We’re back at it this week with another Melody Monday! This week we thought we would feature Kentucky native, Patty Loveless. I’ve loved Patty Loveless since I was a little one dancing in my cowboy boots to “Blame It On Your Heart.” This song was a big part of the 1993 movie “The Thing Called Love,” with River Phoenix, Samantha Mathis, and Sandra Bullock. The song also reached #1 on Billboard charts. Patty has had four additional songs hit #1 on the charts. Quite the feat for a small-town Appalachian girl!
Patty Loveless was born Patricia Ramey, a coal miner’s daughter, in Pikeville, KY and raised in nearby Elkhorn City. She started touring with the Wilburn Brothers after high school and married their drummer, Terry Lovelace. She made a play on words and became the Patty “Loveless” we all know and love. It wasn’t until the mid-80’s though, when Patty was in her late 20’s, that she pursued a solo country music career and was signed to a label. It didn’t take long for her musical career to take off.
Since then, Patty Loveless has also released a few bluegrass albums. While she is primarily in retirement now, she and Chris Stapleton (another Kentucky native) gained a lot of attention for their amazing and chilling rendition of “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive.” Both Loveless and Stapleton also performed in a benefit concert for the 2022 KY flooding victims. Patty Loveless is an inspirational Appalachian female artist with one incredible career, so take some time out of your week to give her music a listen!