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 The “Loretta Lynn Van Lear”

NEW ROSE NAMED FOR LORETTA LYNN

Country legend honored with the “Loretta Lynn Van Lear”

To celebrate the release of the multi-artist tribute album Coal Miner’s Daughter: A Tribute to Loretta Lynn on November 9^th, Sony Music Nashville presented country music legend Loretta Lynn with her very own rose. The first “Loretta Lynn Van Lear” rose plants - named after the artist’s GRAMMY® Award-winning album Van Lear Rose - will be delivered to the artist’s ranch in the spring of 2011, with more available for purchase shortly after.

“Roses have always been so special to me – I’ve loved them since I was a girl,” said Loretta. “So to have a rose named after one of my albums . . . well, I’m not sure I quite have the words for that! I’m just very, very honored. I can’t wait to have those Van Lear roses blooming in my yard!” she added.

Developed by Brad Jalbert of Select Roses, the “Loretta Lynn Van Lear” classes as a floribunda, an ever-blooming hybrid known for its deep color. The bloom’s hue is described as a rich apricot, and the buds on the rose open into a “cottage” style flower. The plant is bushy and dense, growing to about 2 feet, considered an ideal size for most gardens or large containers.

“This is one of those roses that has turned out to be a crowd favorite at the nursery!” said Jalbert. “It is a very charming rose that all our customers have noticed when the test plants were on display.”

Both country music fans and rose enthusiasts will need to practice patience when trying to secure a “Loretta Lynn Van Lear” rose bush of their own: “We are just now building up stock of this rose,  and will have a few plants available spring 2010 for our local customers here in British Columbia, with more being available in coming years,” said Jalbert. “However, there will be a Canadian company, who ships to the US, who will have plants for mail order by the fall of 2011.”

Luckily, a new homage to one of country’s true musical pioneers is available now. Coal Miner’s Daughter: A Tribute to Loretta Lynnhas garnered an impressive collection of critical praise. Rolling Stone referred to the project as “a tribute to the toughest Nashville queen ever, this record has a steely spine,” while the Los Angeles Times commented that “the broad reach of Loretta Lynn’s influence is immediately evident in this salute…one of country’s true legends gets a consistently heartfelt tip of the hat from a representative swath of the countless lives her music has touched.” “Loretta Lynn writes songs that knock you on your head and off your feet,” The Washington Post noted. “For 50-plus years, [Lynn] has stamped the country charts with her tunes of trouble, turmoil, payback and sweet satisfaction. And on this perfectly rough-around-the- edges tribute album, a host of like-minded musicians -- country and otherwise -- join in the fun and fury.”

2010 was a year of tributes and acknowledgements for this country music legend, as it marked the 50^th anniversary of Loretta Lynn’s chart debut in 1960. In January, Loretta was presented with the GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her legacy and career achievements. In June, “Coal Miner’s Daughter” was one of only 25 sound recordings chosen in 2010 for preservation within the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress, which annually honors a select group of recordings for their cultural, historic, or aesthetic significance. Then in October, The Recording Academy hosted GRAMMY Salute to Country Music, celebrating Loretta at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium with a star-studded tribute concert. At the concert, Loretta was presented with the President’s Merit Award, honoring her cultural influence and contributions to country music.