On this day (December 16) in 1978, Jenny Lou Carson died at the age of 63. Born Lucille Overstake, she rose to fame as a radio performer with her sisters, Evelyn and Eva, in the Three Little Maids. After the group split, she moved on to another trio, Winnie, Lou, & Sally. Finally, as the 1930s came to an end, she took the name Jenny Lou Carson and became a singing cowgirl and made history as a songwriter.
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Carson didn’t wait until she was a solo act to begin writing songs. She was the main songwriter and guitarist for Three Little Maids. According to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, she wrote and sold songs to the Girls of the Golden West, a cowgirl duo, while still a member of the Three Little Maids.
After leaving her work in radio behind, Carson took time to learn some new skills. She became a sharpshooter, learned to spin a lasso, and became an expert at using a bullwhip. She then teamed with Texas Tommy and took her act around the Lone Star State. Then, in the mid-1940s, World War II began, and Carson went back to working on the radio. She also wrote many songs about soldiers.
Jenny Lou Carson Makes Country Music History
Jenny Lou Carson continued writing songs, with many becoming hits for major country artists of the day.
“A Pair of Broken Hearts” was a top 10 hit for Spade Cooley in 1945. The next year, “Chained to a Memory” was a top-five hit for Eddy Arnold, who charted with several Carson-penned singles.
One of her biggest hits as a songwriter was “Let Me Go, Lover,” which was a No. 1 country hit for Hank Snow. Joan Weber, Teresa Brewer, and Patti Page made the song a major pop hit.
However, her most historically important song was “You Two Times Me One Time Too Often.” Tex Ritter recorded it in 1945, and it spent 11 weeks at the top of the country chart. This made Jenny Lou Carson the first woman to write a No. 1 country hit.
Featured Image by Monogram Pictures
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