SALAMANCA — Country and pop music star Crystal Gayle will take the stage and perform her timeless classics at the Seneca Allegany Events Center Saturday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m.
Considered one of the most successful country music artists of all time, Gayle has been on the country charts since the ‘70s and became an international superstar with her hit, “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue.”
In an interview with The Press, Gayle said she loved “Brown Eyes” when she first heard it and what everyone hears on the radio was the first take in the studio.
“It was magical, then Allen (Reynolds) put strings on it and it just fell together. That doesn’t happen,” she said. “Richard Leigh wrote ‘Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue’ and he wrote my very first No. 1 single, ‘I’ll Get Over You.’ A song like ‘Brown Eyes’ doesn’t come around very often, so I’m glad I got it.”
The song instantly went to the top of everyone’s charts when it was released and became Gayle’s signature song.
In addition to “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” that came to identify Gayle, some of her other chart topping hits include “You and I,” “You Never Gave Up on Me,” “Another World,” “Half the Way,” “Ready for the Times to Get Better,” “Talking In Your Sleep,” “It’s Like We Never Said Goodbye,” “You’ll Never Miss A Real Good Thing,” and “Cry.”
According to the Academy of Country Music, she had a total of 20 No.1 country singles and her 1977 album, We Must Believe In Magic, became the first platinum-selling record by a female country artist. Her career produced six Gold albums.
Gayle’s style is quite different from her sister’s, Loretta Lynn, who made the song, “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” popular. By the late ‘70s, Gayle’s music career took a different direction when she crossed over to the Pop Charts and attracted a whole new audience. As one of the most successful country-pop crossover acts of the ‘70s and ‘80s, she was also the star of her own hour primetime specials on CBS television.
For two consecutive years, she has received numerous awards including CMA’s “Female Vocalist of the Year,” Grammy Award Winner for “Best Female Vocal Performance” for her “Brown Eyes,” and three Academy of Country Music Awards for “Top Female Vocalist.” As a recipient of three “American Music Awards,” she was voted by the nation as America’s “Favorite Female Artist.” Her career achievements were recognized when she was awarded with a star on the fabled Hollywood Walk of Fame in October 2009. She was a recent recipient of the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award that honors individuals who are pioneers in the country music genre.
Born Brenda Gail Webb in Paintsville, Ky. and raised in Wabash, Ind., Gayle is the youngest sibling of Melvin Webb Jr., Loretta Lynn, Herman Webb, Jay Lee Webb, Donald Webb, Peggy Sue and Betty Ruth Webb.
Gayle said her brothers still call her Brenda, but she had to change her name professionally because Brenda Lee was already on the same Decca Label that she started under and the record company definitely didn’t want two Brendas. “Crystal” was suggested by Lynn.
In high school, Gayle learned to play the guitar and started performing folk songs. She sang in choirs and in swing groups. Growing up, she also sang with her brothers, Don and Junior (Melvin), in their band and at jubilees.
“Loretta definitely influenced my interest in the music business,” she said. “Music was just a part of my upbringing. That’s what we did for fun. We were a musical family and it’s in our blood.”
According to Gayle, the only time she ever toured with Lynn was for a week or so during her summer vacations.
“I was that little kid everybody liked whether I could sing or not, and I was probably in junior high,” she said. “When I started recording, I did a few dates with my sister, but I was never a full part of her band. One of my other sisters, Peggy Sue, traveled with Loretta for a long time.”
Known for her nearly floor-length hair, Gayle said she has thinned it through the years because of the weight and keeps saying she’s going to cut it.
“It’s not as long as it used to be, but it’s very hard to get rid of something that’s been with you like that,” she said.
Gayle is currently is working with her son, Chris Gatzimos, on a classic country album that’s expected to come out in early January. She said it’s been in the works for two or three years now and she knows there are some fans who are eagerly waiting for it.
“Right now the title is ‘You Don’t Know Me,’ which is also one of the songs on it, but it could change,” she said.
Looking ahead to her performance at the casino, Gayle said she wants everybody to have fun. She said that’s why she and her band are out there on stage.
“People go to concerts and movies to forget their troubles. They go to ease their mind and escape from what’s going on out in the world,” she said. “That’s what we’re there for. No matter what happens to people, music can heal.”
When not on the road touring, she’s at home in Nashville with her husband, Bill Gatzimos, her two children, Catherine and Christos, and her toddler grandson, Elijah.
Find out more online at crystalgayle.com, Facebook Official Crystal Gayle,Twitter and senecaalleganycasino.com.
