Quick Facts
Biography
Lacy J. Dalton (born Jill Lynne Byrem on October 13, 1946 in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania) is an American country singer and songwriter. She is known for her gritty, powerful vocals, which People Magazine likened to a country equivalent of Bonnie Raitt. Dalton had a number of hits in the 1980s, including "Takin' It Easy," "Crazy Blue Eyes" and "16th Avenue." Though absent from the U.S. country charts since 1990, she still continues to record and perform, having most recently released three independently recorded albums, Wild Horse Crossing on Shop Records in 1999; The Last Wild Place, on Song Dog Records in 2004; and her 2010 self-released Here's To Hank available on her website www.lacyjdalton.com.
When asked about her musical influences, she replied: "Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Kris Kristofferson, Guy Clark, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Janis Joplin, Robert Johnson, Karen Dalton, Fred Koller, Big Mama Thornton, Billie Holliday, Hank Williams, Sr., Tammy Wynette and J.J. Cale."
Personal life
Lacy J. Dalton has settled in the Comstock region near Virginia City, Nevada.
Dalton has taken an interest in saving Nevada's wild horses after she found some of them roaming around Virginia City. In her "Mustang Messenger," Lacy's Let 'em Run Foundation's newsletter she writes:
"the New Year will find me attempting to view the restoration of horse slaughter for human consumption in some sort of light that will keep my head from exploding. Our wonderful vet here said
“at least they won’t be going to Mexico as much, where slaughter methods are unspeakable”."
"I was moved to write a song which we’ll soon share with you on YouTube; for now, here are the lyrics: “ODE TO SLAUGHTERHOUSE SUE AND THE BUTCHERIN’ CREWWhat kind of cowgirl eats horses?
When he’s spent his whole life raisin’ beef,...
What kind of Rodeo Queen?...
What kind of cowboy eats horses?
Discography
Albums
| Year | Title | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Jill Croston | — | Harbor |
| 1980 | Lacy J. Dalton | 11 | Columbia |
| Hard Times | 18 | ||
| 1981 | Takin' It Easy | 12 | |
| 1982 | 16th Avenue | 23 | |
| 1983 | Dream Baby | 20 | |
| Greatest Hits | 63 | ||
| 1985 | Can't Run Away from Your Heart | 33 | |
| 1986 | Highway Diner | 32 | |
| 1987 | Blue Eyed Blues | — | |
| 1989 | Survivor | 31 | Universal |
| 1990 | Lacy J. | 26 | Capitol |
| 1991 | Crazy Love | — | |
| 1992 | Chains on the Wind | — | Liberty |
| 1993 | The Best of Lacy J. Dalton | — | |
| 1995 | Somethin' Special | — | Sony |
| 1998 | Pure Country | — | |
| 1999 | Wild Horse Crossing | — | Shop Records |
| 2000 | Anthology | — | Renaissance |
| 2001 | Country Classics | — | EMI |
| 2004 | The Last Wild Place | — | Song Dog |
| 2006 | The Last Wild Place Anthology | — | |
| 2010 | Here's To Hank | — | Lacy J Dalton |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | |||
| 1979 | "Crazy Blue Eyes" | 17 | — | Lacy J. Dalton |
| 1980 | "The Tennessee Waltz" | 18 | 43 | |
| "Losing Kind of Love" | 14 | 57 | ||
| "Hard Times" | 7 | 16 | Hard Times | |
| "Hillbilly Girl with the Blues" | 8 | 10 | ||
| 1981 | "Whisper" | 10 | 12 | |
| "Takin' It Easy" | 2 | 2 | Takin' It Easy | |
| "Everybody Makes Mistakes" | 5 | 28 | ||
| 1982 | "Slow Down"[A] | 13 | — | 16th Avenue |
| "16th Avenue" | 7 | 13 | ||
| 1983 | "Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)" | 9 | 10 | Dream Baby |
| "Windin' Down" | 54 | — | ||
| 1984 | "If That Ain't Love" | 15 | 15 | Can't Run Away from Your Heart |
| 1985 | "You Can't Run Away from Your Heart" | 20 | 20 | |
| "The Night Has a Heart of Its Own" | 58 | — | ||
| 1986 | "Don't Fall in Love with Me" | 43 | 46 | |
| "Working Class Man" | 16 | 19 | Highway Diner | |
| "This Ol' Town" | 33 | 35 | ||
| 1989 | "The Heart" | 13 | * | Survivor |
| "I'm a Survivor" | 57 | — | ||
| "Hard Luck Ace" | 38 | 75 | ||
| 1990 | "Black Coffee" | 15 | 19 | Lacy J. |
| "Where Did We Go Right" | — | — | ||
| "Lonesome (As the Night Is Long)" | — | 71 | ||
| 1991 | "Forever in My Heart" | — | — | Crazy Love |
| "Lightnin' Strikes a Good Man" | — | — | ||
| "The Deal" | — | — | ||
| 1992 | "Bye Bye Love" (with Eddie Rabbitt) | — | 69 | Chains on the Wind |
| 2004 | "Slip Away" | — | — | The Last Wild Place |
| 2013 | "Next to Me" | — | — | N/A |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart * denotes unknown peak positions | ||||
Charted B-sides
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Original A-side single | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | |||
| 1982 | "Wild Turkey" | flip | 33 | "Everybody Makes Mistakes" |
Guest singles
| Year | Single | Artist | Peak positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | ||||
| 1983 | "It's a Dirty Job" | Bobby Bare | 30 | — | The Columbia Years |
| 1985 | "Size Seven Round (Made of Gold)" | George Jones | 19 | 11 | Ladies' Choice |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
Music videos
| Year | Single | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | "Black Coffee" |