Kitty Wells

Kitty Wells
Wells in a 1974 publicity photo
Born	Ellen Muriel Deason (1919-08-30)August 30, 1919 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Died	July 16, 2012(2012-07-16) (aged 92) Madison, Tennessee
Spouse	Johnnie Wright ​ ​ (m. 1937; died 2011)​
Children	3, including Ruby and Bobby
Musical career
Genres	Country honky tonk Nashville sound gospel
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals guitar
Years active	1936–2000
Labels	RCA Victor Decca MCA Capricorn Rubocca Southern Tracks
Musical artist
Website	Official website

Ellen Muriel Deason (August 30, 1919 – July 16, 2012), known professionally as Kitty Wells, was an American pioneering female country music singer. She broke down a barrier for women in country music with her 1952 hit recording "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels", which also made her the first female country singer to top the U.S. country charts and turned her into the first female country superstar. “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” would also be her first of several pop crossover hits. Wells is the only artist to be awarded top female vocalist awards for 14 consecutive years. Her chart-topping hits continued until the mid-1960s, paving the way for and inspiring a long list of female country singers who came to prominence in the 1960s.

Wells ranks as the sixth most successful female vocalist in the history of the Billboard country charts, according to historian Joel Whitburn's book The Top 40 Country Hits. In 1976, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 1991, Wells became the third country music artist, after Roy Acuff and Hank Williams, and the eighth woman to receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Wells' success and influence on country music garnered her the title "Queen of Country Music".