55 Years Ago, Lynn Anderson Topped the Charts With the Best-Selling Country Album by a Female Artist at the Time

Best known for her 1970 crossover hit “Rose Garden”, Lynn Anderson broke many barriers for women in county music. She was the first female country singer to perform on The Tonight Show, first to headline and sell out Madison Square Garden, and the first to win an American Music Award for Favorite Female Vocalist during the 1970s.

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Thanks in large part to the success of its title track, Anderson’s 11th studio album, Rose Garden, topped the country music albums chart on this day (April 25) in 1971.

Containing covers of the Kris Kristofferson songs “For the Good Times” and “Sunday Morning Coming Down”, Rose Garden spent 14 weeks at the pinnacle of Billboard’s country albums chart. At the time, it was the longest stretch at No. 1 for any female country singer—a record it would hold for 25 years until Shania Twain’s 1995 sophomore effort, The Woman in Me.

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LYNN ANDERSON (1947-2015) performs her 1970 cosmopolitan country classic “Rose Garden” 🌹🌹🌹#lynnanderson #rosegarden #ineverpromisedyouarosegarden #classiccountry #countrymusic #rip #onehitwonder #70smusic #60shair #retro #cool #CapCut

♬ Rose Garden by Lynn Anderson – Mr. Mild Social Anxiety

Selling more than a million copies, Rose Garden achieved Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America.

There is some debate regarding whether Anderson was the first woman to achieve this milestone, as Tammy Wynette’s 1969 Greatest Hits compilation also went Platinum. However, the RIAA did not begin keeping track of Platinum records until 1976, so there was no way of determining which album hit the mark first.

The Line That Nearly Nixed Lynn Anderson’s Biggest Hit

“Rose Garden” made Lynn Anderson an international name, reaching the top spot in multiple countries and earning the singer a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. That same year also saw Anderson add a CMA Award for Female Vocalist of the Year and an ACM Award for Top Female Vocalist to her trophy case.

Not too shabby for a song Anderson’s producer husband, Glenn Sutton, initially refused to let her record. Sutton insisted that lyrics like I could promise you things like big diamond rings and I would give you the world right now on a silver platter were inherently masculine.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1971, Lynn Anderson’s Seven-Week Run Atop the Country Chart With Her Second No. 1 Album of the Year—Produced by Her Then-Husband]

However, Anderson stood firm, and Columbia Records president Clive Davis made the final call to release “Rose Garden” as a single after hearing Anderson’s recording.

His instincts were correct. The song’s words were a balm for a nation still sifting through the wreckage of the Vietnam War.

“It was perfectly timed,” Anderson told the Associated Press. “It was out just as we came out of the Vietnam years, and a lot of people were trying to recover. This song stated that you can make something out of nothing. You take it and go ahead. It fit me well, and I’ll be proud to be connected to it until I die.”

Lynn Anderson died on July 30, 2015, after suffering a heart attack at age 67. A half century after its release, “Rose Garden” remains among the most-loved country songs of all time.

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