‘Blue Kentucky Girl’: A Loretta Lynn Favorite

The classic ballad is one of many hits available to producers as they honor Lynn’s life and artistic legacy.

A detail from the cover of Loretta Lynn's 2011 CD compilation of her greatest hits, including "Blue Kentucky Girl" and "Coal Miners Daughter." Internet Archive. Public Domain

Kentucky has long served as inspiration for the musicians who call it home. Its nickname, The Bluegrass State, has also provided an ample amount of wordplay for songwriters. The father of the bluegrass genre, Bill Monroe, was a proud Kentucky native. He named his band “The Blue Grass Boys” in honor of his home state and the type of blue-hued grass that sparked the state’s nickname. His longing slow waltz, “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” released in 1947, remains a classic among both bluegrass and country music genres. Almost 20 years after its release, another Kentucky born-and-bred artist launched her own music in honor of the Southern state.

In 1965, country singer Loretta Lynn released her single “Blue Kentucky Girl,” and it kickstarted a love of creating tunes representing her Bluegrass State roots. In 1970, she debuted what became her signature hit, “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” The autobiographical song was about growing up in the mining town of Van Lear, Kentucky, and being proud of her rural, humble beginnings.

(L) Cover of Loretta Lynn's famous 1973 album "Coal Miners Daughter" and a photograph from the back cover of her 1976 album "Somebody Somewhere." Internet Archive. Public Domain

Thanks to hits like “Blue Kentucky Girl” and “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” Lynn’s image would become almost synonymous with the homespun aspects of small-town Kentucky culture.

“Blue Kentucky Girl” is just one of many hits available to producers who are developing a Broadway musical honoring Lynn’s life and artistic legacy. Named after the singer-songwriter’s 1970 No. 1 single and 1980 hit film “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” the musical is currently in production and will feature fresh material as well as plenty of her hit songs.

An Example of Virtuous Love

During a live performance on a TV show featuring a variety of entertainers, Lynn once remarked that “Blue Kentucky Girl” was her favorite song. The acoustic ballad showcases the vocal control she wields over a classic country voice formed in a hillside cabin in “Butcher Holler,” or Butcher Hollow, her childhood home that she references in “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”

Loretta Lynn's childhood home in Butcher Holler, located in Van Lear, Kentucky. Johnnie Laws/Shutterstock

“Blue Kentucky Girl” features Lynn serenading the love of her life, though he’s left her to see what the bright “city lights” have to offer. Lynn’s devoted to the “big old moon” that shines on her rural Kentucky homestead, but she remains faithful to her beloved as she hopes for his return.

One verse in particular highlights the virtue found in the values Lynn holds dear in her relationship. She loves her man for who he is, not for the resources he can provide for her.

“Don’t wait to bring great riches home to me / I need no diamond rings or fancy pearls / Just bring yourself, you’re all I'll ever need / That’s good enough for this blue Kentucky Girl”

The committed protagonist in the song echoes the same devotion Lynn had to her real-life husband, Oliver “Doolittle” Lynn. The two were married for almost 50 years and had six children together.

A Hit Songwriter Keeps His Day Job

Though Lynn penned many of her own songs, “Blue Kentucky Girl” was written by Missouri songwriter Johnny Mullins. Mullins experienced great success writing for country artists. Not only did he get a top 10 country hit with “Blue Kentucky Girl,” he also penned other popular songs for artists. Those included Lynn’s “Success” and Porter Wagoner’s “Company’s Comin’.”

While Lynn made Mullins’s “Blue Kentucky Girl” a chart contender, years later, country singer Emmylou Harris released her own rendition of the heart-tugging love song. She even garnered a Grammy nomination for it.

Details from the front and back of Emmylou Harris's 1979 album "Blue Kentucky Girl." Internet Archive. Public Domain

Despite Mullins’ success in the country music industry, he remained committed to his day job for 25 years. From 1957 to his retirement in 1982, he was employed as a janitor at a Springfield, Missouri school.

During an interview with popular Missouri music store The Acoustic Shoppe, Mullins’s daughter Melinda spoke about one of her father’s fondest music memories:

“I think definitely it was when he got a letter congratulating him on his Grammy nomination in 1980 for ‘Blue Kentucky Girl.’ That song has had the most amazing momentum, beginning when Loretta Lynn did the original recording. It has been recorded and performed all over the world. Still to this day, it’s a song you just feel, and it connects with so many people.”

In 2001, Mullins was inducted into the Missouri Writers Hall of Fame.

‘Statement of the American Dream’

Sutton Foster, a two-time Tony award winner, is set to play Lynn in the upcoming Broadway production “Coal Miners Daughter.” The late country artist’s daughter, Patsy Lynn, is serving as a consulting producer. Those working on the bio-musical are planning a 2026 Broadway debut.

After the announcement of the “Coal Miner’s Daughter” musical, Lynn’s family released a statement. It details their excitement regarding keeping the trailblazing country singer’s legacy alive with the production: “We are so grateful to see that our mother’s life story and music will continue to touch the hearts of audiences and remain an important statement of the American dream.”

What arts and culture topics would you like us to cover? Please email ideas or feedback to [email protected]