Rest In Peace
Hutch mourns the passing of a music icon. Story is set in present time. See Author note at the end.
"Damn…." Hutch said softly as stared at his laptop page.
Alerted to the sudden change in his friend's mood from the sound of his voice, Starsky lay down the book he had been reading and glanced in Hutch's direction with a slight frown.
"What's up?" he asked mildly.
"Loretta Lynn Passed away last night." Hutch answered softly.
Starsky arched a brow, his frown growing deeper. The name sound vaguely familiar but he couldn't remember where he had heard it before. He removed nis reading glasses and sat them on top of his book. "Who's that?"
Hutch sighed and turned to face his former partner, his eyes soft with an unspoken emotion. "She was one of the last living country music legends. Her fans called her The Coal Miner's daughter."
"Hey you got a record by that name." Starsky exclaimed as he suddenly remembered where he had heard the name before. He should have known. Hutch was the one who listened to country music. Starsky preferred rock and roll.
"I've got a couple of her records. She was born dirt poor in eastern Kentucky and ended up one of the most famous female country singers in the world."
"Sounds like you really liked her."
"I did," Hutch admitted "Just like you liked Buddy Holly and a young Elvis." He smiled thoughtfully "It took a lot of determination and courage do what she did not just an incredible talent."
"What about her family? Didn't she have a husband and kids?
"Yes, her husband is actually the one who got her started in the business then when her career really took off, he stayed at home with their kids and raised them on their ranch in Tennessee."
"Man, that would the life…" Starsky said with a grin "Sit back and take it easy while your wife racks in the big bucks."
Hutch smiled indulgently. Starsky had been looking for some kind of get rich scheme ever since Hutch had met him almost fifty years ago. "I'm sure that her husband worked just as hard as she did taking care of their kids and running their ranch. It's a lot of work to run a farm." He paused to gather his thoughts and then added "And she would have to be on the road most of the time to get on top and then stay there. It would have to play hell with their marriage. He would basically have been a single dad while she was on the road."
"Guess I never thought about it like that," Starsky admitted somberly. "I mean all you ever see is the glamour and the glitz and the parties and how much money they make for one show. You don't stop to think what they might have to give up so they can make all that money."
"And Loretta started out in the business over 50 years ago. She was a woman in a man's world. In those days girl singers were just considered window dressing Loretta was one of the first women to prove that a woman could carry a show of her own just as well as any man. And when she started out, she probably only got 500 or 600 a show and then she had to pay all her expenses out of that. That wouldn't leave very much for a family to live on. Hell, today someone just starting out can get 5000 a show. She's going to have fans mourning her the way they mourned Elvis. That's how popular she was." Hutch paused and then continued as he warmed to his subject. "Country music used to be listened to behind closed doors. You might like it but you'd never admit it to anyone outside your family and sometimes not even then. That attitude didn't start to change until the seventies and eighties. The problem is that some of the people who helped make it more popular have done a damn good job of killing traditional country music in the process.".
"That's too bad." Starsky said "I mean I may not be a big fan but I like some country music especially when you sing it."
"I'm a little bit country and you're a little bit rock and roll," Hutch said with a grin as he quoted a line from an old Donny and Marie Osmond song by the same title.
"And that's the way I like it, Blondie." Starsky said with a huge grin, "Hey why don't you dig out those reocrds you said you had by her and lets listen to the lady sing."
Hutch nodded as he walked over to his record collection and began to sort through it. Their years together as friends and partners allowed them to understand and sympathize even when it concerned one of the areas where they were different in their tastes. Starsky could be there to mourn with Hutch the loss of a music icon even if he wasn't really familiar with her music.
A/N: Loretta Lynn was my all time favorite singer. I have everything she ever recorded, 5 books, four movies, and over 55 years of memories. I knew it would hit me hard when she passed and it has. This little story is just my way of sharing some of my grief at her passing. I was only 13 when I bought my first LP and it was Loretta's Hymns. A big part of my childhood and my adulthood died with her. She was a true legend who paved the way for all the women who have come after her. Rest In Peace Dear Loretta. I will always miss you,
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