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.
Wave Bye Bye To The Man
Lynn Anderson Lyrics
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He won't anymore for we'll be gone bye bye
My little one you see he don't love you and me
So raise your little hand and wave bye bye to the man
He's the man who stays gone more than he stays at home
The man you call dad the one you'll never had
The real daddy you know would never let us part
But this one doesn't care he just keeps standin' there
So raise your little hand and wave bye bye to the man
He's the man who stays gone...
So raise your little hand and wave bye bye to the man
Wave bye bye to the man wave bye bye to the man wave bye bye to the man
The lyrics to Lynn Anderson's song "Wave Bye Bye To The Man" speak to the painful experiences of a broken family and the absence of a loving father figure. The song begins by referencing a man who has caused sadness and tears in their lives, but now they have the opportunity to say goodbye to him. The singer encourages a child, referred to as "my little one," to raise their hand and wave goodbye to this man who does not love them. It is implied that this man has been absent from their lives, choosing to stay away more often than he stays at home.
The lyrics suggest that this man is not the child's real father, as he is referred to as "the man you'll never had" and "the real daddy you know would never let us part." The contrast is drawn between this uncaring man and the ideal father figure, who would hold them with love and never let them go. Despite the pain caused by the man at the door, the singer encourages the child to let go and bid farewell to him.
The repetition of the phrase "Wave bye bye to the man" reinforces the finality of their decision to remove this negative influence from their lives. It serves as a cathartic moment of release and a symbol of moving forward without him.
Overall, the lyrics of "Wave Bye Bye To The Man" convey a poignant message about the importance of choosing to let go of toxic relationships and finding strength in building a better future.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: GIBSON, LINDSEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Harlow MGM
A cover of labelmate LaWanda Lindsey's single which unfortunately did not chart (no pun intended) although it was a good record. Lynn really tears it to this, always loved it when she did the hard country, bouncy things like this despite her uptown "countrypolitan" image she can sing the real country stuff as well as anyone.
Doug Brown
I have this on an 8 track. It brings back memories.
Chris Doubleday
Harlow MGM, you are right on stating Lynn could sing the stone country just as well or better than her countrypolitan.