orig. Muriel Ellen Deason
born Aug. 30, 1919, Nashville, Tenn., U.S.
U.S. country music singer and songwriter.
She sang gospel music in church as a child. In the 1930s she made her radio debut and took her name from a Carter family song. She married Johnny Wright in 1937, and they performed together off and on since. Her first major hit was the classic "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" (1952). Her extensive repertory made her the top-ranking female country artist for some 15 years, paving the way for later stars such as Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn .