on Paper".
16.
Ott Devine of the Grand Ole Opry heard the song and had Dottie West make her debut appearance on the show in 1960.
17.
Dottie West traveled with her family for several more sporadic Opry appearances during the year.
18.
The family often brought songwriters back to their home where Dottie West would cook for them and in return learn to write songs.
19.
Dottie West became close friends with Patsy Cline during this time.
20.
Dottie West toured with several other Grand Ole Opry performers and was now being managed by the Jim Denny Artist Bureau.
21.
Dottie West then recorded a demonstration tape with the help of steel guitarist Pete Drake.
22.
Reeves liked Dottie West's singing voice and brought her to the attention of Chet Atkins of RCA Victor records.
23.
Dottie West's next release "Love Is No Excuse" was a duet with Jim Reeves that reached the top ten.
24.
Now in popular demand, Dottie West formed her own touring band called The Heartaches.
25.
Dottie West appeared in two country music-themed films during this time: Second Fiddle to a Steel Guitar and There's a Still on the Hill.
26.
Dottie West first collaborated with Don Gibson on several duet recordings that were released on the 1969 album Dottie and Don.
27.
Together, Dean and Dottie West played the Landmark and Golden Nugget hotels in Las Vegas.
28.
Robert K Oermann and Mary A Bufwack wrote that West developed a "moaning quality that she began using to great emotional effect".
29.
In turn, Dottie West agreed to compose and record commercial jingles for Coca-Cola.
30.
In 1974, Dottie West had a second US top ten country single with "Last Time I Saw Him".
31.
In 1976, Dottie West signed with United Artists Records and started recording with Larry Butler.
32.
Dottie West made changes to her image by getting plastic surgery and purchasing $100,000 spandex outfits designed by Bob Mackie.
33.
Dottie West became increasingly frustrated with the lack of "excitement" in her solo recordings.
34.
Ultimately, Dottie West decided to make changes to both her management and musical style.
35.
Dottie West replaced Larry Butler with the newly established record producers Randy Goodrum and Brent Maher.
36.
Now in her late forties, Dottie West had reached the peak of her career.
37.
Dottie West was now a solo concert headline, often doing close to 300 dates a year.
38.
In 1980, Dottie West had her own television special which aired on the Showtime network, titled Special Delivery.
39.
In 1982, Dottie West co-hosted the 17th Academy of Country Music Awards alongside Mickey Gilley and Conway Twitty.
40.
In 1983, Dottie West performed on the party's syndicated telethon "Celebrate America".
41.
Dottie West appeared on an episode of The Love Boat, and played the voice of Melissa Raccoon in the film The Raccoons and the Lost Star.
42.
At age 50, Dottie West shot a photo spread for the adult magazine Oui.
43.
In 1984, Dottie West signed a five-year recording contract with Permian Records.
44.
Dottie West collaborated with producer Jerry Crutchfield on her first label album titled Just Dottie.
45.
In 1986, Dottie West made her film debut in the science fiction thriller The Aurora Encounter.
46.
Dottie West played the role of Irene Rutherford, a widow who is visited by extra terrestrial creatures.
47.
In 1989, she began working alongside her daughter Shelly Dottie West, who had her own recording career during this time.
48.
In 1990, Dottie West declared bankruptcy and divorced her third husband Alan Winters.
49.
Dottie West's booking agent Bobby Roberts booked her for 80 concert gigs during the course of 1990.
50.
Dottie West appeared as a frequent guest on The Nashville Network and performed regularly on the Grand Ole Opry.
51.
Shortly before her 1991 death, Dottie West was planning an album of duets with Tanya Tucker and Tammy Wynette, along with an autobiography.
52.
In July 1991, Dottie West lost control of a Chevrolet Camaro she was driving and crashed into a concrete wall.
53.
Dottie West was given a ticket for "careless driving" and for not wearing a seat belt.
54.
Dottie West then flagged down a passing driver, who happened to be her neighbor George Thackston.
55.
Dottie West was later charged with reckless endangerment and pleaded no contest.
56.
Dottie West was ultimately sentenced to 11 months probation and to complete an alcohol recovery program.
57.
At the scene of the accident, Dottie West did not appear to have any injuries.
58.
At Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Dottie West underwent a 90-minute surgery and was then taken to the surgical intensive care unit.
59.
Dottie West underwent a second operation but lost a significant amount of blood and doctors did not think she would survive.
60.
Dottie West's funeral was held at Nashville's Christ Church on September 7,1991.
61.
Dottie West was honored by her granddaughters with an original song paying tribute to her, which was played at the funeral.
62.
Dottie West later claimed that she caught Bill cheating on her.
63.
Kerry Dottie West became an audio engineer and found employment running sound equipment during shows for Ronnie Milsap.
64.
Mo Dottie West was a songwriter and guitarist, notably for the American rock band Thunder, which was briefly signed to Atlantic Records.
65.
Shelly Dottie West was a recording artist during the 1980s, topping the US country charts as a duet team with David Frizzell and as a solo artist.
66.
In 1988, Dottie West filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences" and "cruel and inhuman treatment".
67.
Dottie West had a mirror built on the ceiling above her master bed.
68.
Dottie West later switched to chapter seven, which allowed her to liquidate her assets.
69.
Several months later, an unknown caller informed bankruptcy trustee John McLemore that Dottie West was secretly hiding personal possessions in storage to avoid being seized by the IRS.
70.
From an early age, Dottie West was routinely exposed to country music.
71.
Dottie West often performed songs by Jimmie Rodgers on the instrument while West's mother would sing along.
72.
Dottie West later commented that she would cry when hearing Anita Carter's "pure sweet voice" in the family group.
73.
Dottie West sometimes attended Cline's Decca Records recording sessions and would observe her singing and performance style.
74.
Dottie West played in what would be Cline's last performance on March 3,1963, in Kansas City, Kansas.
75.
Until the end of her life, Dottie West kept a scrapbook given to her by Cline that was filled with mementos and memorabilia.
76.
Years later, Dottie West wrote the foreword to Cline's biography Honky Tonk Angel: The Intimate Story of Patsy Cline.
77.
Dottie West became known for discovering up-and-coming music artists and mentoring their early careers.
78.
Dottie West was among the first country artists to record songs by female writers.
79.
Dottie West recorded some of the early material Seely wrote, such as "It Just Takes Practice" and "Another Heart for You to Break".
80.
Dottie West discovered Steve Wariner, who would have a series of top ten country singles during the 1980s and 1990s.
81.
Seventeen year-old Wariner was performing at the Nashville Country Club in Indianapolis, Indiana when Dottie West interrupted his show to sing harmony with him.
82.
Dottie West discovered Larry Gatlin, who would have a successful country recording career performing as "Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers".
83.
Dottie West encouraged Gatlin to move to Nashville and bought him a plane ticket to the city.
84.
Dottie West is the queen of Spandex country: a slickly produced Nashville brand of country-pop.
85.
Dottie West was considered among several artists to elevate the platform of female country artists.
86.
Dottie West is remembered for reinventing and continuing her career in her middle age.
87.
In 1999, Dottie West returned to the public consciousness when Jo Dee Messina covered her number one single "Lesson in Leavin'".
88.
In 2002, Dottie West was named among CMT's "40 Greatest Women of Country Music", a special which ran on the network during the year.
89.
Harman created a Facebook page in 2012 to bring attention to the campaign, which was titled "Dottie West Needs Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame".
90.
In October 2018, Dottie West was inducted through the Hall of Fame's official ceremony.