The year 1952 was quite a long time ago, but it was an important year in country music history. In fact, on this very day in 1952, one little-known country singer made it all the way to the top of the country charts with a song still loved by country fans today. And she was the first female solo artist to hit No. 1 on the Billboard country charts. It hadn’t been done before, and her legacy lives on today. The artist in question was the legendary Kitty Wells. And the song in question, which you might already know by heart, was “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels”.
The song was released in June 1952. And by August, the country tune penned by J.D. “Jay” Miller and recorded by Wells climbed to the very top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The track also made it to the Hot 100 chart, where it peaked at No. 27.
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It was a pretty big deal for Wells and for country music in general. It was the first song performed by a female solo artist to top the country charts. And it was a response to a somewhat misogynistic tune that came before it, released by none other than Hank Thompson.
The Legacy of Kitty Wells Lives On
“It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” was an “answer” song to “The Wild Side Of Life” by Hank Thompson, released earlier in 1952. That Thompson tune was well-known for having a bit of a “cynical” attitude. The track more or less shamed “faithless” women for leaving domestic life behind to enjoy the glitz and glamor of nightlife. Naturally, an answer song, sung by a woman and based on the melody of “The Wild Side Of Life”, needed to happen.
Thus, “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” was born. This song, in response to Thompson’s hit, blamed unfaithful men for creating the wild women he complained about. And listeners were really into it, despite the pushback. Several networks, including NBC and the BBC, banned the song from being aired.
I’d be bold enough to say that Wells’ major hit really paved the way for other female solo country artists like Dolly Parton and Patsy Cline to sing about unfaithful men. It started something that became less of a trend and more of a new direction for female country singers to take. Country music as we know it today likely wouldn’t exist without Kitty Wells.
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