Emmy Russell may not have walked away from American Idol as the season 22 winner. However, the granddaughter of the late, great Loretta Lynn leaned into her country heritage while also carving out her own musical path. While Loretta is the best known of the bunch, the musical gene certainly didn’t skip her daughter, Patsy Lynn Russell. Watch below to see Patsy take on one of her mother’s greatest hits in uncanny fashion.
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Patsy Lynn Russell Sings “You Ain’t Woman Enough”
Loretta Lynn enjoyed an illustrious six-decade career until her death in October 2022 at age 90. The singer-songwriter wasn’t afraid to tackle topics that were considered taboo for Southern women, including birth control and marital infidelity. In 1966, Lynn released “You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man.)” The “Coal Miner’s Daughter” singer penned the title track to her second studio album after a fan confided in her at a concert. The fan confessed to Lynn that she was concerned another woman was trying to steal her husband. After assuring her that, “Honey, she ain’t woman enough to take your man!” Lynn returned to her dressing room and wrote the song 10 minutes later.
“You Ain’t Woman Enough” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country singles chart in 1966 and became Lynn’s eighth Top 10 single. Back in 2017, Patsy Lynn Russell channeled her famous mother with her own spin on the hit song.
A video posted to YouTube shows Patsy singing “You Ain’t Woman Enough” during a special program for the Loretta Lynn exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Beside Patsy, her daughter Emmy sways and claps along—seven years before her impressive American Idol run.
Patsy had her mother’s cadence and sass down perfectly with the performance. “Goo head girl!!! looking and sounding like ya mamma!!!!” commented one YouTube user. “You sound like the queen of country music good job,” another wrote.
[RELATED: 3 Songs You Didn’t Know Patsy Lynn Russell Wrote With Her Mother Loretta Lynn]
Emmy Russell Teases New Music
Patsy Lynn Russell wiped away tears during her daughter’s haunting Top 8 performance of “Coal Miner’s Daughter” on American Idol. And she was far from the only one moved. Emmy Russell made the Top 5 before viewers eliminated her just shy of finale night.
Undeterred by her elimination, Russell has continued making music. On Monday (July 15), the 25-year-old Tennessee native teased a song called “Wish You Were Here” on her Instagram page.
“Song smacks,” commented Kayko, Russell’s fellow Top 10 finalist on season 22.
Featured image by Dara-Michelle Farr/Shutterstock
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