Linda Hargrove

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Linda Hargrove (February 3, 1949 – October 24, 2010) was an American singer-songwriter from Tallahassee, Florida. She wrote songs for many country artists and also performed herself, earning the nickname “The Blue Jean Country Queen” for often performing in jeans with little makeup. She later used the name Linda Bartholomew after her marriage.

Life and career
- Hargrove began writing songs as a teenager. She and a friend co-wrote songs that a Tallahassee band, The Other Side, recorded; those songs became local hits.
- In 1969 her brother worked with a local band called After All. They used poems she’d written set to music and went to Nashville to record. Linda moved to Nashville to pursue her music career.
- During the 1970s she wrote songs for many artists and released several solo albums. Her image as the denim-wearing, straightforward performer helped solidify her nickname.
- After getting married and undergoing a religious conversion, she recorded two gospel albums in the 1980s. Her last album came out in 2005.
- She died in Tallahassee, Florida, in 2010.

Selected songs
- Just Get Up and Close the Door — Johnny Rodriguez took it to No. 1 in 1975.
- Let It Shine — Olivia Newton-John’s 1975 recording reached No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart and No. 5 on the Country chart.
- I’ve Never Loved Anyone More — written with Michael Nesmith; used as the title song of a Lynn Anderson album and reached the country chart.
- Tennessee Whiskey — co-written with Dean Dillon; recorded by David Allan Coe (No. 77, 1981), George Jones (No. 2, 1983), Meghan Linsey (No. 28, 2015), and Chris Stapleton (No. 1, 2015).

Discography highlights
- Albums: Music Is Your Mistress (1973, Elektra); Blue Jean Country Queen (1974, Elektra); Love, You're the Teacher (1975, Capitol); Just Like You (1976, Capitol); Impressions (1977, Capitol); Linda Hargrove (1978, Zeus); A New Song (1981, Fig Tree, as Linda Bartholomew); Greater Works (1987, Three Fold, as Linda Bartholomew); One Woman's Life (2005, Panacea).
- Notable singles include Blue Jean Country Queen (1974) and Love Was (Once Around the Dance Floor) (1975). She also scored significant success as a songwriter for others, including Tennessee Whiskey.