Editing Lynn Anderson (section)

===1966–1969: Early country success and ''The Lawrence Welk Show''===
During a car ride, Liz Anderson composed a song titled "Ride, Ride, Ride". Her daughter liked the song and had an interest in cutting it at her new label. It was cut at her first recording session.{{sfn|Cusic, Don|2011|p=176-77}} Although her debut single was 1966's "In Person",<ref name="whitburn">{{cite book|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|title=Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008|publisher=Record Research, Inc.|year=2008|isbn=978-0-89820-177-2}}</ref> it was "[[Ride, Ride, Ride (song)|Ride, Ride, Ride]]" that became Anderson's first charting single.{{sfn|Adams, Greg|2005|p=1}} Her next release was another Liz Anderson composition, "[[If I Kiss You (Will You Go Away)]]".<ref name="Allmusic Bio"/> It was Anderson's first major hit as a music artist, reaching number five on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Hot Country Singles]] chart in 1967.<ref>{{cite magazine |title="If I Kiss You (Will Go Away)" chart history |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/lynn-anderson/chart-history/csi/ |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=June 3, 2020}}</ref> Her [[Ride, Ride, Ride|debut studio album of the same name]] was also released in 1967 and peaked at number 25 on the ''Billboard'' [[Top Country Albums]] chart.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=''Ride, Ride, Ride'' [album] chart history |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/lynn-anderson/chart-history/clp/ |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=June 3, 2020}}</ref> She followed it with "[[Promises, Promises (Lynn Anderson song)|Promises, Promises]]", which reached number four on the country singles list in February 1968.<ref>{{cite magazine |title="Promises, Promises" chart history [single] |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/lynn-anderson/chart-history/csi/ |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=June 3, 2020}}</ref> Her [[Promises, Promises (Lynn Anderson album)|second studio release of the same name]] reached number one on the country albums chart.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=''Promises, Promises'' chart history [album] |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/lynn-anderson/chart-history/clp/ |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=June 3, 2020}}</ref> 
[[File:Lynn Anderson--Billboard 1967.jpg|thumb|right|160px|Anderson with radio disc jockeys, 1967]]

When reviewing her 1999 Chart compilation, Greg Adams of [[AllMusic]] gave the recording four-and-a-half out of five stars. "Lynn Anderson made some of the best music of her career during her late-'60s period on the Chart label", Adams commented.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Adams |first1=Greg |title=''Anthology: The Chart Years'': Songs, Reviews, Credits |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/anthology-the-chart-years-mw0000251721 |website=[[Allmusic]]}}</ref> ''Billboard'' magazine also praised these early recordings. In reviewing ''Big Girls Don't Cry'', writers took note of her mass appeal. "The material which includes her fine renditions of '[[Honey (Bobby Goldsboro song)|Honey]]' and '[[Ring of Fire (song)|Ring of Fire]]' is diversified and has appeal for all buyers", they wrote.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Album Reviews |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=July 20, 1968 |volume=80 |issue=28 |page=73}}</ref>

In 1967, Anderson's career gained further momentum when she was cast on ''[[The Lawrence Welk Show]]''.{{sfn|Adams, Greg|2005|p=1}} Welk's son, Larry Welk, discovered an Anderson album cover and was drawn to her physicality. Larry's interest drew Lawrence Welk to audition and eventually cast her.{{sfn|Cusic, Don|2011|p=177}} Anderson became the show's first country performer and toured with the cast nationwide.{{sfn|Adams, Greg|2005|p=1}} However, she was dissatisfied with the material chosen for her to sing on the program and threatened to quit. After meeting with Welk, different arrangements were made for Anderson's performances.{{sfn|Cusic, Don|2011|p=177}} The exposure led to continued music success. In 1967, she won the "Top Female Vocalist" award at the [[Academy of Country Music Awards]].<ref name="ACM Awards">{{cite web |title=Academy of Country Music: ACM Winners (Lynn Anderson) |url=https://www.acmcountry.com/winners |website=[[Academy of Country Music]] |access-date=June 3, 2020}}</ref> She remained with ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' until 1968.{{sfn|Cusic, Don|2011|p=177}}

While finding chart success and common ground with Welk, Anderson was not finding common ground with the Nashville establishment. "I was seen as a kid from California on the Welk show – not a real country artist", she stated. Thus, she chose to record more traditional material that would help associate her with Nashville's country music scene. Among these songs was a cover of the [[Osborne Brothers]]' "[[Rocky Top]]".{{sfn|Cusic, Don|2011|p=177}} Anderson's version became a bigger hit than the original, climbing to number 17 on the ''Billboard'' country singles list in 1970.<ref>{{cite magazine |title="Rocky Top" chart history |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/lynn-anderson/chart-history/csi/ |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=June 3, 2020}}</ref> She had country hits between 1968 and 1969 that further displayed a traditional country style, including "[[Big Girls Don't Cry (Lynn Anderson song)|Big Girls Don't Cry]]", "[[That's a No No]]" and a cover of [[Hank Snow]]'s "[[I've Been Everywhere]]".{{sfn|Adams, Greg|2005|p=1}} Anderson's sixth studio album was a tribute to the traditional female country performers that preceded her. Entitled ''[[Songs That Made Country Girls Famous]]'' (1969), the album reached number nine on the country albums chart.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=''Songs That Made Country Girls Famous'' chart history |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/lynn-anderson/chart-history/clp/ |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=June 3, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Adams |first1=Greg |title=''Songs That Made Country Girls Famous'': Lynn Anderson: Songs, Reviews, Credits |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/songs-that-made-country-girls-famous-mw0000962347 |website=[[Allmusic]] |access-date=June 3, 2020}}</ref>