Country Pop Bites: Barbara Mandrell –April 16

Did you know that on this day in Country Music History in 1981 MCA released Barbara Mandrell's "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool"?

It’s true! Remember that one? Check out the video!

Here are 5 things about Barbara Mandrell that you might not have known.

• She was born December 25, 1948 in Houston, Texas into a very religious Christian family to parents Irby and Mary Mandrell.
• By the time she was nine years old, she was already proficient in the accordion and steel-pedal guitar.
• At age 11, she was discovered by Joe Maphis and became part of his show in Las Vegas. She was so good on the steel guitar that her gig in Vegas led to an invitation—at age 12—to tour with Johnny Cash.
• She married Ken Dudney in 1967 and briefly retired from music to become a housewife. But she missed performing and returned to music in 1969.
• She was involved in a serious head-on car collision in the early 1980’s while driving on the freeway. She barely survived, suffering multiple fractures, lacerations, and memory loss. Her two children were riding in the car with her; she had an intuition just before the crash to remind them to buckle their seatbelts, which saved their lives.