When singer Dottie West launched her career, women who performed country music were called “girl singers” and were merely stage decorations. But, West wasn’t satisfied to just be an adornment. So, when her song writing talents led to chart topping hits for other artists, she decided she could write music for herself as well. Her decision paid off in the form of the first Grammy Award ever given to a country music female singer for “Here Comes My Baby”. She is also was credited with writing and performing more than two dozen top-40 hits. West brings her hit songs to the Celebrity Showroom at John Ascuaga’s Nugget through Aug.17 opening the show are John Carvalho’s Exotic Bird Review and Bertha, the Nugget’s performing elephant. With such solo songs as “Would You Hold It Against Me,” “Paper Mansions,” “Country Girl,” and “Last Time I Saw Him” as well as duets with superstars, West helped to change the status of women in country music from decoration to headliners. Raised south of Nashville in a farm family of 10 children, west worked chopping cotton and working in surgar-cane fields before she was even old enough to attend school. But, during

that time, she took part-time jobs, using the money she caned to take music lessons. She worked all through high school and when she graduated used her savings to enroll at Tennessee Technological University as a music major. West studied all aspects of music at the school, but focused on country music in particular. And, following graduation, she hosted a country television show in Cleveland, Ohio. Determined to advance her career, west auditioned live for Starday Records and signed her first recording contract on the spot. She moved to Nashville and started writing songs for other singers as well and struck paydirt with her first effort, “Is This Me,” which became a chart-topping hit for Jim Reeves. However, West had to switch to the RCA record label before she could garner of her own. Her first record with the company was “Here Comes My Baby” and it won her a Grammy Award. A string of hits followed, including “Would You Hold It Against Me,” “Paper Mansions,” “Before The Ring On You’re Finger Turns Green” and “What’s Come Over My Baby.” For the past month, west has been recording duets with Kenny Rogers, Wayne Norton and Merle Haggard, a career move she started in her early days as a singer. She has teamed up with fellow country stars Don Gibson and Jimmy Dean as well. West is a regular guest on the Nashville Now Network and immediately following her engagement at the Nugget, she will tour Europe.