Barbara Mandrell
| Barbara Mandrell | |
|---|---|
Mandrell performing in a USO show in 1986
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|
| Born |
Barbara Ann Mandrell December 25, 1948 Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Other names | The Sweetheart of Steel |
| Occupation | Singer, actress |
| Years active | 1959–2000 |
| Spouse(s) | Ken Dudney (m. 1967) |
| Children | 3 |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Genres | Country, country pop |
| Instruments | Vocals, pedal steel guitar, banjo, accordion, saxophone |
| Labels | Columbia, ABC/Dot, MCA, Capitol |
| Associated acts | George Jones, David Houston, Louise Mandrell, Irlene Mandrell, Lee Greenwood |
| Website | barbara-mandrell |
Barbara Ann Mandrell (born December 25, 1948) is an American country music singer, musician, and actress. She is known for a series of Top 10 hits and TV shows in the 1970s and 1980s that helped her become one of country's most successful female vocalists of that period. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2009 and is a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
Mandrell was the first performer to win the Country Music Association's "Entertainer of the Year" award twice. She was the only female to have done so until Taylor Swift equaled her. She also won twice the Country Music Association's "Female Vocalist of the Year" in 1979 and 1981.
Mandrell's first Billboard No. 1 hit was 1978's "Sleeping Single in a Double Bed", immediately followed by "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" in early 1979. In 1980, "Years" also reached No. 1. She added one more chart topper in each of the next three years. "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool" (her signature song), then "'Till You're Gone" and "One of a Kind, Pair of Fools"—all hit number one between 1981 and 1983, a period during which Mandrell also received numerous industry awards and accolades.
Barbara Mandrell was born on Christmas Day, 1948 to Mary Ellen (née McGill; August 4, 1931) and Irby Matthew Mandrell (October 11, 1924 – March 5, 2009) in Houston, Texas. Her mother was a homemaker and musician hailing from a large family in rural Wayne County, Illinois. Her father was a World War II naval veteran as well as a Texas police officer. Mr Mandrell was a Garland County, Arkansas native, and an accomplished musician and entrepreneur. Subsequently, he would end up managing his daughter's career for nearly forty years.
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