"Dear Miss Loretta" is a song recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

artist

Carly Pearce Carly Pearce (born Carly Cristyne Slusser; April 24, 1990) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Her material contains elements of both traditional and contemporary country-pop music. Pearce began performing professionally in her ...

and features

Patty Loveless Patty Loveless (born Patricia Lee Ramey, January 4, 1957) is an American country music singer. She began performing in her teenaged years before signing her first recording contract with MCA Records' Nashville division in 1985. While her first ...

. It was released on August 3, 2021, as a promotional single from her third studio album '' 29: Written in Stone''. Pearce co-wrote the song with

Brandy Clark Brandy Lynn Clark (born October 9, 1975) is an American country music singer-songwriter. Her songs have been recorded by Sheryl Crow, Miranda Lambert, The Band Perry, Reba McEntire, LeAnn Rimes, Billy Currington, Darius Rucker, and Kacey Mu ...

and

Shane McAnally Shane Lamar McAnally (born October 12, 1974) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer. He debuted as a singer in 1999 with his Shane McAnally (album), self-titled album on Curb Records. This project produced three sing ...

. The song is a tribute to pioneering country singer-songwriter

Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "Hey Loretta", "The Pill (song), The P ...

, who died in October 2022.

Background

The song was released on August 3, 2021, to coincide with the album announcement. The track is framed as a discussion between Pearce and

, with Pearce celebrating the honesty in Lynn's songwriting and the parallels between their lives in rural Appalachia. The song' chorus references one of Lynn's signature hits " Coal Miner's Daughter". Loveless' inclusion on the track was not originally what Pearce had intended. When she performed the song on the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...

for the first time, Loveless happened to be watching the livestream at home and contacted her to express her appreciation. Pearce then invited her to appear on another track on the album but Loveless declined, stating that the song Pearce had pitched to her didn't feel right. Loveless then suggested "Dear Miss Loretta", as Pearce's performance of the song on the Opry had moved her. Loveless recorded her parts of the song with her husband and producer

Emory Gordy Jr. Emory Lee Gordy Jr. (born December 25, 1944) is an American musician, songwriter and music producer. A former member of Emmylou Harris' backing band The Hot Band, he is best known for his association with country singer Patty Loveless, to whom ...

and Pearce was shocked to find that she had contributed an entire verse, stating "she had sung way more than I ever thought in a million years she would and it was the greatest thing I have ever heard in my life." Pearce thought it was fitting to include her "childhood idol" Loveless on the song because both artists come from Kentucky and share a deep affection for Lynn, who also comes from Kentucky. In an interview with ''

Taste Of Country Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

'', Pearce expressed her appreciation for Loveless stating "to hear Patty Loveless sing your words, there’s no way to describe that sensation. Her voice is Appalachia, those mountains and hollers are country music. To think, a year ago, I was asking myself, ‘What would Patty Loveless do?’ thinking about all her songs, how smart and sassy she always was... and now she's on one of mine." Discussing the genesis of the song and her admiration of Lynn, Pearce explained "I’ve always loved her, but it wasn’t until the last year that I really FELT what she’s sang about all these years— and just how much we really do have in common. Thank you Loretta Lynn for making me feel like it’s okay to write my truth and be unashamed just like you." The song references the similarities between Lynn's and Pearce's life, with Pearce comparing her divorce from Michael Ray to Lynn's turbulent relationship with her husband Doo.

Live performances

Pearce debuted the song at the

on March 20, 2021. The day after Lynn's death on October 4, 2022, Pearce returned to the Opry to perform the song and played a voicemail she had received from Lynn telling her how much she loved it. On August 25, 2021, Pearce performed the song at the 14th

Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller (songwriter), Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris ...

Honors to celebrate Lynn, who received the Poet's Award. As a tribute to Lynn, Pearce performed the song on November 9, 2022, at the

56th Annual Country Music Association Awards The 56th Annual Country Music Association Awards was held on November 9, 2022 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Luke Bryan hosted the ceremony for the second time, with Peyton Manning as his co-host. The ceremony was broadcas ...

with

Ricky Skaggs Rickie Lee Skaggs (born July 18, 1954), known professionally as Ricky Skaggs, is an American neotraditional country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, ma ...

Sonya Isaacs Sonya Melissa Isaacs (born July 22, 1974) is an American country, bluegrass gospel and Christian music singer. Isaacs grew up near Morrow, Ohio, and graduated from Little Miami High School in 1992. Her maternal grandparents are Polish Jewis ...

and

Jenee Fleenor Jenee Fleenor is an American musician. A singer-songwriter, she plays the fiddle, mandolin and acoustic guitar and has performed with various musicians and bands. In 2019, she became the first woman to be nominated and to win the Country Music Ass ...

References

{{Patty Loveless 2021 songs Carly Pearce songs Songs written by Brandy Clark Songs written by Carly Pearce Songs written by Shane McAnally Song recordings produced by Shane McAnally Big Machine Records singles Female vocal duets Patty Loveless songs