Loretta Lynn

Born and raised in Kentucky as the daughter of coal miner Ted Webb, Loretta Lynn taught herself how to play guitar as a teenager. She knew enough to begin carving out her identity as a singer, later giving way to the establishment of a powerful legacy. But taking a look at Loretta’s sprawling family tree, it seems as though her musical calling was inevitable — and it has spanned generations since. Loretta was the second oldest of eight children. While neither of their parents pursued musicianship as careers, the…

American Idol viewers got a surprise on Sunday night. Emmy Russell, the granddaughter of country legend Loretta Lynn, auditioned for the reality show, performing an impressive original piano ballad called “Skinny.” The 24-year-old musician, who hails from Nashville, impressed the judges, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan, with her performance, who were surprised by her lineage. “Growing up, I sang music my entire life,” Russel said, introducing herself. “I just love writing. I’m 24 years old.…

In 2017, I ended my marriage of almost 12 years. It wasn’t one big betrayal. No one was a villain, not really. What happened was the oppressive weight of being a wife and mother and the burden of heterosexual marriage broke me. Three years later, in 2020, I realized I wasn’t alone. That the cultural weight of society keeps slipping onto the shoulders of mothers and wives. We are breaking. My book This American Ex Wife examines the way marriage is inherently unequal, and the way our culture defines love as misery, and…