American Country-Western singer and songwriter, whose combination of honky-tonk and rock ’n’ roll made her one of the most popular vocalists during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Born Patty Lee Ramey in Pikeville, Kentucky, she was the daughter of a coal-miner who learned about hard work and determination from her father. Her sister was a performer, and soon Patty decided she wanted to perform as well. However, she was an extremely shy child who sang for her family from another room so they couldn’t see her. By the time she was 14, she had written a number of songs about broken hearts and lost loves. Although she was too young to have experienced these things herself, Loveless was sensitive by nature and deeply felt every word she sang. In 1971, she and her brother Roger went to Nashville so she could pursue her dream. Her first real break came when she was chosen to replace Loretta Lynn as singer for the Wilburn Brothers Band; she sang with the group for three years.
Between 1985 and 1987, she appeared on the Top 50 charts with songs such as “Wicked Ways,” and in 1987, she hit the Top Five with her rendition of “A Little Bit of Love.” She fulfilled a lifelong dream in 1988 when her longtime friend and mentor, Porter Wagoner, inducted her into the Grand Ole Opry. She continued recording through the 1990s and released her tenth album, “Strong Heart,” in August 2000. She has been the recipient of multiple awards including being honored as 1997’s Top Female Vocalist.
Her first husband was Terry Lovelace, a former drummer for the Wilburn Brothers Band, but their marriage ended in divorce in 1985. In 1989, she married for a second time. Loveless and her new husband, producer Emory Gordy, Jr., kept their marriage secret for almost two years.
During the 1990s, she had a vocal chord problem that necessitated emergency surgery. Loveless made a full recovery, and at age 36, she returned to her singing career, her voice described as richer and fuller in quality.
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