Veteran country singer Loretta Lynn, who launched a bold comeback last year by joining forces with Detroit rocker Jack White of the White Stripes, won her first Grammy Award in 33 years Sunday.
Lynn, 69, who received five nominations in four categories, won the country collaboration with vocals prize for her performance with White on “Portland Oregon.”
She lost the female country vocal performance race to best new artist nominee Gretchen Wilson, and the best country song race — where she was nominated twice — to Tim Nichols and Craig Wiseman, the writers of the Tim McGraw hit “Live Like You Were Dying.”
Lynn’s album, “Van Lear Rose,” wpn for best country album.
Lynn’s sole Grammy to date was for “After the Fire is Gone,” her duet with the late Conway Twitty, which they won in 1972.
“Van Lear Rose,” the 71st album of her 45-year career, earned wide critical acclaim and attention from a new generation of fans, thanks to the unlikely involvement of White, who coaxed her out of semi-retirement.
The cherubic-faced frontman with the hallowed indie duo the White Stripes was a longtime fan and journeyed to Nashville in 2003, where they ended up recording most of the album in two days.
In addition to producing and arranging the album, he sang with Lynn on the atmospheric single “Portland Oregon,” which won unexpected airplay on rock radio stations.
Lynn’s chart-topping autobiographical 1970 tune “Coal Miner’s Daughter” inspired both a best-selling memoir and an Oscar-winning film starring Sissy Spacek.
Mentored by the late Patsy Cline, she carved out a career as a feminist heroine. Her other No. 1 country hits included “Don’t Come Home Drinkin’ (with Lovin’ On Your Mind),” “Fist City” and “Woman of the World.”