Like Grandmother, Like Granddaughter: Tayla Lynn Is Singin’ Loretta

Tayla Lynn is the first to admit: She’s had plenty of bad times to go along with the good times. Right now, though, the granddaughter of country music legend Loretta Lynn is having a great time as she looks forward to this week’s release of Singin’ Loretta, an album featuring her renditions of songs made famous by her beloved “Meemaw.”

The record offers an irresistibly enjoyable mix of Loretta’s signature hits along with lesser-known gems, showcasing the stories and spirit that defined her groundbreaking career. Tracks include “Don’t Come Home A Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind),” “Out of My Head and Back in My Bed,” “Rated ‘X,’” “Blue Kentucky Girl,” “One’s on the Way,” “You’re Lookin’ at Country,” and “She’s Got You,” alongside deeper cuts such as  “There He Goes,” “I Wanna Be Free,” and “The Titanic.”

One of our favorites in the lineup: Tayla’s wistfully melancholy take on Loretta’s “When the Tingle Becomes a Chill.”

Tayla Lynn got her first experience in the spotlight at an early age when she performed on stage with her grandmother. She later collaborated with songwriting legends like James House, Gary Burr, Leslie Satcher, and Jon Randall, and joined two other vocalists with their own impressive family trees — Jennifer Wayne, John Wayne’s granddaughter, and Carole Cutbirth, a descendant of Daniel Boone — to form the country trio Stealing Angels.

Among the most memorable songs the trio recorded during their five years together: The playfully defiant “He Better Be Dead.”

In her private life, Tayla spent a long stretch when she was too busy battling personal demons to keep tabs on errant boyfriends. But with the help and encouragement of friends and family — including her supportive Meemaw, who passed away in 2022 — she found the strength to overcome her additions to alcohol and controlled substances.

When she isn’t spending one day at a time on solo projects, Tayla tours and records with another offspring of country music royalty — Tre Twitty, grandson of Conway Twitty — as the duo Twitty & Lynn. And before you ask: Yes, they’re pleased and proud to borrow from the songbooks of their ancestors.

We recently caught up with Tayla Lynn to talk about her life and music, with a special focus on Singin’ Loretta. Here are some highlights from our conversation, edited for brevity and clarity.

Cowboys & Indians: I can only imagine that as much as you loved your grandmother, there may have been a certain amount of hesitation on your part before recording his album. Like, “Well, okay, maybe this will be presumptuous. Maybe people would think I'm gravy training if I sing her songs.” What sealed the deal for you? What made you think, no, not only could you do this, you should do this?

Tayla Lynn: Well, I think I am gravy training — and I feel pretty great about that. She used to say, “Ride my coattails until they’re threadbare. Hang on to them apron strings.” People used to ask me that back in the day: “What is that like?” And I got to actually talk to her about it.

I’m not so delusional that I don’t know that making a record — Singin’ Loretta — is going to get attention because it’s Meemaw’s songs. But at the end of the day, I’m one of her biggest fans. I don’t get in a fight with the fans over who’s number one, that’s for sure. I’m just a huge fan of hers, and she taught me how to sing this music.

There’s fear in putting it out because you always want to do your very best. And especially with her name being tied to it, there’s always that thought — “Oh, she’s not Loretta Lynn,” or, “She thinks she’s Loretta Lynn.” And I know I’m not Loretta Lynn. I could never be as great as Meemaw. But it is certainly fun trying. It’s so fun being able to sing these songs. I think about her the whole time I’m doing it, and I remember her singing them live. There’s a lot of love in that. Now, does that sound pompous?

C&I: Not at all. But I’m wondering if you and Mr. Twitty had a conversation like, “Well, I’m game if you are,” or whatever?

Tayla: About doing the Twitty and Lynn show? Yeah. Tre and I met backstage at Meemaw’s “Remembering Conway” show she used to host every July 4th out at the Loretta Lynn Ranch. She would invite Conway’s family to come sing.

I heard Tre sing “Tight Fittin’ Jeans,” and I was just blown away by his voice. We’re about the same age. He came backstage and I said, “Would you ever want to do something together?” At first, he was like, “Absolutely not, I’m mainly doing my photography.” But then after a while, I coaxed him into it.

Our first show was in a little venue in Cairo, Missouri, and the crowd just loved it —especially the duets. We were hooked. We've been a duo since 2018, doing about a hundred shows a year. We’ve had a lot of sellouts, and as long as folks keep coming, we’re grateful to keep doing it.

C&I: Is there any song by your grandmother you’d be reluctant to record or sing?

Tayla: Oh my gosh, well, her range is so much bigger than mine. She sings higher than I do. Her ballads especially — they’re so rich with personality and emotion. You can just hear it in every little riff and phrasing choice she makes. So when I do a ballad, I’m usually shaking in my boots. I always think, “Oh my gosh, I shouldn’t be doing this. I can’t do it justice.”

C&I: You’ve gone through a few rough stretches and survived. They say, “Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” — or it can make you wish you were dead. Why do you think you were able to get through rehab when so many others haven’t?

Tayla: Yeah, the disease of alcoholism and addiction is so baffling. It’s cunning and scary, and you don’t know why some make it and some don’t. I actually went to eight rehabs before I got sober. It was really hard. I was both an addict and an alcoholic.

For me, I still have to do the things I did when I first got sober. Today, I get out of bed, hit my knees, say my prayers, talk to other addicts and alcoholics. I try to help others, and I have a spiritual mentor. I’m really honest with her, and if she tells me I have a character defect, I listen and try to correct it. Resentment is our number one offender, so I try not to let that fester.

Love and tolerance is our code today. I have to live in that, because tomorrow I could be out there ramming my car into someone in a rage. But for today, I do the work to have a daily reprieve.

C&I: Yes, I’ve had friends and family members in 12-step programs say one of the first things they’re told is: You have to put some structure in your life.

Tayla: Yeah, you have to have discipline. My husband’s really great about supporting my recovery. But also, he takes no BS. We’ve been married 14 years, and alcoholics and addicts — we’re selfish at the core. I always tried to get away with spending too much money or doing whatever my thing was, and he just doesn’t let me.

You need people in your life who will call you on your stuff. When I first got sober, I moved into a halfway house. I had no license, had to take the Nashville bus system, and got a job at the Country Music Hall of Fame for $7 an hour. I had to humble myself. And I just loved that job. You have to grow up.

C&I: Do you ever get stage fright?

Tayla: Yes. I’m nervous before every show. That’s why it’s been great doing this with Tre —he really holds it down. I can be all over the place, which I’m great at, and he grounds us. That balance has made it possible to keep doing so many shows. I don’t have to do it all by myself.

C&I: Do you remember a specific show — or recording date — where the thought formed in your head: I can do this. I can make a career in music?

Tayla: I love [record producer] Paul Worley. I’ve always been obsessed with his work. Well, when he told me he thought I was a star, that he loved the way I sang, that I was a naturally intuitive artist — that moment has stayed with me. I respect him so much. That was back around 2010, when I met him. I’d been doing music for a while, but when he said that, I thought, “Okay. If Paul Worley thinks I can do it, then I can do it.”

C&I: Okay, this may be an unfair question — like asking a parent to name a favorite child — but on this album, are one or two cuts you’re especially proud of? Something that made you think, My Meemaw would be proud of that.

Tayla: I think it may not have been in the playback — it's hard for me to listen to myself sing on recordings — but I got to do “The Titanic.” In the movie Coal Miner’s Daughter, Sissy Spacek sings that song as a lullaby to my dad, my uncle Jack, and Betty Sue. They’re living in Washington State in that scene.

I told the guy who owns the record company, “I really want to do this. I want to start it a cappella. I don’t even know all the words, but I want to sing it.” I remember listening to it on the record player as a little girl.

I’m so glad I recorded something that my great-grandmother sang to my grandmother and her siblings. I even found an old recording of her on the Ralph Emery Show, singing it with Meemaw, my dad, and some of my aunts. That’s probably the most treasured song on the record for me.