Recording star and songwriter Dottie West was at the heart of country music for three decades, scoring more than 60 hits, mentoring a generation of singers, and becoming a model of resilience through personal crises and a rollercoaster career. Born Dorothy Marie Marsh near McMinnville on Oct. 11, 1932, she appeared on local radio, obtained a scholarship to the Tennessee Polytechnic Institute in 1951, met Bill West there, and married him. After moving to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1956, she appeared on WEWS-TV's “Landmark Jamboree,” and after several trips to Nashville seeking a recording contract, released her first single on Starday Records in October 1960 before relocating with her family to Nashville the following year. In 1962, Jim Reeves recorded the Wests' “Is This Me?,” and Dottie West soon signed with RCA Victor, with Reeves joining her on her first Top 10 hit, “Love Is No Excuse.” Her first solo Top 10 hit, “Here Comes My Baby,” won the 1964 Grammy for Best Country & Western Vocal Performance, Female. Befriended by Patsy Cline, West appeared on Cline's last show on March 3, 1963, while Bill West played steel guitar, and the Wests drove home before Cline died in a plane wreck. Throughout the 1960s, West recorded a succession of country hits, including duets with Don Gibson such as “Rings of Gold,” and in 1964 she became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. In 1972 she wrote songs for Coca-Cola campaigns, including “I'm Your Country Girl” and “Country Sunshine,” and in 1973 the “Country Sunshine” campaign won a Clio award for Best Campaign while West won for Best Music with Lyrics. After signing with United Artists Records in 1976, she was paired with Kenny Rogers and the two scored several No. 1 country hits, including “Every Time Two Fools Collide” and “All I Ever Need Is You.” Though her recording career declined in the 1980s and she faced financial problems, she continued touring. Severely injured in a car wreck while traveling to the Opry on Aug. 30, 1991, she died on Sept. 4, and in 2018 she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.