This November marks the 70th anniversary of Jean Shepard’s induction into the legendary Grand Ole Opry. Shepard was the eighth woman to be given membership as a solo artist. To commemorate the historic milestone, a documentary detailing her life came out on November 21 on SHINE Oklahoma Music’s YouTube called “Jean Shepard: Trailblazer.” Shepard, a native of Pauls Valley, would break several barriers for women in country music. She was the first country singer to have an all-women band, The Melody Ranch Girls. Shepard played bass and provided lead vocals for the group. When she met her music idol Hank Williams, Sr., she told him she was going to be a country music singer. Hank told her that there really were no “girl singers in country music,” she later recounted. “I’m going to change that,” Shepard proudly stated back to Hank. Change country music is exactly what she did. In 1953, she became the second woman to have a number one record with her recording of “Dear John Letter.” It remained at the top position for 23 weeks on various charts selling over one million copies. In fact, prior to Shepard, only two women, Kitty Wells and Goldie Hill, had even charted a song on the Billboard country hit list. Shepard was only 19 years old at the time. And, the chart topping song would only be the beginning of a prolific career. Over the next 15 years, she would place 73 songs and 14 albums on the Billboard’s country hit list. To this day, that makes her one of the most charting female country singers in history. She was also among the first women to perform for audiences abroad as her popularity extended to many other countries. In 1960, she married fellow Grand Ole Opry star Hawkshaw Hawkins. They were the Tim McGraw and Faith Hill of their day. The two became favorites at the Opry and on various variety television shows. But, just three years into their marriage with Shepard eight months pregnant with their second child, Hawkshaw was tragically killed in the same plane crash that claimed the lives of Cowboy Copas and Patsy Cline. Unsure of how to go on performing while raising their two sons on her own, Shepard received encouragement from her husband’s best friend, Marty Robbins. Robbins asked if he could write her a song that he thought would be fitting considering the circumstances. The result was a song called “Two Little Boys.” When Robbins presented it to her, Shepard noticed that the songwriting credit was given to her two sons. Robbins wanted the boys to have the songwriting royalties since they had lost their father at such early ages. Shepard recorded “Two Little Boys” as the B side to her comeback hit “Second Fiddle (to an Old Guitar)” which went to #5 and was nominated for a Grammy. It also established her two sons as the youngest songwriters to ever be credited on a song, a record which stands to this day. Having to go on as the sole provider for her children, Shepard continued touring. While she may have done it out of necessity, she nevertheless shattered another glass ceiling by becoming the first woman to headline a country music tour. Keep in mind that Patsy Cline had already passed. Kitty Wells, Wanda Jackson, and Loretta Lynn had already arrived on the scene. Yet, it was Shepard who trailblazed this record. On her 35th birthday, Shepard married Benny Birchfield. They would enjoy 48 years of marriage until her death on September 25, 2016. At the time of her death, she was the longest reigning member of the Grand Ole Opry at 61 years. Her record has since been eclipsed by Bill Anderson, but she remains the most tenured female member. In 2010, she was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and the following year she was finally placed into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Even after all that time, she was still only the 15th woman to be inducted into the prestigious institution, showing her endurance and survival in a male-dominated world. Lainey Wilson, Miranda Lambert, and Reba McEntire have a song called Trailblazer. It talks about those who came before them in the business. The whole song could be about Jean Shepard. Tammy Wynette, Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, and all the others have walked the trail that Jean Shepard began to blaze 70 years ago. Brian Maughan serves as Oklahoma County Commissioner, Dist 2 and does a series of interviews with Oklahoma music stars for the Oklahoma History Center called SHINE on Oklahoma Music. This article appears in Nov 26 2025.
https://www.okgazette.com/music/countrys-trailblazer/
Country’s Trailblazer
