Loretta Lynn And Conway Twitty: The Dynamic Duo Of '70s Country

By | November 20, 2018

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Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty on 'Midnight Special' in 1973. (Photo by Paul W. Bailey/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

In the late '60s and early '70s, Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty were tearing up the country charts on their own. Conway's singles were all making the top 5 of, if not topping, the country chart, including his signature tune, "Hello Darlin'," released in 1970. Loretta released her signature track, "Coal Miner's Daugher" the same year, which was also a #1 country hit. In 1971, they first began recording as the duo Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty, a partnership that would become one of the most beloved and successful in the history of country music.

Together Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty released 11 studio albums and 12 singles between 1971 and 1988. Because of their strong artistic connection, the rumor mill buzzed that they were having an affair. Some even thought they were married. Loretta Lynn has dispelled the rumors by stating that nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, Loretta has stated that both she and her husband loved Conway, who died in 1993, as a friend. She said that Conway was the only one in the music business that Doo (her husband and manager) gave a “dad-gum” for. 

The Dynamic Duo Of Country

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Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty

Many of Conway and Loretta's songs together were songs about a love affair gone bad or about loving someone you shouldn’t -- but that’s a big part of country music. The duo came out of the gate with five consecutive number-one singles: "After The Fire Is Gone," "Lead Me On," "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man," "As Soon As I Hang Up The Phone," and "Feelins." Starting with Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man (1973), Loretta and Conway had a run of four #1 country albums as well. Their title of their 1977 album summed up their status in the country world: Dynamic Duo

The phenomenon of the male-female duets has been a longtime country institution -- including Johnny Cash and June Carter, Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner, George Jones and Tammy Wynette, and others -- and the pairing of Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn is at the top of the list in terms of chart dominance, fan following and accolades. As partners, they won four Country Music Association awards and an equal number of Academy of Country Music awards in the '70s.