Cristy Lane (American country music and gospel music singer)

Cristy Lane (born Eleanor Johnston; January 8, 1940) is an American Christian and country music singer. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, she had a series of hits on the North American country charts with songs like "Let Me Down Easy", "I Just Can't Stay Married to You" and the number one hit "One Day at a Time". The latter recording inspired a book of the same name, which was sold on cable television and brought renewed interest to Lane's career. Lane was raised in Peoria, Illinois, and married Lee Stoller at age 19. She raised three children while Stoller worked a sales job in the Peoria area. One day, Stoller overheard his wife singing at home and got the idea that she could become a successful country music vocalist. Stoller soon became her full-time manager and by 1966 she released her first single on a small independent record label. Lane recorded for a series of small labels during the decade with no success. In 1969, Lane and Stoller traveled the far east where she performed over 100 shows for American soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War. Traumatized by the experience, Lane considered ending her career but ultimately decided to continue. The family moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in the early 1970s to restart Lane's country singing career. Facing rejection from every major record company, Stoller decided to form his own label, which he named LS Records. The company began releasing Cristy Lane singles in the mid 1970s. In 1977, she had her first major hit with "Let Me Down Easy". It was followed by a series of top ten hits over the next several years. In 1979, Lane signed with United Artists Records, where she would record "One Day at a Time". The single would become her biggest hit in her career and prompted Lane to record a series of albums tailored to the Christian market in the 1980s. This included LPs such as One Day at a Time (1981) and Footprints in the Sand (1983). In 1982, Stoller went to prison on federal bribery charges. The criminal conviction halted Lane's career, but when he was released, he published her biography also titled One Day at a Time (1983). Marketing the book on cable television in combination with her record albums, One Day at a Time sold over a million copies. Over the next several decades, Lane's biography and recordings were sold over television commercials, the worldwide web and through other major distributors. In the 1990s, the couple opened a theater in Branson, Missouri, which ran shows for several years. Lane was born Eleanor Johnston in Peoria, Illinois, to Andrew and Pansy Johnston, one of 12 children. The Johnston family lived in a two-bedroom home located in the nearby town of East Peoria, Illinois. She was given the nickname, "Ellie", by her father at an early age and was called it throughout her early years. During her childhood, Ellie developed an interest with the family's kitchen radio, which often played soap operas and popular songs of the era. During her school-aged years, she took a specialized course for a speech impediment that she had developed as a young child. Ellie was often bullied in school for her lisp and her small stature. She eventually graduated from East Peoria High School in the late 1950s. She was introduced to country music by her husband, Lee Stoller, whom she met in her late teens. Her first country music artists of interest were Eddy Arnold, Jim Reeves and Marty Robbins. After marrying, the Stollers moved into an apartment in East Peoria before buying a converted garage in the same area with a 50-dollar per month mortgage. The couple soon had three children by 1964. Now known as Ellie Stoller, she took employment at a printing company in East Peoria, while her husband was employed as a salesman with Pepperidge Farms. In 1965, Stoller overheard his wife singing Patti Page's "Tennessee Waltz" and was impressed by her voice. From then on, it was Stoller's idea that she could become a country music singing star and began encouraging her to perform in front of people. A first attempt to launch her singing career began when Lee Stoller arranged for a tape to be made of his wife's vocals. The recording was made in the Stollers' living room, with Ellie standing in front of a microphone taped to a chair. Stoller then arranged for a local nightclub owner to visit and hear Ellie sing. Ellie's husband believed that she had the talent to become a professional performer, but she suffered from shyness. After the nightclub organized Ellie's first public performance, she was reluctant to get up on stage. "What am I doing up here?" she recalled saying to herself. However, once the band started playing the song Paper Roses," she was able to get through the tune. Following her performance, the audience applauded and she performed several more selections that evening. During this time, Lee changed her name from Ellie Stoller to Cristy Lane, and had her dye her hair. However, the pressures of performing publicly caused continued fear and anxiety for Lane. Stoller had her read several self-help books and see a psychiatrist, who gave her tranquilizers. Nonetheless, the couple continued her singing career. She continued finding more nightclub work, sometimes changing out of her nightgown to perform last-minute dates. She also was given a slot to perform on Chicago's local country music television program titled National Barn Dance. The Stollers also opened a pair of nightclubs in the late 1960s where Lane could perform on a regular basis. The first nightclub titled Cristy's Inc. was bought out by a nursing home company. Their second nightclub, The Flame, opened up shortly afterward. In 1966, the Stollers took a trip to Nashville where Lane recorded several selections supervised by businessman Cliff Parnum. In her first recording sessions, Lane cut Jeanne Pruett's "Janie Took My Place". She also cut "I'm Saving My Kisses", "Stop Fooling with Me" and "Heart in the Sand". Yet Lane's songs were rejected by every major country record label. Although Stoller met with major-label producers Owen Bradley and Chet Atkins, the companies had no interest in his wife. The independent K-Ark Records took interest and signed Lane to a recording contract. In 1966, K-Ark issued "Janie Took My Place" as her debut single. Stoller paid one thousand dollars to manufacture her record and he promoted 500 single records by himself. Lane's early material was described by music writer Greg Adams as a style that "pointed towards the country-pop sound with which she would eventually find success. Stoller billed her as "the female Jim Reeves" and the "Sweetest Voice This Side of Heaven". Despite his early efforts, Lane's country career did not yield any commercial success. She recorded several more singles for K-Ark in the mid-1960s and cut material for the Spar and Extremely Brave record labels through 1972. Yet, further material proved unsuccessful. In 1969, Lane and her husband traveled to Vietnam to perform for the American troops stationed there for the war. The engagement was planned in a span of two weeks and was nearly cancelled due to the hired band backing out last minute. The 120-concert tour took Lane to the front lines of American combat. At times, Lane performed despite hearing bombs and fighter jets less than a mile away. During other performances, Lane had to shelter in place to avoid being killed. In a car headed to Saigon, Lane witnessed the soldier sitting beside her get shot and killed. "Bullets were ripping through his body, their impact jerking him back. He slumped over the gun he had been strapped to. He was dead," Lane's biography book recalled in 1983. Because several shows had to be cancelled, the Stollers lost an estimated twelve thousand dollars during their trip. Following her return to the United States, Lane recorded her first album titled Cristy Lane Salutes G.I.'s of Viet Nam. The project was released in 1969 and was dedicated to the soldiers fighting overseas. Lane became increasingly unhappy