Patty Loveless (born Patricia Lee Ramey on January 4, 1957 in Pikeville, Kentucky) is an American country music singer. One of the most popular female country singers of the 1990s, Loveless rose to stardom thanks to her mix of honky tonk and emotive country ballads. She is a distant cousin of Loretta Lynn and Crystal Gayle. When she was a child, her father, a producer with The Porter Wagoner Show, often brought her to that show's set, where she got to meet Wagoner Show star Dolly Parton (whom Loveless cites as a great influence on her career).
She was signed to MCA Records in 1985 and released her self-titled debut in 1987. She released four more albums for MCA through 1991, scoring hits with songs such as "Timber, I'm Falling In Love," "Chains," "I'm That Kind of Girl," and "Jealous Bone." She parted ways with MCA in 1991 citing lack of major attention from the label. While there she was forced to compete with Reba McEntire, Trisha Yearwood and Wynonna. Feeling that she was not a label priority, she left for Epic Records.
Following throat surgery to repair her vocal chords, she released the album Only What I Feel in 1993 to the best reviews of her career. She scored smash hits with "Blame It On Your Heart" and "How Can I Help You Say Goodbye".
Perhaps her crowning achievement was that album's follow-up, When Fallen Angels Fly. It won the Country Music Association's Album of the Year award and gave her four Top 10 singles. She followed it up with The Trouble with the Truth in 1996 which gave her Female Vocalist of the Year awards from both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association.
Although she continued to record for Epic, releasing Long Stretch of Lonesome and Strong Heart in the next four years, her commercial momentum came to a halt as she failed to score Top 10 singles from either album.
In an effort to control her own destiny, rather than be controlled by country radio, Loveless made an abrupt move away from commercial, country/pop and made a stone-cold bluegrass album in 2001. Mountain Soul was released to numerous critical accolades and sold decently despite a lack of radio support. She used the same bluegrass approach on a Christmas album, Bluegrass & White Snow: A Mountain Christmas, in 2002. On Your Way Home, a return to more commercial oriented country, was released in 2003 to critical acclaim.
