Ollie Imogene "Jean" Shepard (November 21, 1933 – September 25, 2016), was an American country singer who was considered by many writers and authors to be one of the genre's first significant female artists.

With a dip in commercial success, Shepard became frustrated with Capitol's lack of promotion to her material and moved to United Artists Records.

Her criticism of the genre's pop trends ultimately cost Shepard her recording contract from United Artists and she filed for bankruptcy during this time as well.

[11] In tenth grade, Shepard and some friends formed an all-female country music band named the Melody Ranch Girls.

[10] The Melody Ranch Girls continued performing following high school, finding gigs in northern California, Oregon and Washington state.

[25] The single was co-billed with steel guitar player Speedy West in belief that female country acts could not sell records alone.

[23] Ferlin Husky then approached Nelson with a song previously recorded and played in the California region called "A Dear John Letter".

[35] By this point, Shepard began working steadily at the Grand Ole Opry as the cast was expected to make 26 shows per year.

[8][40][41] In 1963, Hawkshaw Hawkins was killed in a plane crash, which also took the lives of Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas and the pilot Randy Hughes.

In 1966, both of her singles reached the country top ten: "If Teardrops Were Silver" and a duet with Ray Pillow called "I'll Take the Dog".

[48] Critics from Billboard and Record World praised Shepard's vocal delivery and highlighted the emotional depth found in her albums of this era.

[55] Despite many Nashville executives believing she was past her prime,[56] Shepard was encouraged by Larry Butler (who was now running the company's country music division) to sign with the label.

[27][65] Shepard's restored commercial success at age 40 was due in-part to new production that featured upbeat tempos and hand-clapping background effects.

[48] In 1974, Australian pop singer Olivia Newton-John won the Female Vocalist of the Year trophy on the televised Country Music Association Awards.

[27] She remained with Scorpion through 1979, signing a contract the same year with a new booking agency called Atlas Artist Bureau, Inc.[80] Finished with commercial country radio, Shepard continued touring and performing over the next several decades.

[16] She continued advocating for traditional country music as well, criticizing James Brown's 1988 Grand Ole Opry performance.

Released on compact disc by the Country Music Foundation, the compilation also featured a biography and more details about the recordings in the liner notes.

[90] In 2000, the Ernest Tubb Record Shop (which had its own distributing label) issued a new studio album by Shepard called The Tennessee Waltz.

[23][105] In attendance was Ken Nelson (who gave Shepard away), Hawkins's secretary Lucille Coates and a local disc jockey broadcast the wedding over the radio.

[36] On March 5, 1963, Hawkins was traveling home to Nashville by airplane alongside Patsy Cline, Cowboys Copas and pilot Randy Hughes.

[9][51][8] Author Kurt Wolff described her singing style as being "hardcore" and further wrote, "She had a firm voice, one that could growl as well as yelp, yodel and cry.

"[8] Edd Hurt of the Nashville Scene wrote, "Shepard stayed in control, but her voice gave body to songs that often explored the limits of what women could endure.

"[9] Mary A. Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann stated, "In the final roll call of the great female honky-tonk tunes are scores of Jean Shepard performances.

[3] William Grimes highlighted the songs "The Root of All Evil (Is a Man)" and "Many Happy Hangovers to You" for "planting the flag for independent women".

[2] Kurt Wolff named "Don't Fall in Love with a Married Man" and "Sad Singin' and Slow Ridin" to be "proto-feminist and downright bold".

[8] Author Peter La Chapelle wrote that she "not only sang pithy honky tonk numbers that bemoaned the behavior of the honky-tonk man, but even suggested that through collective action women could uproot the very foundations of the patriarchy".

[8] In reviewing 1958's Lonesome Love, AllMusic's Richie Unterberger found that the album combined "good straight-ahead honky tonk" with "satisfying injections of pop"[136] Chris Skinker of The Melody Ranch Girl box set noted that "the Nashville Sound was starting to creep into Jean's recordings" by 1961, specifically pointing to the "ethereal, echoey sound" of the guitar and the harmony vocals on specific songs.

[138][71][42] With the exception of Kitty Wells and Minnie Pearl, Shepard was considered one of the female singers in the genre to reach similar success.

[71][23] Other female country singers have since considered Shepard an influence, including Elizabeth Cook,[140] Reba McEntire,[141] Jeannie Seely[142] and Connie Smith.

[146] In 2011, Shepard was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame along with songwriter Bobby Braddock and fellow Oklahoma singer Reba McEntire.