On This Day in 1968, a True Outlaw Country Musician Was Born, but You Might Not Recognize (Or Remember) Her Name

Outlaw country pioneer Waylon Jennings would be the first to tell you that not every artist who donned the renegade reputation deserved it, but we’d argue that opinion excludes a female country artist born on this day in 1968. Fans of Y2K country might recognize her as the recipient of the 2001 Grammy for Best New Artist. Others might remember her distinct voice from her 1988 hit with George Jones, “If I Could Bottle This Up”.

Videos by American Songwriter

Decades later, she’s still performing and releasing music under the radar of mainstream country. If she had acquiesced to the demands of the industry suits in Nashville, she might be as much of a household name as her friends and colleagues, like Trisha Yearwood. Then again, if she did that, she might not have become a true outlaw country musician.

Ultimately, this prolific artist has opted to stay true to herself, regardless of what the industry or Top 40 country radio has to say about it. She summarized this professional ethos in a 1999 interview with The Irish Times. “Number one: I’ve made a lot of records, and I felt it was time to say I am Shelby Lynne, godd***it. Number two: take it or leave it. This is what you’re gonna get, and this is as real as it gets.”

Celebrating Shelby Lynne, a True Outlaw Country Musician

Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson earned their distinctions as outlaw country musicians because of their inability (or unwillingness) to play by the Nashville rulebook. Back in the 1970s, this type of defiance paid off. Despite being “outside” of the mainstream, the outlaws’ first collaborative album was exactly that—a massive, record-breaking success. These days, defying the industry tends to beget more obscurity and struggle, something Shelby Lynne has learned the hard way throughout the ups and downs of her career.

That’s not to say Lynne hasn’t had her fair share of mainstream success. There was the aforementioned Grammy Award for Best New Artist (which she won after making six albums). But there was also her modestly successful tribute to Dusty Springfield, Just a Little Lovin’, her acting roles in Walk the Line (she played Johnny Cash’s mother), Army Wives, and Head Case. Lynne has collaborated with countless artists, including country music giants George Jones and Vince Gill. She also established her own record label in the late 2000s and has, at the time of this writing, released 16 studio albums and 29 singles.

Still, she’s not exactly a household name to the casual country listener. Her music exists outside the mainstream realm because she refuses to change her creative vision for the sake of more commercial success. In her 1999 interview with The Irish Times, she said she appreciated her time in Nashville but called it “confining.” “I just couldn’t do it anymore,” she said. “I never ever thought that I might be as big as Shania Twain. It’s just apples and oranges. I tell it like it is, and it’s what I wanted to do on [I Am Shelby Lynne]. Have I succeeded?”

“Absolutely,” she answered. Happy birthday, Shelby Lynne!

Photo by Frans Schellekens/Redferns