She was the first woman to regularly host and emcee shows at the Opry, something unheard of at the time. In total, she appeared on the Opry stage more than 5,000 times.

Today in Music History for Aug. 3: ...

Before cowboy hats were trendy and country was pop, Barbara Mandrell was getting teased at school for loving “hillbilly music.” So when she heard “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool,” she didn’t ...