# Born 118 Years Ago Today in Arkansas, the Singing Cowgirl Who Became Country Music’s First Million-Selling Female Star

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/born-118-years-ago-today-in-arkansas-the-singing-cowgirl-who-became-country-musics-first-million-selling-female-star/
- Published: 2026-10-30T19:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-30T20:35:26+00:00
- Original publisher: American Songwriter
- Original article: https://americansongwriter.com/born-118-years-ago-today-in-arkansas-the-singing-cowgirl-who-became-country-musics-first-million-selling-female-star/
- Topics: Celebrity, Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- 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.

## Summary

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.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.