Today In Country Music History [VIDEO]

1991   Dottie West Involved In Tragic Series of Events

On her way to a scheduled performance at the Grand Ole Opry, Dottie West's car breaks down, forcing her to hitch a ride to the Ryman Auditorium from passing driver George Thackston. He has an accident on the exit ramp, and West is hospitalized with a lacerated liver, ruptured spleen and possible broken neck.

Born Dorothy Marie Marsh outside McMinnville, Tennessee, she was the oldest of 10 children, a family so poor they lacked electricity and indoor plumbing and had to make their own soap out of hog grease and lye. Her childhood was marred by a dysfunctional, abusive relationship with her father. At the age of 17 she finally reported the abuse to authorities, and he was eventually sentenced to 40 years in prison.

West worked hard to find success in the country music world after college. She and her first husband, Bill West had local success and moved to Nashville, where they fell in with a group of aspiring songwriters, including Willie Nelson, Roger Miller, Hank Cochran, and Harlan Howard. West often played hostess to these struggling songwriters, offering them a place to stay and eat. In return, they taught West about the structure of songwriting. During this time, she also became a close friend of groundbreaking female country singer Patsy Cline and her husband Charlie Dick.

Her friendship with Cline opened many doors in West's early career. As a writer,  she had #1 singles recorded by Jim Reeves and became the first female artist to win a grammy (Best Female Country Vocal Performance) for "Here Comes My Baby" in 1964. She recorded several albums, both solo and duets, appeared in a pair of movies and even a signed life time contract with Coca-Cola as a jingle writer. But popular recognition evaded her until an image make-over led to a a fateful collision with a county legend.

In 1976, West dumped her highly conservative image, which even led to her originally refusing to record Kris Kristofferson's "Help Me Make It Through the Night" because it was "too sexy," and re-emerged as a sexier, more independent woman. Her material changed from traditional country to up-tempo country and slow-tempo Adult Contemporary-styled music. Then, in 1977, while she was recording the song "Every Time Two Fools Collide," when Kenny Rogers suddenly entered the studio and began singing along.

Released as a duet, the single hit number one, West's first; the duo's 1979 "All I Ever Need Is You" and 1981 "What Are We Doin' in Love" topped the charts as well, and a 1979 duets album titled Classics also proved successful. The duo proved popular enough to be booked in some of the biggest venues in the United States and other countries. In 1978 and 1979 they won the Country Music Association's "Vocal Duo of the Year" award, one of West's few major awards in her career.

During the 1980s, West continued to generate solo hits, most notably "A Lesson in Leavin'." Her popularity as a featured performer on the Grand Ole Opry endured as well. "A Lesson in Leavin'" was West's first No. 1 solo hit. A week before reaching the No. 1 spot, it was part of a historic Top 5 in country music, when all women held the Top 5 spots. In 1981, West had a pair of back-to-back No. 1 hits, "Are You Happy Baby" and "What Are We Doin' in Love" with Kenny Rogers. "What Are We Doin' in Love" was West's only Top 40 hit on the pop charts, reaching No. 14, becoming a major crossover hit in mid-1981. Her 1981 album Wild West was one of her biggest sellers.

As the 1980s progressed, West's popularity began to wane. However, she did introduce herself to younger audiences as she lent her voice to Melissa Raccoon in the film The Raccoons and the Lost Star in 1983, a precursor to the later series produced by Kevin Gillis, The Raccoons. Although she remained a popular touring act, West's financial problems mounted, and in 1990, she declared bankruptcy, culminating in the foreclosure of her Nashville mansion.

After a car accident in her Corvette and a public auction of her mansion and possessions, she began making plans for a comeback, including an album of duets and autobiography. The album was to feature friends Kenny Rogers, Roger Miller, Tanya Tucker, and Tammy Wynette. However, the album never materialized. She recorded her last song in July 1991 called "As For Me," a duet with Norwegian country singer Arne Benoni.

On August 30, 1991, West was scheduled to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. Shortly after leaving her apartment at Nashville's Wessex Towers, West's car, a Chrysler New Yorker that Kenny Rogers had given her following the loss of her possessions at the IRS auction, stalled in front of the old Belle Meade theater on Harding Road. West's 81-year-old neighbor, George Thackston, spotted her on the side of the road and offered to drive her to the Opry for her scheduled appearance. Frantic about getting to the Opry on time, she had urged the man to speed.

He lost control of his vehicle while exiting at the Opryland exit on Briley Parkway at a speed of 55 miles per hour. The exit ramp was posted for 25 miles per hour. The car left the ramp, went airborne and struck the central division. West did not believe she was injured as badly as her neighbor had been and reportedly did not seem harmed to officers who responded to the scene. She insisted he be treated first.

West, though she thought she was unharmed, suffered severe internal injuries and proved to have suffered both a ruptured spleen and a lacerated liver. Her spleen was removed that Friday and, the following Monday, she underwent two more surgeries to stop her liver from bleeding. On September 4, during her third operation, West died on the operating table, at the age of 58.