Many American Idol fans have been waiting all season to hear Emmy Russell do one of her Memaw’s songs. It only makes sense. Russell spent much of her childhood with Loretta Lynn and has often talked about their bond. Last night (April 29), it finally happened. She sat down behind a piano and sang “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”
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Russell had three songs to choose from—Loretta Lynn’s “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” Dolly Parton’s “Here You Come Again,” and KT Tunstall’s “Suddenly I See.” However, for the 24-year-old singer/songwriter, there was no real choice in the matter. She had to honor her grandmother with a rendition of her signature song.
Emmy Russell Shares Her Thoughts After an Unforgettable Performance
Last night, after the show aired, Emmy Russell took to social media to share a photo of her at the piano alongside a short message for her supporters. “Felt like myself on American Idol,” she wrote in the post. “Thank you all for the support,” she added. “I love you and I see your comments and I can’t wait to reply when it’s not 11 pm.”
More About “Coal Miner’s Daughter”
“I love singing from the heart and I think this is a perfect song for that,” Russell said of the song. “I mean, it’s my grandma’s song. You can’t get much closer to the heart than your own blood,” she added. “I’m just a granddaughter singing this song to her grandma.”
Loretta Lynn released “Coal Miner’s Daughter” as a single with “The Man of the House” on the B-Side in 1970. It went to No. 1 on the Billboard country chart and went on to be Lynn’s signature song.
In the lyrics, she describes her life growing up in rural Butcher Holler, Kentucky. It describes the sacrifices her parents made and the hard work that went into raising a family during the Great Depression. However, it doesn’t see her complaining about living in poverty. Instead, Lynn is proud of her upbringing and the love her family shared in those hard times.
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