Facing the Laughter: Minnie Pearl

She was a dichotomy – Sarah was educated, serious, intelligent, articulate, ambitious and untraditional in many ways. Minnie was uncomplicated, direct, playful and quite traditional. A young girl hailing from a small Tennessee town with big dreams of being a Shakespearian actress on the world stage was more like a delusion in the 1930’s. But she did make it on the world stage – with her recognizable costume and same opening line that never grew tiresome. The legacy she left was one of compassion, empowerment and innovation. But mostly she made us laugh. This is her story… simple, yet complicated. A permanent fixture in country music yet music was clearly not her gift. She was a dichotomy – Sarah was educated, serious, intelligent, articulate, ambitious and untraditional in many ways. Minnie was uncomplicated, direct, playful and quite traditional. A young girl hailing from a small Tennessee town with big dreams of being a Shakespearian actress on the world stage was more like a delusion in the 1930’s. But she did make it on the world stage – with her recognizable costume and same opening line that never grew tiresome. The legacy she left was one of compassion, empowerment and innovation. But mostly she made us laugh. This is her story… simple, yet complicated. A permanent fixture in country music yet music was clearly not her gift. She was a dichotomy – Sarah was educated, serious, intelligent, articulate, ambitious and untraditional in many ways. Minnie was uncomplicated, direct, playful and quite traditional. A young girl hailing from a small Tennessee town with big dreams of being a Shakespearian actress on the world stage was more like a delusion in the 1930’s. But she did make it on the world stage – with her recognizable costume and same opening line that never grew tiresome. The legacy she left was one of compassion, empowerment and innovation. But mostly she made us laugh. This is her story… simple, yet complicated. A permanent fixture in country music yet music was clearly not her gift. She was a dichotomy – Sarah was educated, serious, intelligent, articulate, ambitious and untraditional in many ways. Minnie was uncomplicated, direct, playful and quite traditional. A young girl hailing from a small Tennessee town with big dreams of being a Shakespearian actress on the world stage was more like a delusion in the 1930’s. But she did make it on the world stage – with her recognizable costume and same opening line that never grew tiresome. The legacy she left was one of compassion, empowerment and innovation. But mostly she made us laugh. This is her story… simple, yet complicated. A permanent fixture in country music yet music was clearly not her gift.