(written by Glenn Sutton)
Lynn Anderson (#1 country, #63 pop, 1971)
Born September 26, 1947 in Grand Forks, North Dakota, Lynn Anderson spent her formative years in California. Her mother, Liz Anderson, gained a reputation as a songwriter, thanks to the Merle Haggard recordings “(All My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers” and “The Fugitive” (aka: “I’m A Lonesome Fugitive”). Liz’s husband (and Lynn’s father) Casey also wrote songs and, in fact, had co-written “The Fugitive” with Liz.
Casey’s “real” job was selling used cars at a dealership in Sacramento, California.
Among his fellow workers on the lot were Jack McFadden, who quit that job to manage Buck Owens, and Carl Sapaugh, who co-wrote Glen Campbell’s “Try A Little Kindness.”
During her teenage years, Lynn was primarily interested in horses, winning more than 100 trophies, as well as the title of “California Horse Show Queen” at the state fair. Nevertheless, she entered a singing contest sponsored by a local television show, “Country Corners.”
By the time of her 20th birthday, Lynn had signed a contract with “The Lawrence Welk Show,” becoming the only country singer on network television at the time.
Lynn considered herself fortunate beyond measure, because she never thought of herself as a great singer. It was simply a matter of being in the right place at the right time. After her brief stint on the Welk program, she found herself in Nashville with a recording contract on RCA Victor’s subsidiary label, Chart, notching a healthy list of eleven Top 20 singles on Billboard’s country listings.