One of country music’s brightest stars, Kitty Wells amassed 64 top 40 hits during her tenure performing from 1936 to 2000. Getting her start by recording gospel music with her husband Johnnie Wright throughout the ’30s and ’40s, her 1952 breakout hit “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” ushered her forward to become one of country music’s best-selling recording artists. Her relatable lyrics and emotional vocals made her music a staple in countless households, and her knack for down home Southern cooking meant her recipe books were staples in kitchens across the South as well.
A Nashville Native With Gospel Roots
Kitty Wells posing with her guitar in 1956. Photograph by Walden S. Fabry in Nashville. The Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection, Library of Congress. (Public Domain)
Born Ellen Muriel Deason in Nashville, Tennessee in 1919, Kitty Wells grew up in a big, musical family. Her mother Myrtle loved to sing gospel music, and her father Charles taught her how to play guitar. When she was still just a teen, she performed regularly with her siblings as The Deason Sisters on radio-hosted variety shows….