Barbara Mandrell

At 75 years old, Barbara Mandrell has this physical status:

In 1960, Joe Maphis brought eleven-year-old Mandrell onto his country music show in Las Vegas, Nevada. As part of Maphis's act, she performed the steel guitar. Maphis also helped her secure a regular spot on the country music California television program Town Hall Party. Feeling as if she was the only female musician, Mandrell discovered on Town Hall Party that other female instrumentalists also existed: "Men dominated the world of country music, but I looked around and discovered there were more women than you might have thought." On summers off from school, Mandrell routinely went back to Las Vegas to perform. In 1962, she toured country music shows with artists Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline. During the tour, 13-year old Mandrell shared hotel rooms with Cline since she was underage. She also performed steel guitar for Red Foley, Little Jimmy Dickens and Tex Ritter.

When she turned 14, her parents formed the Mandrell Family Band with Barbara on steel guitar, mother Mary Ellen on piano, and father Irby on lead vocals. They also hired two outside musicians including drummer Ken Dudney, whom Mandrell would later marry in 1967. The Mandrell Family Band mostly played military bases around the United States and performed a variety of music including songs by The Beatles. While in the band, Mandrell also learned how to play banjo and bass guitar. Mandrell also engaged in other activities during her teenage years. In 1965, she was voted "Miss Oceanside California". She participated in the marching band, chorus and student council. She eventually graduated from high school in 1967.

Shortly after high school graduation, Mandrell married Ken Dudney and chose to retire from performing to become a full-time housewife. Her last performance trip was to Vietnam where the Mandrell Family Band entertained the troops fighting in the Vietnam War. Upon returning, Mandrell found out that her husband had been sent temporarily overseas for his Navy pilot career. Feeling alone, Mandrell visited with her parents who had just moved to Nashville, Tennessee. There, the family attended a performance at the Grand Ole Opry. While watching the show that evening, Mandrell realized that she still wanted to perform. "I wasn't cut out to be in the audience," she recalled in 2003. With father Irby acting as her manager she got the chance to play steel guitar on a show located in the Printer's Alley section of Nashville. In addition to the steel guitar, Mandrell also sang on several selections in the show. Her skills as both a singer and musician caught the attention of six different record companies who offered her a recording contract. This included country music producer Billy Sherrill, who was watching the performance. In 1969, Mandrell signed with Sherill's label Columbia Records as a recording artist.

Mandrell started her singing career by cutting covers of R&B–soul selections. Her first Columbia single made America's Billboard country songs chart in 1969 called "I've Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)". It was a cover of the Otis Redding original. It was followed by the Billy Sherrill-penned "Playin' Around with Love" (1970). It became her first song to reach the top 20, peaking at number 18 on the Billboard country chart. Her next singles were covers of Aretha Franklin's "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" and Roy Head's "Treat Him Right". In 1971, Mandrell's debut studio album was released through Columbia, also titled Treat Him Right. The disc included her charting singles between 1969 and 1971, along with covers of songs by Ivory Joe Hunter, Joe South and others. Her early success garnered Mandrell the Top New Female Vocalist award from the Academy of Country Music in 1970 and a membership to the Grand Ole Opry in 1972.

In 1971, Mandrell's single "Tonight My Baby's Coming Home" was her first to peak in the top ten of the Billboard country songs chart. It was followed in 1972 by a cover of Joe Tex's "Show Me", which made the top 20 on the same chart. At the same time, Mandrell started recording with country singer David Houston. Several of their recordings were released as singles and made the country charts in the United States and Canada. Their first single "After Closing Time" reached number six on the Billboard country survey and number four on Canada's RPM Country songs list. Their duets made the charts several more times between 1970 and 1974, including "I Love You, I Love You" (1973), which climbed into the Billboard top ten as well. Their recordings were released on a studio album titled A Perfect Match.

Critics and writers took notice of Mandrell's fusion of country music with R&B and soul. Author Kurt Wolff of Country Music: The Rough Guide described her early chart records as "colorful, spirited country soul". Wolff further explained, "The songs weren't exactly all roots and downhome twang, but they were certainly closer to the ground (and the soul) than any of her later, more suburban material." Mary A. Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann highlighted Mandrell's country–soul mix in their 2003 book: "[Mandrell's delivery] gives her vocals a hoarse, urgent quality that she put to good use on 'blue-eyed soul' versions of R&B songs," they noted.

In reviewing a Columbia compilation, AllMusic's Greg Adams stated that her early work was "some of the best recordings [Barbara Mandrell] ever made." Some critics found that Mandrell's Columbia material lacked individuality and at times seemed closer resemble that of other Columbia artists. "Sometimes, it seems as if Sherrill isn't quite sure what to do with Mandrell. He keeps her away from anything that could be construed as a good fit for Tammy Wynette, and when the country does turn toward the straight-ahead, it's still soft; Merle Haggard's 'Today I Started Loving You Again' doesn't carry resignation in Barbara's hands, only reassurance," Stephen Thomas Erlewine commented on one of her early LP's.

In 1973, Columbia issued what was considered Mandrell's breakthrough record, called "The Midnight Oil". The song told the story of a wife having an affair and lying to her husband about the situation. The single became her second solo top ten hit, reaching number seven on the Billboard country chart and number five on the RPM country chart. Its corresponding studio album of the same name reached the number eight position on the Billboard country LP's chart. In 1974, she reached the top 20 on the country chart with "This Time I Almost Made It", which followed a similar country–soul style as her previous material. Mandrell later reflected to Biography about the lack of confidence she felt showcased her Columbia material: "There have been many times when I thought other people might be better singers or better musicians or prettier than me, but then I would hear Daddy's voice telling me to never say never, and I would find a way to squeeze an extra inch or two out of what God had given me." In 1975, she left Columbia's roster.

In 1975, Mandrell signed a recording contract with ABC–Dot (it was later bought by MCA Records). With producer Tom Collins, Mandrell incorporated a pop production that broadened her appeal with listeners. Her first ABC–Dot single was 1975's "Standing Room", which was her first top five Billboard country song. It was followed by the top 20 songs "That's What Friends Are For" and "Midnight Angel". Collins also incorporated R&B elements into her repertoire, which further elevated her commercial success. Her R&B covers of Denise LaSalle's "Married But Not to Each Other" and Shirley Brown's "Woman to Woman" made the American and Canadian country song top five in 1977. "Woman to Woman" was also her first enter the Billboard Hot 100. These recordings appeared on her sixth and seventh studio albums, which were also issued in 1977.

Mandrell reached her commercial zenith in the late 1970s with songs about infidelity and cheating. In 1978, "Sleeping Single in a Double Bed" was her first single to reach the number one spot on the Billboard and RPM country charts. It was followed in 1979 by a cover of Luther Ingram's R&B hit "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right". It also topped the North American country charts and crossed over into the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and Canadian pop songs chart. On Billboard's adult contemporary survey, the single reached the top ten. Both tracks appeared on Mandrell's top ten Billboard country album Moods (1978). Her 1979 album Just for the Record was also a top ten Billboard LP. Just for the Record spawned the country–pop crossover singles "Fooled by a Feeling" and "Years".

Now at her career peak, Mandrell became a headlining concert act. Her concert productions included choreography, costume changes and featured Mandrell on multiple musical instruments. One of her headlining performances was turned into a cable television special called The Lady Is a Champ. She also appeared on national television programs and won the Country Music Association's 1979 Female Vocalist of the Year accolade. Between 1980 and 1982, she and her siblings co-hosted the NBC television series Barbara Mandrell & the Mandrell Sisters. It helped Mandrell become the first performer to win back–to–back Entertainer of the Year awards from the Country Music Association in both 1980 and 1981. Mandrell's recordings continued having commercial success too. She had top ten country singles with 1980's "Crackers" and "The Best of Strangers". In 1982, MCA issued her first live album, which charted the Billboard country albums top five and certified gold in sales from the United States. The disc included a track about staying close to country roots called "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool". Released as a single, it was her fourth number one song on the Billboard country chart.

Mandrell's commercial momentum continued through the early 1980s. Her twelfth studio album ...In Black & White reached number seven on the country albums list. It was followed by her fourteenth studio record Spun Gold (1983), which climbed to number five on the same list. Both discs spawned the number one singles "'Till You're Gone" and "One of a Kind Pair of Fools". Also included were the top ten recordings "Operator, Long Distance Please" and "In Times Like These". Mandrell's 1984 album was also a top ten Billboard disc and featured the top five singles "Only a Lonely Heart Knows" and "Happy Birthday Dear Heartache". Mandrell's popularity allowed her to record an album of gospel music in 1982 titled He Set My Life to Music. The project brought Mandrell her first Grammy awards. She also collaborated on several duets with Lee Greenwood in 1984. The duets were issued on their 1984 studio album Meant for Each Other, which featured the top five country single "To Me".

Despite her popularity and commercial appeal, Mandrell's early–1980s music received mixed reviews. Writer Kurt Wolff found that her 1980s recordings exemplified "a weak attempt to maintain her roots" featuring "garnish productions" that went "head-first into schmaltz". In reviewing her 1983 album, critic Greg Adams commented, "Spun Gold contains some bizarre collisions of country music's traditional working-class perspective with disco-era glitz." Meanwhile, writers Mary A. Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann described her early 1980s singles as "powerful heartache songs" whose themes centered around "enduring financial hardship" and "proud-to-be country anthem[s]".

In late 1984, Mandrell and her children were involved in a car crash that halted her career for a year. The crash made Mandrell reconsider her professional choices altogether. "I never thought I would ever sing again or be Barbara Mandrell again, or any of that," she later told CNN. She eventually returned to the recording studio in May 1985, which resulted in the 1985 top ten country single "There's No Love in Tennessee". It appeared on Mandrell's Greatest Hits compilation, which was also issued in 1985. She returned to the stage for the first time in 1986 at the Los Angeles Universal Amphitheatre, with Dolly Parton serving as her opening act. Her next studio album Get to the Heart (1985) spawned the top ten Billboard songs "Fast Lanes and Country Roads" and "Angel in Your Arms". Her final album for MCA appeared in 1986 titled Moments. It spawned the top ten country song "No One Mends a Broken Heart Like You".

In 1987, Mandrell signed a new recording contract with EMI America. Her first album with the label was the studio offering Sure Feels Good (1987). The disc reached number 24 on the Billboard country albums survey. United Press International positively commented that, "Mandrell should be proud of this effort which should put her back on top of the charts." Yet, of its three singles only "Child Support" reached the top 20 of the North American country charts. Mandrell's future singles and albums reached progressively–lower chart positions as a new group of traditionally–oriented country artists began having more commercial success. Yet, Mandrell continued touring and remained a popular concert attraction through the 1980s and 1990s.

Mandrell signed with Capitol Records in late 1987. Her first Capitol single was a cover of Ray Price's "I Wish I Could Fall in Love Today", which reached the top five of the American and Canadian singles charts. It was included on her nineteenth studio disc I'll Be Your Jukebox Tonight (1988). The project featured a traditional country sound and included production credits for the first time from Fred Foster. It also spawned the top 20 single "My Train of Thought" (1989) and the charting song "Mirror, Mirror". Both songs were her final singles to chart in the United States. Mandrell remained with Capitol until 1991. Her next two Capitol discs were both issued in 1990: Morning Sun and No Nonsense (distributed through Liberty). For the latter album, Mandrell signed a commercial deal with the No Nonsense panty hose brand. Her final Capitol–Liberty project was issued in 1991 called Key's in the Mailbox. Mandrell's Capitol recordings found positive reviews from critics. Mary. A Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann found the songs to showcase "strong female lyrics", while Bill Carpenter said her 1991 album exemplified "Heartful soul and contemporary country."

Mandrell continued making live performance appearances on network television. She also remained a popular act on the Grand Ole Opry, including their televised portion of the program. Mandrell also continued recording and releasing new material. In 1994, the New York label Direct Records released two albums of her music. The studio album projects were marketed exclusively through television and appeared on networks such as TNN. That year, the label issued Acoustic Attitude, which was an album of re-recordings. The label also issued an album of new material that year titled It Works for Me. The album was reissued on Razor & Tie in 1997, which Mandrell temporarily signed a contract with that year.

Also in 1997, Mandrell announced her retirement from touring, recording and performing. In an interview with Billboard, Mandrell explained that she chose to retire so she could focus on an full–time acting career. She gave her final musical performance in October 1997 at the Grand Ole Opry house. Her final concert was aired on network television. Titled Barbara Mandrell and the Do-Rites: The Last Dance, premiered on TNN in late 1997. After her retirement, Mandrell sold all of her musical instruments. She now spends time on her family and domestic responsibilities.

Acting career

Mandrell began gaining regular exposure on national television programs. Her television credits from this period included appearances on The Tonight Show, American Bandstand and Bob Hope entertainment specials. Among the highlights was an appearance on a 1979 episode of The Rockford Files and co-hosting the 1979 Academy of Country Music Awards. In late 1979 she played herself in the holiday program Skinflint: A Christmas Carol alongside several other country artists of the era. The special was a southern American take on the original story of the same name. Fred Guida gave the program a negative review in his book A Christmas Carol and Its Adaptations: "Unfortunately, Skinflint fails to live up to its interesting premise, and the result is one of the lamest Carol variations to date."

Mandrell was given multiple offers from the NBC network to host her own syndicated show. However, she routinely turned it down. One day, NBC producer Marty Krofft was shown a wallet-sized photograph of Mandrell and her sisters playing different musical instruments. This prompted Krofft to contact Mandrell about offering her a program that she could co–host with her sisters. From his encouragement, she eventually agreed to host a show on his network. In 1980, she was signed by NBC to host a national television variety series. Titled Barbara Mandrell & the Mandrell Sisters, the show was hosted by Mandrell along with her two sisters Irlene and Louise.

Mandrell learned choreography for the show and was routinely featured playing multiple musical instruments. In addition, the Mandrell sisters performed a series of comedy sketches. In their book The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, authors Tim Brooks and Earle F. Marsh noted that Barbara often portrayed the "serious, pushy sister" while Irlene was portrayed as the "sexy, vain one". Mandrell often had to push back against NBC executives who insisted that the show feature hay barrels and other features of traditional country-western shows. "They expect you to be barefoot and ignorant," Mandrell commented in 2003. During its peak, it was estimated that the show attracted roughly 40 million viewers per week. For her work, Mandrell was nominated for Best Actress in a Television Musical or Comedy Series by the Golden Globe Awards.

Despite the NBC show's success, the constant workload (along with a focus on her music career) caused Mandrell to suffer from burnout. She often had to take extra naps on her tour bus parked next to the television studio. She also had to take Cortisone shots before show tapings so that her vocal chords had less strain. She was urged to quit the show by physicians who warned that she would ultimately suffer from permanent vocal damage. In 1982, Mandrell announced the program would end after a two-year run on NBC. "I'm the only person that I know of that has ever left a television series with a five year contract," she later commented.

Mandrell continued acting following her show's cancellation. In 1984, Mandrell debuted in her first television film titled Burning Rage. Mandrell played the main role of a geologist who investigates coal mining fires underneath a town in Tennessee. Joe Brown of The Washington Post called the film, "an overheated title for what amounts to a lukewarm drama about a natural phenomenon and its effect on a small town." He concluded by commenting on Mandrell's acting performance: "As an actress, Mandrell is likable and natural, but she has little to do here but walk around looking concerned when she's not getting into tepid clinches with [Tom] Wopat". Following her 1984 car crash, a television special of Mandrell's was aired on CBS titled Barbara Mandrell–Something Special.

She also made appearances on talk shows and network programs during the late 1980s and early 1990s. She also was featured in several television commercials for food products. In the early 1990s, she portrayed a character on the television show Empty Nest. In 1994, Mandrell played a guest role in an episode of ABC's The Commish. The Baltimore Sun described her as playing "a less sympathetic role than usual" in their description of the episode.

During the mid 1990s, Mandrell also played roles on the shows Touched by an Angel, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman and Baywatch. In 1997, Mandrell gave up her music career to focus on acting full-time. She signed with the Creative Artists Agency, which helped her acquire more television roles. She appeared as a recurring character in the soap opera Sunset Beach. In 1999, Mandrell played the mother of a deceased son who finds conflict with his "controlling girlfriend". Titled The Wrong Girl, the television filmed aired on NBC that year. Among Mandrell's final acting credits was 2000's made for television film Stolen from the Heart.

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