Jean Shepard was born on November 21, 1933 in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, USA. She was married to Benny Howard Birchfield, Archie Leon Summers and Harold Hawkshaw Hawkins. She died on September 25, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
She was a singer and long-time member of the Grand Ole Opry, having joined the cast in 1955. She helped set a new standard for women in country music, choosing to tour as a solo act rather than as part of a group. She presented a strong female point of view on songs like "Twice the Lovin' in Half the Time" and "The Root of All Evil (Is a Man)".
In 1963, her husband, country singer Hawkshaw Hawkins, was killed in a plane crash along with Patsy Cline and Cowboy Copas.