Barbara Mandrell
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| Barbara Mandrell | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Barbara Ann Mandrell | |
| Also known as | Barbara Mandrell | |
| Born | December 25, 1948 | |
| Origin | Houston, Texas | |
| Genre(s) | Country music | |
| Occupation(s) | country music/pop music singer | |
| Years active | 1969-Present | |
| Label(s) | Columbia Records, ABC Records, MCA Records, Capitol Records | |
| Associated acts |
Dolly Parton, Lynn Anderson, Crystal Gayle, Anne Murray, Reba McEntire, Louise Mandrell | |
| Website | Barbara Mandrell Official Website | |
Barbara Ann Mandrell (born December 25, 1948 in Houston, Texas) is a Country Music singer, who became one of the most successful Pop-oriented Country music singers of the 1970s and 80s. She was given the nickname the Princess of Steel, for her skill at the steel guitar.
[edit] Early Life & Rise to Fame
Barbara Mandrell has been known as one of the most successful and popular Country singers of the 70s and 80s. She was far more than a country singer, however. She also known as an actress as well, having a successful career in television as well as music. Barbara was born on Christmas Day in 1948. She has always had musical influence being both her parents were musically-oriented. She was the oldest of three girls, one which, Louise Mandrell became a successful Country singer herself for a period of time. While growing up, she was taught the steel guitar and many other instruments, including the accordion, saxophone and banjo. She even played steel guitar for the legendary Country/Pop singer of the early 60s, Patsy Cline. Cline once quoted at one time in fact that Mandrell played the "steel guitar out of this world". She also played guitar for Joe Maphis in Las Vegas and even on the Town Hall Party show. A couple of years later, Barbara and her sisters, as well as her parents founded the Mandrell Family Band. With this, they toured all over the United States and Asia. The drummer in the band, Ken Dudney became Mandrell's husband shortly after she finished high school.
Sadly though, Dudney was drafted and sent overseas and Mandrell decided that she would become a country singer and moved to Nashville. Her father was now her manager and with his help, she signed on with Columbia Records in 1969. Over the next couple of years, Mandrell had a few minor hits. This was only showing the potential Barbara had inside of her to become successful. Her producer at the time was Billy Sherrill, who was known for producing other great works of art in Country music like Tammy Wynette, Charlie Rich and Tanya Tucker.
[edit] Initial Success and Career and Signature Songs
She remained with her record company until 1975. During this time though, she recorded some material she may not be best known for like "Do Right Woman Do Right Man", "Treat Him Right", "Show Me", "Midnight Oil" and "Tonight My Baby's Coming Home". These songs helped jumpstart Mandrell's professional career in Country music. Of special note is "The Midnight Oil" which was one of the first songs to feature the woman as the cheating spouse. A great stride forward for females in the early 70's.
These songs made Barbara Mandrell a household name in Country music. She also recorded some duets with David Houston, the biggest of these being the top 10's "After Closing Time"(1970) and "I Love You, I Love You"(1974). Her career was only getting started but she finally got what she truly wanted, which was a successful career in Country music. In 1975, she switched to ABC/Dot Records where her first hit for her new label "Standing Room Only", became her first top 5 country hit in 1976.
She worked with a more Pop-oriented record producer, Tom Collins. At the time in Country music, producers were looking to bring their Country singers into more Pop material. Some examples of these singers are Lynn Anderson, Kenny Rogers and Crystal Gayle. However, this made Mandrell an even bigger Country star, even getting her first #1 hit in 1978 with "Sleeping Single in a Double Bed". This became what is known in the business as her "career song" - the song that put her on the map. With this, Mandrell never looked back.
She went closer and closer into Pop music, having songs even become Top 10 Adult Contemporary hits. After the success of "Sleeping Single in a Double Bed", Mandrell continued to have success on the charts. In 1979, she released a version of Luther Ingram's "If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Wanna Be Right)" which not only became a #1 country hit but her only top 40 Pop hit as well reaching #31. Other highlights during this time would be "Years", "Fooled By A Feeling" and the disco-oriented hit called "Crackers". She had another big hit in 1981 called "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool". This became her signature song and one of the best known country songs of all time.
[edit] Risky Profile and Hitting #1
In Country music in the 1970s, many singers spoke of heartache and lonlieness. Mandrell however (much like Kenny Rogers) spoke of more risky material. The subject of many of her songs had dealt quite openly with topics such as sex and one-night stands. Her first Cashbox Chart #1, 1973's "The Midnight Oil", captured this feeling. Other songs like "Woman to Woman," "If Loving You is Wrong," and "Married, but Not to Each Other" proved that singing about other women's men would be her successful formula.
Mandrell enjoyed top 10 success, and hit #1 with several singles - including the huge "Sleeping Single in a Double Bed ('78)," "If Loving You is Wrong...('79)," "Years('80)," "I was Country when Country wasn't Cool('81)," and "One of a Kind, Pair of Fools('83)" to name a few. Her success with hit singles would lead her eventually to dozens of awards, top honors and even her very own TV show!
[edit] Awards, TV show, awards, more awards, even more awards, car accident
In 1980 Barbara won the Entertainer of the Year Award from the Country Music Association and won it again in 1981. This was unprecedented as in the several years prior to her, it was understood that it only went to an artist once - but she nabbed it a 2nd year in a row with her non-stop touring, hit records, and popular TV show. This began the huge array of awards and accolades she would win: several CMA, ACM, and MCN awards, 7 American Music Awards, and 9 People's Choice, making her one of the most awarded country acts in history.
Barbara Mandrell went to the very peak of her career in the 1980s, when she hosted her own variety network show called Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters. It was produced in Barbara's Las Vegas style with flashy costumes, dance sequences, and pop-flavored music; but countrified with the help of a group of life size puppets, Truck Shackley and the Texas Critters ("Oh Miss Mandrell, Miss Mandrell") and the popular guitar pull segment where Barbara would show off her musical ability and play up to 9 instruments. The show was very successful - especially with the help of her sisters, Louise and Irlene, reaching an audience upwards of 40 million people each week. The weekly sibling "rivalry" added a bonus of good humored ribbing to their bossy older sister. One part of the show was a segment where young actresses portrayed Barbara and the sisters when they were little girls (Barbara's daughter, Jamie Nicole Dudney, portrayed her aunt, Irlene Mandrell, in these segments).
Even though the show was going great, Barbara had to cancel the show after two years due to exhaustion. It seemed that Barbara became very stressed in her work, but at this time she didn't do much to stop it. She also performed in Las Vegas in a show called The Lady Is a Champ. The concert was such a hit, that HBO recorded it for broadcast and it was a huge ratings grabber for the new pay channel.
In 1984, at the height of her popularity Barbara opened a fan-based attraction across from the Country Music Hall of Fame in the heart of music row in Nashville called Barbara Mandrell Country. This museum was to remain a strong tourist attraction for the next decade as it chronicled the life & times of Barbara Mandrell's incredible career.
However, everything came to a big halt in 1984 when Mandrell was involved in a severe autombile accident. Two of her children were also involved in the head-on car collision but survived. A driver, Mark White, crossed over the center lane and hit Mandrell's car head on and left her with serious injuries: a fractured leg, ankle and foot, numerous cuts and bruises and a severe head injury that left her in a year-long depression.
On a side note, during the recuperation period, Ms. Mandrell was unable to work and therefore needed to collect on her insurance to pay for medical bills, and to keep her band paid. Ms. Mandrell was informed that under Tennessee law, she had to sue the estate of the other driver in order to collect. They did, and it was a move they would regret, as it went misunderstood for years - until she was allowed to clarify in 1990 on the The Oprah Winfrey Show. Barbara said she never planned to take a penny from the family of the other driver, who was killed in the accident. Instead, she hoped to collect on the insurance to which she paid such high premiums. But there was a huge immediate backlash, one Barbara never quite regained from.
[edit] After car accident: change of tune, acting opportunities, and a best seller!
After recovering from her injuries, she came back into country music, extending her chart run with hits: "There's No Love in Tennessee," "Get to The Heart," "Fast Lanes and Country Roads, "Angel In Your Arms", "No One Mends a Broken Heart Like You," and "Child Support." In 1987, she had switched labels from MCA Records (which ABC/Dot became in 1979) to EMI America/Capitol Records in which "Child Support" became her first hit for her new label. By 1988, her chart success was fading away, as she had her last top 5 hit, "I Wish That I Could Fall in Love Today" and the top 20 hit, "My Train of Thought" in 1989. However, Barbara - always the entertainer, continued to wow the crowds with her highly successful road shows like the "No Nonsense Tour" and the "Stepping Out Tour" which was recorded as a highly rated TNN special.
Barbara also focused more on acting. Barbara had the starring role in "Burning Rage" alongside Tom Wopat in 1984. She also had starring guest roles on hit shows such as "Empty Nest," "Diagnosis: Murder," Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, The Commish and Walker, Texas Ranger. She even had a recurring featured role in the late 90's on the daytime drama, Sunset Beach. Many of these performances can be caught on late-night television or on the DVD box sets of the respective shows.
In 1990, she wrote an autobiography called Get to the Heart: My Story, which was a New York Times Bestseller for over 3 months, and later a highly rated TV movie of the week starring Maureen McCormick (Marcia on "The Brady Bunch). Barbara faithfully made the talk show rounds to promote her autobiography on shows such as "Sally Jesse Raphaël", "Geraldo," and The Oprah Winfrey Show - whom she shared the "Woman of the World" honor with in 1992. In primetime, she sat on the couches of the "Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson," Ralph Emery's Nashville Now, and she even "rapped" during one of her 3 memorable "Arsenio" visits.
In 1997 she shocked all of her fans by stating she was leaving her Country music career and moving more into her acting career. She held her last concert at the Grand Ole Opry in October 1997, and it was televised on TNN to huge ratings. The title of the show was "The Last Dance." However, despite having retired from the business, she still remains a member of the Grand Ole Opry to this day.
In 1999, after ending a recurring role on Aaron Spelling's Sunset Beach, Barbara starred in the made-for-TV movie, The Wrong Girl. She followed that success up with 2000's Stolen From the Heart. Barbara also continued her work in episodic television appearances.
On October 17, 2006 Barbara was honored with the release of a new tribute album titled She Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool: A Tribute To Barbara Mandrell on BNA Records. The album debuted on Billboard's Country Album's chart at an impressive #25. This was on the strength of it's featured artists (Reba McEntire, Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans, LeAnn Rimes, etc.) and Barbara's strong fan base. GAC (Great American Country channel) had several specials thoughtout October to promote the album. Barbara even hosted the Grand Ole Opry live on October 28th, where several of the artists on the album sang many of her classics.
On November 6, 2006, Barbara made an appearance on the 40th Annual CMA Awards. She presented the same award she won 2 consecutive years, Entertainer of the Year, to Kenny Chesney to close the show. Barbara is also the first country artist (and the only woman) to ever win the CMA Entertainer of the Year Award 2 years in a row -- she received those accolades in 1980 and 1981.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Selected Hit Singles
| Year | Single | U.S. Country Singles | U.S. A.C. Singles | U.S. Pop Singles | Album |
| 1970 | "After Closing Time"(with David Houston) | 6 | - | - | Greatest Hits Vol. 2(David Houston album) |
| 1971 | "Treat Him Right" | 12 | - | - | Treat Him Right |
| 1972 | "Show Me" | 11 | - | - | The Midnight Oil |
| 1972 | "Tonight My Baby's Coming Home" | 10 | - | - | The Midnight Oil |
| 1973 | "The Midnight Oil" | 7 | - | - | The Midnight Oil |
| 1974 | "I Love You, I Love You"(with David Houston) | 6 | - | - | A Perfect Match |
| 1974 | "Ten Commandments of Love"(with David Houston) | 14 | - | - | A Man Needs Love(David Houston album) |
| 1974 | "This Time I Almost Made It" | 12 | - | - | This Time I Almost Made It |
| 1976 | "Standing Room Only" | 5 | - | - | This Is Barbara Mandrell |
| 1977 | "Hold Me" | 12 | - | - | Lovers, Friends and Strangers |
| 1977 | "Married But Not to Each Other" | 3 | - | - | Midnight Angel |
| 1977 | "Midnight Angel" | 16 | - | - | Midnight Angel |
| 1978 | "Sleeping Single In a Double Bed" | #1 | - | - | Moods |
| 1978 | "Tonight" | 5 | - | - | Love's Ups and Downs |
| 1978 | "Woman to Woman" | 4 | - | 92 | Love's Ups and Downs |
| 1979 | "If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Want to Be Right)" | #1 | 6 | 31 | Moods |
| 1979 | "Fooled By a Feeling" | 4 | - | 89 | Just For the Record |
| 1980 | "Crackers" | 3 | - | - | Love Is Fair |
| 1980 | "Years" | #1 | - | - | Just For the Record |
| 1980 | "The Best of Strangers" | 6 | - | - | Love Is Fair |
| 1981 | "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool" | #1 | - | - | Barbara Mandrell Live |
| 1981 | "Wish You Were Here" | 2 | - | - | Barbara Mandrell Live |
| 1982 | "'Till You're Gone" | #1 | 25 | - | In Black and White |
| 1982 | "Operator, Long Distance Please" | 9 | - | - | In Black and White |
| 1983 | "In Times Like These" | 4 | - | - | Spun Gold |
| 1983 | "One of a Kind Pair of Fools" | #1 | - | - | Spun Gold |
| 1984 | "Happy Birthday Dear Heartache" | 3 | - | - | Clean Cut |
| 1984 | "Only a Lonely Heart Knows" | 2 | - | - | Clean Cut |
| 1984 | "To Me"(with Lee Greenwood) | 3 | 24 | - | Meant For Each Other |
| 1985 | "Angel In Your Arms" | 8 | - | - | Get to the Heart |
| 1985 | "There's No Love In Tennessee" | 7 | - | - | Greatest Hits |
| 1986 | "No One Mends a Broken Heart Like You" | 6 | - | - | Moments |
| 1987 | "Child Support" | 13 | - | - | Sure Feels Good |
| 1988 | "I Wish That I Could Fall In Love Today" | 5 | - | - | I'll Be Your Jukebox Tonight |
[edit] Selected Albums
| Year | Album | U.S. Country Albums | |
| 1971 | Treat Him Right | 44 | |
| 1972 | A Perfect Match (with David Houston) | 38 | |
| 1974 | The Midnight Oil | 8 | |
| 1976 | This Is Barbara Mandrell | 26 | |
| 1977 | Midnight Angel | 24 | |
| 1977 | The Best of Barbara Mandrell | 37 | |
| 1978 | Moods | 8 | |
| 1979 | Just For the Record | 9 | |
| 1980 | Love Is Fair | 6 | |
| 1981 | Barbara Mandrell Live | 4 | |
| 1983 | Spun Gold | 5 | |
| 1984 | Christmas At Our House | 31 | |
| 1984 | Clean Cut | 8 | |
| 1984 | Meant For Each Other (with Lee Greenwood) | 5 | |
| 1985 | Get to the Heart | 25 | |
| 1985 | Greatest Hits | 27 | |
| 1987 | Sure Feels Good | 24 | |
| 1988 | I'll Be Your Jukebox Tonight | 35 | |
| 1991 | Keys In the Mailbox | 62 | |
| 1997 | Super Hits | - | |
| 2000 | 20th Century Masters | - | |
| 2001 | The Ultimate Collection | - |
[edit] Awards
- 2005 CMA Triple Crown Award
- 2002 CMT 40 Greatest Women of Country Music - Rank #38
- 2001 Academy of Country Music - Pioneer Award
- 1992 Woman of the World Award (tie with Oprah Winfrey)
- 1991 TNN/Music City News Minnie Pearl Award
- 1987 People's Choice Award Favorite All-Around Female Performer
- 1987 American Music Awards Favorite Female Artist
- 1986 People's Choice Award Favorite All-Around Female Performer
- 1985 People's Choice Award Favorite All-Around Female Performer
- 1985 People's Choice Award Favorite Female Musical Performer
- 1985 American Music Awards Favorite Female Artist
- 1985 Music City News Living Legend
- 1984 People's Choice Award Favorite All-Around Female Performer
- 1984 American Music Awards Favorite Female Artist
- 1983 People's Choice Award Favorite All-Around Female Performer
- 1983 American Music Awards Favorite Female Artist
- 1982 People's Choice Award Favorite All-Around Female Performer
- 1982 People's Choice Award Favorite Female Personality
- 1982 People's Choice Award Favorite Female Musical Performer
- 1982 American Music Awards Favorite Female Artist
- 1982 GRAMMY for Best Gospel Performance
- 1982 Music City News Country Female Artist of the Year
- 1982 Music City News Country Instrumentalist of the Year
- 1981 Academy of Country Music Top Female Vocalist
- 1981 American Music Awards Favorite Female Artist
- 1981 CMA Entertainer of the Year
- 1981 CMA Female Vocalist of the Year
- 1981 Music City News Country Comedian of the Year
- 1981 Music City News Country Female Artist of the Year
- 1981 Music City News Country Instrumentalist of the Year
- 1980 Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year
- 1980 American Music Awards Favorite Single
- 1980 CMA Entertainer of the Year
- 1979 CMA Female Vocalist of the Year
- 1979 Music City News Country Female Artist of the Year
- 1978 Academy of Country Music Top Female Vocalist
- 1976 Music City News Country Most Promising Female Artist of the Year
- 1971 Academy of Country Music Top New Female Vocalist
[edit] External links
[edit] Sources
- Country Music: The Rough Guide; Wolff, Kurt
- All Music
