ROOTS of Country Music

The Professional Work of Lacy J Dalton

Born (Oct.  13, 1946)

Career Highlights

Barn Dance Affiliate:

Grand Ole Opry Star

Film, Night Club, Radio & TV

• Austin City Limits, 4
• Ernest Tubb’s  Midnight Jamboree, 3
• Gilley’s Club, 2
• Hee Haw, 4
• Nashville Now, 4
• Pop Goes the Country, 4

1-Film, 2-Night Club, 3-Radio, 4-TV 

Billboard Chart Data 

• No. 1 Singles: 0
• Top-20 Singles: 17
• Crossover Singles: 0
• Charted Singles: 25
• Chart Years Active: (1979-1990)

Career Labels:

• Columbia Records (1979-1986)
• Universal Records (1989)
• Capitol Records 1990)

Top-20 Columbia Singles (1980 - 1986)

1. Crazy Blue Eyes
2. Tennesse Waltz
3. Losing Kind Of Love
4. Hard Times*
5. Hillbilly Girl With The Blues*
6. Whisper*
7. Takin' It Easy (No. 2, 1981)**
8. Everybody Makes Mistakes*
9. Slow Down
10. 16th Avenue*
11. Dream Baby (How long Must a I Dream)*
12. If That Ain't Love
13. Size Seven Round (Made of Gold)1
14. You Can't Run Away From My Heart
15. Working Class Man
16. The Heart
17. Black Coffee

1With George Jones

*Top-10 Singles

**Biggest Hit

16Th Avenue: Thye Lacy J Dalton Story

Lacy J Dalton, a country music singer and songwriter with a deep gritty and soulful vocal delivery, has an instantly recognizable voice. She had a number of upper-level hits in the 1980s on the Columbia label. However, during a seven year chart run, Dalton was unable to garner a number one single, which was a rare occurrence for anyone working under the helm of producer Billy Sherrill.

Dalton was born Jill Byrem in Bloomsburg, PA, on October 13, 1946 and grew up in a highly musical family. Her father played a variety of stringed instruments, sang and wrote country songs. Her mother played guitar, wrote and sang harmony and her sister played piano and guitar. Lacy's early influences were the original country music of the 40's, 50's and 60's and later, folk and rock sounds.

Dalton briefly attended Brigham Young University but dropped out and drifted around the country for a time. She eventually went to Los Angeles and then migrated to Santa Cruz, where she performed as a folksinger. During the late '60s, she sang with a Bay Area psychedelic rock band called Office. During that time she married the group's manager and began going by the name of Jill Croston. Sometime later, her husband died in a swimming pool accident.

During the late 1970s Lacy reinvented herself as a country singer adopting the stage name of Lacy J. Dalton. Subsequently, her band was named the Dalton gang. In order to further her musical aspirations, she relocated to Nashville at the close of the decade.

In 1979, she landed a recording contract with Columbia after Billy Sherrill heard a demo tape of her work. Initially, Lacy opened concerts for Hank Williams, Jr, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Charlie Daniels. Her Columbia debut, "Crazy Blue Eyes," reached No.17 in 1979. Lacy followed-up in 1980 with "Tennessee Waltz" (No. 18) and "Losing Kind of Love" (No. 14).

Voted Best New Female Artist by the Academy of Country Music in 1979, she brought home numerous Grammy nominations. Crazy Blue Eyes," helped her win the Country Music Association's Best New Artist Award. After that, her career kicked into high gear with a string of top ten records that took her through 1983, highlighted by "Hard Times" (No. 7, 1980), "Hillbilly Girl with the Blues" (No. 8, 1980), her biggest single, "Takin' It Easy" (No. 2, 1981), "Everybody Makes Mistakes" (No. 5, ) and her signature song "16th Avenue" (No. 7, 1982); the Anthem for Nashville songwriters voted one of Country's Top 100 Songs ever by Billboard Magazine.

A 1983 cover of Roy Orbison's "Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)" concluded her top ten chart activity, although she continued to record for Columbia through 1987. Lacy has recorded duet songs with George Jones, Eddie Rabbitt, Bobby Bare, David Alan Coe and Glen Campbell.

Dalton and George Jones charted a top 20 in 1985 with "Size Seven Round (Made of Gold)." Lacy's collaboration with Willie Nelson on his "Half Nelson" CD was a high spot for her. Lacy was the only woman on that recording and was awarded a Gold Record for it.
Dalton turned up on Universal Records in 1989, but generated only one Top 20, "The Heart" (No. 13, 1989). So she left the label and was picked up by Capitol Records scoring again just one hit with "Black Coffee," although she recorded four albums through 1992. Though absent from the charts since 1990, she still continues to record and perform.

Written and compiled by Richard Bell, Country Music Historian, Roots of Country Music.  Nashville, Tennessee USA. October 2011