Born in California 86 Years Ago Today, “Mrs. Country”—the Singer Who Scored a String of Hits With Her Husband in the 60s and 70s
Jonie Mosby, who turns 86 today, was one half of the husband-and-wife country duo Johnny and Jonie Mosby, known in the 1960s and 1970s as "Mr. and Mrs. Country Music". Alongside her husband Johnny, she helped place 17 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, making the pair one of several notable married acts in country music, alongside couples such as Johnny and June Cash and George Jones and Tammy Wynette.
Born Janice Irene "Jonie" Shields on 10 August 1940 in Van Nuys, California, she met Johnny Mosby in 1958 after auditioning for his orchestra, and they married the same year. The duo signed to Columbia Records in 1962 and scored top 20 hits including "Don't Call Me from a Honky Tonk", "Trouble in My Arms" and "Just Hold My Hand", regularly appearing on shows such as the Louisiana Hayride and the Grand Ole Opry before divorcing in 1973. Jonie later made headlines in 1992 when, aged 52, she became the oldest woman on record to give birth via IVF; Johnny Mosby died in 2018 at the age of 88.
- Country singer Jonie Mosby, half of "Mr. and Mrs. Country Music", turns 86
- Duo scored 17 Billboard country chart hits in the 1960s-70s
- She and Johnny Mosby divorced in 1973; he died in 2018
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Jonie Mosby, born on 10 August 1940 in Van Nuys, California, was one half of the country music duo Johnny and Jonie Mosby, a husband-and-wife act who performed together through the 1960s and 1970s. The pair became known as "Mr. and Mrs. Country Music" and placed 17 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, putting them alongside other well-known married country acts of the era, such as Johnny and June Cash and George Jones and Tammy Wynette.
Jonie and Johnny met in 1958 when she auditioned for his orchestra, married that same year, and went on to sign with Columbia Records in 1962. They had several top 20 hits, including "Don't Call Me from a Honky Tonk" and "Just Hold My Hand", and were regular performers on country music radio and television shows of the time, including the Louisiana Hayride and the Grand Ole Opry. The couple divorced in 1973, and Johnny Mosby died in 2018.
Beyond her music career, Jonie Mosby is also noted for a separate piece of history: in 1992, aged 52, she became the oldest woman on record to give birth using IVF treatment.