My attitude toward men who mess around is simple: If you find 'em, kill 'em.

When I lost my husband [Oliver "Doolittle" Lynn], I just didn't want to work so hard anymore. I hate that I didn't quit things a lot more before he was gone. I stayed home for six years to take care of him but, at some point, I also felt I had to go back to work.

We still lend our old house out to relatives. They keep a guest book for my fans to sign.

How do you measure your value?

I've seen country music go uptown, like we say, and I'm proud I was there when it happened.

When I first came to Nashville, people hardly gave country music any respect. We lived in old cars and dirty hotels, and we ate when we could.

We used to go around tipping outhouses over, or turning over corn shocks on Halloween. Anything to be mean.