An Evening with Crystal Gayle

She was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2017 by her sister, Loretta Lynn. The Academy of Country Music recognized her with a 2016 Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award for her lifetime achievements in country music. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Indeed, Crystal Gayle has been honored by country music and loved by fans for decades. Best known for her signature song, “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue,” she’s also had hits with “You’ve Been Talking in Your Sleep,” “When I Dream,” “Half the Way,” and her duet with Eddie Rabbit, “Just You and I.” She has released more than 20 Number One hits and has been honored by the Grammys, the Country Music Association, the Academy of Country Music, and the American Music Awards.

Brenda Gail Webb’s sister, Loretta Lynn, suggested the name Crystal for her younger sister. Brenda Lee was a star with Decca Records, and to avoid confusion, Webb took the name Crystal Gayle when she signed with the label. Gayle grew up the youngest of eight children, and sister Loretta has said that Crystal was also “a coal miner’s daughter” before she was a star. While she was still in school, she signed her first recording contract. Her debut single, “I’ve Cried the Blue Right Out of My Eyes,” was written by Lynn and reached the Top 25 on national charts. Three more singles were released over the next three years. Her warm, resonant song styling, unique as a fingerprint, captured audiences not usually tuned in to country music.

Gayle’s first album began a roll out of smash singles to come. Wrong Road Again became her debut Top 10 record and “I’ll Get Over You” her first Number One single. By her fourth album, We Must Believe in Magic, she became the first female artist in country music history to achieve platinum album sales. Driving the engine was the song that became her signature, “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue.” That song introduced Crystal Gayle to the world. She became a household name, and her glamour and mystique made her an “in demand” artist. From symphony halls to Carnegie Hall to the London Palladium, the Crystal phenomenon swept on. There were CBS and HBO specials, and she appeared in Bob Hope’s special, “On the Road to China.” She has hosted the American Music Awards and the Academy of Country Music Awards.

Breaking through the usual genre barriers has allowed Crystal Gayle to do projects close to her heart. One of the most meaningful was Crystal Gayle Sings the Heart and Soul of Hoagy Carmichael,” a critically acclaimed collection of 15 of the great composer’s favorite classics, including “Stardust” and “Two Sleepy People.” She has said that meeting Carmichael and getting to sing with him was a personal high in her career.

She has not neglected the youngest audiences, either, with In My Arms, a collection of lullabies. She appeared on Sesame Street and sang with Big Bird, and she contributed to Songs from the Neighborhood, a tribute album to Mr. Rogers that won a Grammy in 2006.

Crystal Gayle lives in Nashville when she is not touring, and spends time with her husband, two children, and two grandsons. Like a fine wine, time has been kind to her.

Don’t miss the show. You don’t want to make your brown eyes blue.