Loretta Lynn touched every corner of popular music in America, and her songs have taught us volumes about ourselves. Elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame for her groundbreaking work as a singer and songwriter, Lynn has been a major source of inspiration for artists ranging from Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, and Kacey Musgraves to Jack White and Exene Cervenka.

Lynn’s well-documented humble beginnings as a coal miner’s daughter are the stuff of legend. As she emerged in the 1960s, her powerfully penned songs not only climbed to the top of the country charts, they also challenged social norms, often addressing such controversial topics as broken marriages, divorce, birth control, and domestic violence, in ways both natural and defiant.

This book was published as a companion to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum exhibition Loretta Lynn: Blue Kentucky Girl. It features more than 100 rare photos as well as a foreword by Grammy-winning singer Kacey Musgraves.