Born 118 Years Ago Today in Arkansas, the Singing Cowgirl Who Became Country Music’s First Million-Selling Female Star
Patsy Montana, born Ruby Blevins in Arkansas on 30 October 1908, became a pioneering country singer and yodeller whose hit “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart” made her the first woman in country music to release a million-selling single. Her success helped establish women’s place in the genre and influenced later performers including Patsy Cline and Dottie West.
After studying violin at UCLA and performing on California radio, Montana moved to Chicago, where the Girls of the Golden West helped her secure an audition at WLS. She joined the Prairie Ramblers, who backed her on the 1935 hit; the song developed from Stuart Hamblen’s “Texas Plains”, and he shared co-writing credit. Montana performed throughout her life, entered the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996, and died that year.
In short
- Patsy Montana was born in Arkansas on 30 October 1908.
- Her 1935 hit became country music’s first million-selling single by a woman.
- She entered the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996.
Explained simply
Country music grew from American folk, dance and rural traditions, and radio helped bring its performers to audiences across the country in the 1930s. Women sang and played in the genre, but the biggest commercial successes and public recognition often went to men.
Patsy Montana, born Ruby Blevins, became known for her singing and yodelling after joining the Prairie Ramblers, a group she met through Chicago radio. Her recording of “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart” became a major hit and was credited as country music’s first million-selling single by a woman.
Montana’s success showed that a female country singer could draw a large audience and helped open the way for later performers such as Patsy Cline and Dottie West. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996.