Opry darling Mandy Barnett embraces versatility despite being born in wrong era

During the peak of COVID-19, Mandy Barnett pays her respects at Mount Olivet Historic Cemetery in Nashville ahead of a rain storm on April 29, 2020. Vern Gosdin, Hank Williams’ producer Fred Rose, and Opry Manager Jim Denny, who fired Elvis Presley after a sole performance because he figured Elvis’ career would be better served driving a truck, lay in rest there. Image Credit: Mandy Barnett’s official Facebook

An adventurous interview finds Grand Ole Opry torch singer Mandy Barnett, who rose to prominence evoking Always…Patsy Cline at the Ryman Auditorium and avoided typecasting by signing a recording contract with Asylum Records in 1995, acknowledging the legendary artists and songs who have co-existed in her orbit. Barnett caught the performing bug as a five-year-old in Tollett’s Chapel United Methodist Church, the only child of a contractor [Dan] and county bookkeeper [Betty] in the sleepy Crossville, Tennessee.

Dolly Parton and Hee Haw’s peerless barber Archie Campbell encouraged the old soul to hone her musical chops at their entertainment venues. Debut A-side “Now That’s All Right with Me,” tracked with Randy Travis’ collaborators Kyle Lehning and Bill Schnee, found Billboard C&W Top 50 action. But disc jockeys eschewed Barnett’s traditional country roots and fell head over heels for crossover pop phenomena Faith Hill, Shania Twain, and Martina McBride.

Barnett’s follow-up record I’ve Got a Right to Cry united her with Cline’s producer Owen Bradley and was named the Top Country Album of 1999 by Rolling Stone. The critical acclaim translated into guest slots on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Willie Nelson’s annual Farm Aid benefit. Clint…