page_title: Dottie West
section_title: 1976–1985: Country pop
hierarchical_section_title: Dottie West / Country music career / 1976–1985: Country pop
caption_attribution_description: English: Dottie West promotional photo for the upcoming studio album, "Dottie" (1977).
context_page_description: Dottie West was an American country music singer and songwriter. Along with her friends and fellow recording artists Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, she is considered one of the genre's most influential and groundbreaking female artists. West's career started in the 1960s, with her top-10 hit, "Here Comes My Baby Back Again", which won her a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 1965, the first woman in country music to receive a Grammy.
  In the early 1970s, West wrote a popular commercial for the Coca-Cola company, titled "Country Sunshine", which reached number two on Billboard's Hot Country Singles in 1973. In the late 1970s, she teamed up with country pop superstar Kenny Rogers for a series of duets, which took her career to new highs, earning platinum-selling albums and number-one records for the first time.
  Her duet recordings with Rogers, "Every Time Two Fools Collide", "All I Ever Need Is You", and "What Are We Doin' in Love", became country music standards.
context_section_description: In the late 1970s, West's image underwent a major metamorphosis; the woman who had once performed outfitted in conservative gingham dresses, and had originally refused to record Kris Kristofferson's "Help Me Make It Through the Night" because it was "too sexy", began appearing in spandex-sequined Bob Mackie designs with 20 costumes under a $400,000 contract (she had relented in late 1970 and recorded "Help Me Make It Through the Night" on the album Careless Hands, which was released in 1971). As the sexual revolution peaked, so did West's career. Under United Artists, West's material changed from traditional country to up-tempo and slow-tempo Adult Contemporary-styled music. In 1977, West released her first album under United Artists, When It's Just You and Me. The title track peaked at number 19 on the country chart.
  In 1977, she was recording the song "Every Time Two Fools Collide", when according to legend, 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. A 1979 duets album, 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, the duo won the Country Music Association's "Vocal Duo of the Year" award, one of West's few major awards.
  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 number-one solo hit. It also peaked at number 73 on the pop charts. A week before "A Lesson in Leavin'" reached the number-one, it was part of a historic top five in country music, when those spots were all held by women. The album that included this song, Special Delivery, included two other top-15 country hits from 1980, "You Pick Me Up (And Put Me Down)" and "Leavin's for Unbelievers". In 1981, West had a pair of back-to-back number-one 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 number 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 slip. 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 (1983), a precursor to the later series produced by Kevin Gillis, The Raccoons. West's 1982 album High Time spawned her last top-20 hit, "It's High Time", which reached number 16. The album's other single, "You're Not Easy to Forget", peaked at only number 26. West's next two albums under Liberty Records, Full Circle and New Horizons, were both commercial failures. West's last top-40 hit was "Tulsa Ballroom" (1983). In 1984, West departed from her label and switched to the independent label Permian.
  In 1981, West's daughter Shelly also made a career in country music; she is best known for her hit duet with David Frizzell, "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma", which hit number one that year. As a solo artist, Shelly notched her own number one in 1983 entitled "José Cuervo". During the early and mid-1980s, Shelly achieved several more hits, including top-10 solo hits "Flight 309 to Tennessee" and "Another Motel Memory". After getting married in the late 1980s, Shelly left the music business. In 1980, West filed for divorce from Byron Metcalf, citing his drinking and infidelity.
  In 1982, West was asked to play the lead role in the stage production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. That summer, she toured for four weeks in the stage production, performing across the country. She had her own float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade that year. She also posed for a revealing photo in the men's magazine Oui. In 1983, she married her sound man, Al Winters, 22 years her junior. In 1984, she appe
caption: Promotional photo from 1981
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