CMA Awards flashback: 50 years ago, Loretta Lynn was a history-making Entertainer of the Year

Five decades ago, Loretta Lynn ran on stage at the Ryman Auditorium to make country music history.

At the CMA Awards in 1972, Lynn — a coal miner's daughter who loved country music enough to kiss the concrete outside the so-called Mother Church on her first night in Nashville a decade earlier — reached a pinnacle achieved by no woman before: Entertainer of the Year.

She made history as the first woman to receive what many believe today to be country music's highest annual honor. The ceremony took place Oct. 16, 1972, according to Tennessean archives; the annual CMA Awards return Wednesday night to Nashville.

Lynn jogged on stage that night, hiking up her green dress as Minnie Pearl greeted the singer-songwriter with an ear-to-ear smile (and CMA trophy, of course).

"I've won a lot of awards, and this is one I was nominated for and never did get," Lynn said before noting her husband Oliver “Doolittle” Lynn missed the televised ceremony due to a hunting trip that ran long.

She also won Female Vocalist of the Year and Vocal Duo of the Year, alongside Conway Twitty, at the 1972 ceremony.

One of the most influential singers and storytellers in country music history, Lynn died last month at age 90. Miranda Lambert, Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood open this year's CMA Awards with a tribute to the Kentucky native, producers told The Tennessean ahead of Wednesday night's broadcast.

"... over the last 20, 30 years, Carrie, Miranda and Reba are three of the most important artists in our genre," CMA Awards executive producer Robert Deaton said. "But it's not just that — all three were close to Loretta. I wanted the artists for this tribute to think, 'There's no way I wouldn't do this.' And that's exactly what happened."

As for women who compete to win Entertainer of the Year? It continues to be a battle, despite advocates pushing for better representation at the annual show. In the last 20 years, one woman has held the honor: Taylor Swift, who won in 2009 and 2011.

Underwood, a five-time nominee, and Lambert, a six-time nominee, compete Wednesday for Entertainer of the Year in a field that also includes Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton and Morgan Wallen.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: CMA Awards: 50 years ago, Loretta Lynn won Entertainer of the Year