Early life and rise to fame

Norma Jean Beasler was born in Wellston, Oklahoma, United States,^[1] and grew up admiring country singer Kitty Wells, whom she considered her biggest influence. She got her start performing on radio stations in the Oklahoma City area; and by age 12, she had her own radio show on KLPR-AM. She toured Oklahoma with various bands, starting with Merl Lindsay and His Oklahoma Night Riders at age 16, followed by the Bill Gray Band at 18.^[1] Norma Jean was the Bill Gray Band's full-time vocalist, and made guest appearances with major country stars. Early on, she befriended soon-to-be country star Wanda Jackson.

In 1955, she got a regular spot on the ABC-TV show Ozark Jubilee in Springfield, Missouri, where she stayed for two years and first received national exposure.^[1] Host Red Foley suggested calling her simply Norma Jean, and she made it official in 1958;^[2] she also became known on the program as Pretty Miss Norma Jean. She met Porter Wagoner on the show, and in 1959, signed a recording contract with Columbia Records.^[1] A string of unsuccessful singles followed, and she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where Wagoner invited her to audition for his syndicated weekly TV program, The Porter Wagoner Show.^[1] She became a regular on the show in 1961 and stayed for six years.^[3][4] Norma Jean toured and performed across the country with Wagoner, and RCA Victor producer Chet Atkins signed her to a recording contract with RCA Victor.^[1]

Success in the 1960s

In 1963, Norma Jean released her first single with RCA Victor, "Let's Go All the Way".^[1] The song peaked at number 11 on the Billboard country chart.^[1] She released an album of the same name which spawned two more Top 40 hits, "I'm a Walking Advertisement (For the Blues)"^[1] followed by "Put Your Arm Around Her." Because of the singles' success, she was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry.^[5]

In late 1965, she released an album titled, Pretty Miss Norma Jean (titled after how Wagoner frequently introduced her on his television show).^[6] It was the most successful of her career, hitting number three on the Top Country Albums list. The first single from the album, "Go Cat Go", became a Top 10 hit, peaking at number eight.^[1] Two more singles were released, starting with "I Cried All the Way to the Bank," which also proved successful. After that, "I Wouldn't Buy a Used Car From Him", written by Harlan Howard, was another Top 10 hit, making her one of the most popular female country singers of the era.^[1]

From 1965 to 1967, Norma Jean produced a series of solid country singles and albums and continued to appear on Wagoner's show.^[1] On television she projected a wholesome image, contrary to her singing hurting and cheating songs relevant to her personal life, which included an affair with Wagoner.^[1]

Norma's biggest hit came in 1966. It was an unusual recording with Bobby Bare and Liz Anderson, "The Game of Triangles", a wife-husband-other woman drama that hit number five on the Billboard chart,^[1] and earned the trio a Grammy nomination.

Norma Jean left Wagoner's show in 1967 after marrying Jody Taylor^[1] (whom she later divorced), and was replaced by newcomer Dolly Parton, who went on to become one of country music's leading female stars. Parton said later she had a hard time replacing Norma Jean, because she was so loved by country fans.

That year, her single, "Heaven Help the Working Girl" (an early feminist song) was a Top 20 hit, the last one of her career.^[1] Despite a lack of major country hits, her albums continued to sell, like 1967's Jackson Ain't a Very Big Town, which peaked at number 11 on the Top Country Albums list. She later struggled with alcoholism and became a born again Christian.^[1]