Loretta Lynn
Seneca Allegany Event Center
Salamanca, NY
Sunday June 10, 2012
Review/Photos Joseph Suto
Loretta Lynn has been in the entertainment business for over fifty years. The country music legend has more accolades and awards than you fit into a book. A few of her career highlights include the fact she has written over 160 songs and has had ten number one albums and sixteen number one singles on the country charts. She also became the first woman to ever win “Entertainer of the year” by the Country Music Association back in 1972.
Lynn and her family entourage bussed into the Seneca Allegany Event Center Sunday afternoon for a sold-out 5pm matinee show. Lynn seemed to be in great spirits stopping to talk to the audience in between songs several times. At eighty years old she has not lost any of the spunk that she has exhibited throughout her career. She was still upset with her keyboard player for skipping out on vacation and not letting her know yesterday (Saturday evening-she said she did not know till moments before her Bethlehem, PA show was scheduled to start). Lynn let the crowd know on more than one occasion. Just as he did the night before, Lee Hilliard normally a background singer filled in on keys. The rest of her band featured her band leader and lead guitarist Bobby Vogel, guitarist Bart Hanson, drummer Eric Kaberle, and Charlie Archer who played with the late Conway Twitty on steel guitar. Shelton Feazell on bass vocal and Michael Lusk on bass rounded out the band.
The show began with Loretta’s twin daughters Patsy and Peggy who played a few songs including a cool cover of “Tulsa Time”, a song Don Williams took to number one on the country charts back in 1978. Loretta was then introduced and started off with “They Don’t Make Em’ Like My Daddy” much to the fan’s delight. “Love Is The Foundation” was a song Loretta took by a fans request from the audience. She also spoke about the late Patsy Cline who was a mentor and befriended Loretta when she was breaking into the business early on her career. Her daughter Patsy is named after Kline. Some of Loretta’s notable songs that were performed included “I Wanna Be Free”, “Here I Am Again” a feisty “Fist City” and “Dear Uncle Sam”, a song she wrote about the Vietnam War. What show of Loretta’s would not be complete without her signature song “Coal Miner’s Daughter” which sent the capacity crowd home in good spirits.
Special Thanks to Tony Astran for making this review possible.
For more on Loretta check out her website www.lorettalynn.com
