Country Star Barbara Mandrell Looks Breathtaking In Her 70s

Nov 13, 2020

Barbara Ann Mandrell, also known as "The Sweetheart of Steel," turns 72 this Christmas. The country music star from Houston, Texas, was a child prodigy who toured with legends like Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash.

The Grammy Award-winning and Country Music Hall of Fame inductee has enjoyed a fruitful career in music, but it was not without trial and tribulation. Please scroll down to read more about the singer and see what she looks like today.

Born on Christmas Day in 1948, Barbara Ann Mandrell grew up in Houston, Texas, in a devout Christian household.

She allegedly discovered her calling for country music from "a very early age," and by age 11 was hailed "The Princess of Steel," or (The Sweetheart of Steel) because of her mastery of not just the steel guitar but also bass, guitar, five-string banjo, saxophone, and the piano.

"When I was a little girl in Texas, no more than four or five, I used to pretend I was Loretta Young," Mandrell said of her affinity with being on stage. 

"Remember the way Loretta Young made her entrance on the television show, so graceful and glamorous and controlled? I would make poor Aunt Thelma sit and watch me do my big entrance. I'd find one of Momma's dresses and I'd put on a show and sing. And Aunt Thelma would sit patiently through it."

Mandrell's path to music was set even before she could read words: her mother Mary Ellen, a music teacher and pianist, had taught her to read music before reading English, and her father Irby Matthew Mandrell, a World War II naval veteran, had owned a music store and was himself a country singer and guitarist. 

It's almost as if it was written in the stars for Mandrell to later tour as a steel guitar prodigy with country music stars like Patsy Cline, George Jones, and Johnny Cash. According to PBS, she was a straight-A student councilor outside of music who ran track and played in the marching band. Her being born on Christmas Day could also make one wonder why she is the golden girl she is.

The singer's decorated career in the music industry is no secret to the world. She's both been nominated for and won many prestigious awards. Most notably, Mandrell won back-to-back Grammy Awards in 1983 and 1984 and was inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2009.

In 1984, Mandrell was involved in a fatal two-car head-on collision, in which she and her children sustained multiple injuries, and the driver of the other car died. 

According to the New York Times, injuries Mandrell sustained included a concussion, a leg fracture, and multiple cute. Her children, son Matthew Dudney, 14 years old at the time, and Jaimee Dudney, then 8, only suffered cuts and were released from the hospital the same day. 

The event led her to develop post-traumatic syndrome disorder from driving or being in a car. 

"I am much more aware and defensive than I used to be," she said. "It's true. Everybody is out to get you. They don't know those are lethal weapons, those automobiles ... But I kept going. Now I come home in rush hour, and I'm fine. I've got my independence again. No telling what I'll do next."

The accident marked the beginning of the end of Mandrell's music career. Her head injuries made life challenging, and it became impossible for her to record new music. She then officially retired from country music in 1997 with her final concert titled Barbara Mandrell and the Do-Rites: The Last Dance. 

Another tragedy struck when Mandrell's father and manager, Irby Mandrell, passed away in 2009 – just a few months after the announcement of her induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

The country singer described that period to be one of the most emotional in her life. She said: 

"He was not only my manager," Mandrell told UPI at the time, "he was my daddy, so he had my best interests at heart ... . He wanted me to know the details of the business end, because it was show business, not just show."

Now 71 years old, Mandrell has swapped in her guitar and cowboy boots for quiet family life. According to her website, the former super-star spends her days gardening, spending time with friends and family, and just enjoying the slow-paced life of retirement. 

"I have so much to do, I don't know when I found time to work," Mandrell says.

What is your favorite Barbara Mandrell song? Let us know in the comments and be sure to pass it along to your loved ones!