Anderson charted 12 No. 1, 18 Top 10, and more than 50 Top 40 hits. In addition to being named "Top Female Vocalist" by the Academy of Country Music (ACM) twice and "Female Vocalist of the Year" by the Country Music Association (CMA), Anderson won a Grammy Award (earning seven nominations), People's Choice Award and an American Music Award (AMA). She was named Billboard's Female Artist of the Decade (1970–1980).
Anderson was the first female country artist to win the American Music Award (in 1974), as well as the first to headline and sellout Madison Square Garden that same year.
Anderson debuted in 1966, at the age of 19, and had her first hit with Ride, Ride, Ride. After a series of Top 10 hit singles on the country charts during the late 1960s, Anderson signed with Columbia Records in 1970. Under Columbia, she had her most successful string of hits. Her signature song, "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden", remains one of the biggest selling country crossover hits of all time. In addition, the song also went to No. 3 on the Billboard Pop Chart and reached the top of the charts in several countries, an unprecedented achievement at the time. CMT ranks "Rose Garden" at No. 83 on its list of the "100 Greatest Songs in Country Music History". Anderson continued to record and remained a popular concert attraction until her death, regularly headlining major casino showrooms, performing arts centers and theaters.
She grew up in Sacramento, California with her mother, acclaimed singer-songwriter Liz Anderson who wrote "The Fugitive" and "(All My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers", both Merle Haggard hits, among others. She began her solo career in 1966 with "In Person", followed by a hit with her mother's "If I Kiss You (Will You Go Away)".
In 1968 she married Glenn Sutton, a future Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, with whom she had a daughter, Lisa. (They divorced in 1977.)
Consistent hits followed, and she was a regular on The Lawrence Welk Show during the 1967-68 season. In 1969 Anderson signed to Columbia where her work veered a bit more toward a polished, pop sound. She released her signature song, "Rose Garden" in late 1970. The song, written by Joe South, won a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance reached number 1 on the U.S. country charts, and also hit number 3 on the pop charts, as well as being a hit in fifteen countries. Anderson also received Grammy nominations for her recordings "Big Girls Don't Cry" (1968), "That's a No No" (1969), and "How Can I Unlove You" (1971)> Anderson's other hits during this period included "You're My Man", "Listen to a Country Song", "Top of the World" (a number 1 country record for Anderson before becoming a pop hit for The Carpenters), "Cry", "Keep Me in Mind", "What a Man My Man Is" and "Smile For Me". In 1971, she was voted Top Female Vocalist of the year by both the Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association. Anderson charted eight no.one singles, 18 Top-Tens and earned a total of 17 international Gold records. She was perhaps the most in-demand country female vocalist on network television throughout the 1970's but after 1975 her records usually peaked in the top 20 as opposed to her earlier top ten success.
Anderson married a Louisiana businessman in 1978. The second marriage produced two more children, and she was divorced in 1982.
Anderson remained one of the top female country singers into the 1980's. Her last top ten record was 1984s "You're Welcome to Tonight". During the late 1980's and early 1990s, she received much press for her disputes with her now-divorced second husband. After spending time on her ranch, raising horses and participating in equestrian events, she began recording again in 1992.
"The Bluegrass Sessions", released in 2004, earned Anderson her first Grammy nomination in over 30 years.
That same year Anderson was arrested in Denton, Texas, for drunk driving.
The American Rose Society created and named in her honor a white and raspberry hybrid tea rose.
Anderson released a new CD of original songs entitled "Cowgirl" in 2006, all of the songs penned by her mother, the acclaimed songwriter Liz Anderson.
Take Me Home Country Roads
Lynn Anderson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Life is old there older than the trees younger than the mountains blowin' like a breeze
Country roads take me home to the place I belong
West Virginia mountain mama take me home country roads
All my mem'ries gather round her miner's lady stranger to blue water
Dark and dusty painted on the sky misty taste of moonshine teardrop in my eye
Country roads take me home...
I hear his voice in the mornin' as he calls me
The radio reminds me of my home far away
Drivin' down the road I get a feelin' that I should have been
Home yesterday yesterday
Country roads take me home...
Country roads take me home...
The lyrics to Lynn Anderson's song "Take Me Home Country Roads" paint a vivid picture of a longing to return home to West Virginia. The opening verse sets the scene of the natural beauty of the state with the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah River. The line "life is old there, older than the trees, younger than the mountains, bloomin' like a breeze" suggests that although the natural surroundings may seem eternal, life still goes on, and change occurs like the blowing breeze. The chorus repeats the desire to be taken back to one's roots in West Virginia, where they belong, and the reference to the "mountain mama" highlights the emotional connection to home.
The second verse gives insight into the singer's personal connection to West Virginia, with memories of their life there. The references to a miner's lady and stranger to blue water could suggest the singer has experienced a variety of different people and places in West Virginia. The line "misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye" captures a bittersweet nostalgia for the past. The final verse suggests the singer is physically far away from their home, with the radio reminding them of their roots. The repetition of "country roads take me home" brings the song to a close, emphasizing the overriding theme of the desire to return.
Line by Line Meaning
Almost heaven West Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains Shenandoah River
West Virginia is like heaven with its beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah River.
Life is old there older than the trees, younger than the mountains blowin' like a breeze
Though life is old in West Virginia, it's still refreshing and 'younger' than the mountains, like a cool breeze.
Country roads take me home to the place I belong
The familiar country roads lead me back to where I belong.
West Virginia mountain mama take me home country roads
My heart longs for my 'mountain mama,' West Virginia, and those country roads back home.
All my mem'ries gather round her miner's lady stranger to blue water
My memories of West Virginia, with its mining history and unfamiliar blue waters, are all fondly tied to it.
Dark and dusty painted on the sky misty taste of moonshine teardrop in my eye
The memories are so vivid: the dark and dusty sky and the haunting taste of moonshine bring a tear to my eye.
I hear his voice in the mornin' as he calls me
Nostalgia is heightened when I hear his voice calling me in the morning.
The radio reminds me of my home far away
Even the radio reminds me of my childhood home so far away.
Drivin' down the road I get a feelin' that I should have been
Driving down the road, I can't help but feel like I should have gone back home sooner.
Home yesterday yesterday
I wish I could go back home to yesterday and relive those memories.
Country roads take me home...
Once again, those country roads lead me back home to my beloved West Virginia.
Country roads take me home...
I can't say it enough; those country roads will always take me back to where I feel at home.
Contributed by Blake B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.