Object of the Day

Kitty Wells Portrait

August 30

The "Queen of Country Music," Kitty Wells, who was born on this day in 1919, emerged in 1952 as the first female country vocalist to win and sustain major stardom. Her release, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels," - a lyrical response to Hank Thompson's "The Wild Side of Life" - was a hit. Wells and her husband, Johnny Wright, continued to work a full schedule well into the 1990s. This photograph was taken by Henry Horenstein in 1983.

Kitty Wells

Description
The "Queen of Country Music," Kitty Wells, (Ellen Muriel Deason, b. 1918) emerged in 1952 as the first female country vocalist to win and sustain major stardom. Her release, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels,"--a lyrical response to Hank Thompson's "The Wild Side of Life"--was a hit. Wells and her husband, Johnny Wright, continued to work a full schedule well into the 1990s.
Location
Currently not on view
Data Source
National Museum of American History
maker
Horenstein, Henry
negative
1983
print
2003
Credit Line
Horenstein, Henry
Physical Description
paper (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 11 in x 14 in; 27.94 cm x 35.56 cm
Object Name
photograph
The Queen of Country Music, Kitty Wells, (b. 1918) emerged in 1952 as the first female country vocalist to win and sustain major stardom. She continued to work a full schedule well into the 1990s.