Patricia Lee Ramey was born the sixth of seven children to John and Naomi Ramey outside of Pikeville, Kentucky on 4 January 1957. Although born in Pikeville, the family lived in a small town nearby named Belcher Holler where her father was a coal miner.

Patricia Ramey's interest in music started when she was a young child. In 1969, when she was twelve, the Ramey family moved to Louisville, Read more...

It was her brother Roger that initially took Patricia Ramey to Nashville, Tennessee in 1971. Having grown up listening to the music of the Grand Ole Opry both in Pikeville, and then in Louisville, Roger had moved to Nashville in 1970 and became a producer with The Porter Wagoner Show.

When they arrived in Nashville, Roger went to Porter Wagoner's office without an appointment and managed to Read more...

In North Carolina, Patricia and her husband Terry played in a circuit of small bars and concert halls, some not totally legal. She sang covers of late 70's rock songs, along with Linda Ronstadt and Bonnie Raitt tunes, with the occasional country song. (After her marriage, she adopted the professional name Patty Loveless, as not to draw any connection to porn actress Linda Lovelace .)

During Read more...