Ron Onesti: A Coal Miner's Daughter … a legend, an icon and a sequined sweetheart

We have definitely hosted our share of legends and icons at The Arcada Theatre. Mickey Rooney, Debbie Reynolds, Neil Sedaka, Shirley Maclaine, Wayne Newton, Jerry Lewis, Joan Rivers, to name a few. But recently, Loretta Lynn, the First Lady of Country Music, performed a very special concert for us, and it was truly magical.

First off, I never knew much of her family travels and performs with her. Her son, Ernest Ray, was on the acoustic guitar and was cracking jokes all day long! Since this is a "family" publication, I really cannot share the jokes, but he was a bit rough around the edges, to say the least. Her daughter, Patsy, opened the show with an incredible voice (she is a twin named after Loretta's best friend, Patsy Cline … more on her later) and Loretta's granddaughter, Tayla, also did a couple of songs. She was fabulous!

Everybody, including the band, calls Loretta "Mama," except for her granddaughter, of course. The electricity was definitely in the air.

I was backstage as she came from her bus and onto the stage. In a beautifully regal, sequined gown, she gave me a big hug as my photographer snapped away capturing a moment as I kissed the queen on the cheek. After a couple of opening songs, her son brought her on stage … the place was packed to the rafters … and it went crazy!

The banter between her and her kids made the performance seem like a Sunday afternoon ho-down at her ranch in Tennessee. She would do one of her 16 No. 1 hits (out of an incredible 70 that charted), then her son would burst in and try to throw her a zinger or two, but she would remind him that he could be replaced with "a button."

With seven brothers and sisters, a mother whose fingers would bleed from doing the laundry on a sharp, metal "warshboard," and a coal miner father who worked all night in the mines, the Webb family in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky, was one surrounded by love … and music. A little fact I did not realize is her baby sister, Brenda Gail, also became a music superstar. Her name? Crystal Gayle!

Loretta Webb married Doolittle Lynn when she was only 15 years old. For her 21st first birthday, "Doo" gave her a six-string acoustic guitar. With the support of her family, especially her brother Jay Lee, who played guitar in their band, she played local honky-tonks and bars. Her father loved listening to her sing, but died in 1959, just a few months before he could see his daughter get to that professional level with her first record being cut in 1960.

For the next few years she hustled in the country music community, paving the way with sassy, relevant songs like "Don't Come Home A Drinkin', With Lovin' On Your Mind," one of her biggest hits. She ultimately became popular not only to country music fans, but also within the country music community itself. "Everybody wanted to do a duet," Loretta recalled. "I had five hits with Conway (Twitty)!"

"In those early years, my best friend was Patsy (Cline). I named my daughter after her," she said. Cline was another icon who lost her life much too soon. Cline's songs "Crazy" (written by Willie Nelson) and "I Fall To Pieces" are just two of the many recordings that have become country music standards. At just 30 years of age, Cline was killed in a plane crash.

"I was to be with Patsy on that show," Loretta said. "It was a fundraiser and she invited me, saying we were to be paid $50. I told her I already had a gig that was paying $75, so I stayed home. I was almost on that flight with her."

In 1980, Loretta personally selected Sissy Spacek to portray her in a biographical blockbuster film, "Coal Miner's Daughter." Spacek wound up winning an Academy Award for her portrayal. Since then, Loretta's star has shined even brighter as one of the biggest and most respected names in country music.

As I sat in the balcony, just marveling at her voice and her command of the audience, I could not help but think of where she has been, and who she has shared the stage with. I think of those countless performances at The Grand Ol' Opry in Nashville and so many others over the past 50-plus years. Really, what a legend she is.

Then the time in the show came for her to perform her signature song, "Coal Miner's Daughter." Never before have I seen a such reaction from an audience. Usually, when a performer sings his or her biggest hit, people jump up, scream, dance and sing along. But this was different. As she began the song, the crowd slowly stood, many came to tears. The response from the audience was as if the national anthem was being sung. The respect, the reverence, the ode to tradition. It was breathtaking.

Looking around the 1926 Vaudeville theater known as The Arcada, then looking onto the stage where legendary Loretta Lynn was singing, I stuck out my chest with pride. Keeping this grand entertainment palace alive with Hall of Fame icons performing timeless music! How cool is MY job?

I'm the son of a tailor and I got to work with a Coal Miner's Daughter. If that isn't the American dream, I don't know what is.

• Ron Onesti is president and CEO of The Onesti Entertainment Corp. and The Historic Arcada Theatre in St. Charles. Celebrity questions and comments? Email ron@oshows.com.