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Crystal Gayle music biography continued...

Born Brenda Gail Webb in Paintsville, Kentucky, on January 9, 1951, Gayle got encouragement from her older sister, Loretta Lynn, who had already built a name for herself by the time Gayle was in her teens. In 1970 Gayle recorded her first single with Decca, her sister's label. The song, "I've Cried the Blue Right Out of My Eyes," climbed to number twenty-three on the Billboard country charts. Gayle appreciated her sister's help at the outset of her career, but the young singer soon wanted to set her own course. She left MCA Records (formerly Decca) in 1973 and signed with United Artists, where she was teamed with producer-songwriter Allen Reynolds. With Reynolds's assistance, Gayle became recognized in 1975 as a promising country vocalist, based on the popularity of her first two albums, Crystal Gayle and Somebody Loves You. Then she and Reynolds began to experiment with music outside the realm of pure country. The resulting sound caused a surge in Gayle's popularity; in 1978 she recorded her first platinum album, We Must Believe in Magic, with its crossover Grammy Award-winning single "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue." Thereafter, Gayle's albums often contained a blend of country, blues, and pop music that made her a household name with mainstream audiences.



Gayle continued to be a presence on the charts throughout the 80s. In 1982 her first number one duet, "You and I," which was recorded with Eddie Rabbitt, became her second Top Ten pop hit. Gayle hit number one three times in 1983 ("Baby, What About You," Rodney Crowell's "Till I Gain Control Again," "Our Love Is on the Faultline") and twice more in 1984 ("The Sound of Goodbye," "Turning Away"), and began to cross over to the adult contemporary charts with regularity as well. She continued to experiment throughout the 90s and into the new millennium, trying her hand at everything from gospel to children's songs, proving that talent knows no bounds.