Dottie West
Dottie West (born Dorothy Marie Marsh; October 11, 1932 – September 4, 1991) was an American country singer and songwriter. She also had several credits as an actress. A distinguished figure in the country genre, West was among several people who helped to elevate the platform of female country artists. She was also known for mentoring up-and-coming artists and being the first woman to win a country music accolade from the Grammy Awards.
West's exposure to country music in childhood influenced her continued music education at Tennessee Polytechnic Institute. After she married, the family moved to Ohio, where she made her first appearances singing on regional television. Her aspirations to write and record country led to her obtaining a Starday Records recording contract in 1959. West and her family then moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where she continued recording and releasing unsuccessful singles for Starday. In 1963, she signed with RCA Victor, with which she had her first success. Her self-penned "Here Comes My Baby" (1964) became a top-10 US country song and won her a Grammy. Writing and co-writing her own material, she had more top-10 Nashville Sound-influenced singles such as "Would You Hold It Against Me", "Paper Mansions", and "Rings of Gold".
West continued recording for RCA through 1976, having a crossover pop single with 1973's "Country Sunshine". The latter was also a Coca-Cola commercial jingle that was played routinely on television. Moving to United Artists Records (which later bought Liberty Records), West had her peak success in her middle age. In the late 1970s she recorded two albums with Kenny Rogers. Their first duet, "Every Time Two Fools Collide" (1978), became West's first chart-topping single and was followed by four more top-10 songs. The newfound success led to her own solo career reigniting. She had her first chart-topping solo single in 1980 with "A Lesson in Leavin'", which was followed by several more top-20 songs.
In the early 1980s West began an acting career, appearing in television shows such as The Love Boat and films such as The Aurora Encounter. She signed a new recording contract with Permian Records, on which label her last album was released in 1984. She continued appearing on television and touring. However, West's increased spending habits led to her filing for bankruptcy in 1990. Her personal possessions were sold in a public auction by the Internal Revenue Service, and she was forced to sell her home. While in the midst of planning a career comeback, she was killed in a car accident in 1991. Following her death, her life was made into a television movie, Big Dreams and Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story, and she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
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