Cristy Lane
| Cristy Lane | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Eleanor Johnston |
| Born |
January 8, 1940 Peoria, Illinois, USA |
| Origin | East Peoria, Illinois, USA |
| Genres | Country, Gospel, Christian |
| Occupation(s) | singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Labels | K-Ark Spar LS United Artists / Liberty Arrival |
| Website | www |
Eleanor Johnston, known by her professional name as Cristy Lane (born January 8, 1940) is an American country music and gospel music singer, best known for a number of major country hits in the late 1970s and the early 1980s, including her cover version of the song "One Day at a Time".
Lane's career began to take shape in the mid-1970s, after beginning to record for her husband's record label. Her first singles, "Trying to Forget About You" and "Sweet Deceiver", were released in 1977 followed by "Let Me Down Easy", her first major hit, by the end of the year. After having a series of Top 10 and 20 country hits, she signed with United Artists Records, and had her biggest hit with "One Day at a Time", a gospel song, that peaked at No. 1 on the country charts.
On January 8, 1940, Cristy Lane was born Eleanor Johnston to a family of twelve in Peoria, Illinois. Married to Lee Stoller before she was 20 years old, Lane had three children by 1964. Her husband heard her singing in the kitchen one day and encouraged her to sing professionally. Unfortunately, Lane was painfully shy. After a few tentative attempts and several nightclub appearances, she finally landed a guest slot on the Barn Dance radio program on Chicago’s WGN in 1968. Chicago proved to be inspirational, as it was from Chicago DJ Chris Lane that she took her stage name.
Several early attempts to break into Nashville’s country scene ended in disappointment, and Lane was struggling with the pressures of the performing career her husband was urging upon her. In 1969, Stoller organized a 120-show tour of Vietnam which resulted in a helicopter crash, leaving Lane stranded in the midst of a battle. After her harrowing experiences in Vietnam, Lane lost all hope of a jet-setting music career. She and her husband returned to Peoria and opened a pair of nightclubs featuring Lane as the marquee attraction. However, by 1972, Lane and her family had moved to a Nashville suburb to attempt once more to get her career off the ground. Lane was largely met with indifference from label executives, prompting her husband to form LS Records, his own label, in the mid-1970s.
After Stoller continuously promoted Lane's singles, the songs "Tryin' to Forget About You" and "Sweet Deceiver" charted in 1977. Her next single, titled "Let Me Down Easy", was chosen as the background music for a national news story on a balloon festival. Although the exposure was limited, it brought enough attention for the song to peak in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs, reaching No. 7. Her singles "Shake Me I Rattle" and "Penny Arcade" were top 20 and top 10 hits respectively. That year, LS released her debut album, Cristy Lane Is the Name, which included all three of the hit singles.
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