Introduction
From 1972 through 1975, Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn owned one category at the CMA Awards.
For four consecutive years, the Country Music Association named them Vocal Duo of the Year, a run that showed just how strongly their partnership connected with both the industry and country audiences.
Background
By then, Conway and Loretta had already become one of the most successful duet teams in country music. Their voices worked because they were so different. Loretta brought a sharp, direct delivery, while Conway sounded smoother and more restrained. Put together, the contrast made their songs feel like real conversations between two people rather than polished studio pairings.
That chemistry carried records such as “After the Fire Is Gone,” “Lead Me On,” “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man,” and “As Soon as I Hang Up the Phone.” The awards mattered because the run lasted. Winning once can come from one big record or one strong year. Winning four years in a row means the partnership kept delivering, even as country music was changing around them.
It also helped define a major part of both careers. Conway already had his own long list of solo hits, and Loretta was one of country music’s biggest stars in her own right. Neither needed the other to be successful. That is what made the pairing work so well. They were not using the duet records to build careers. They were bringing two established careers together and creating something different.
Video
Lyrics
🎵 Let’s sing along with the lyrics! 🎤
Hey, Louisiana woman, Mississippi manWe’ll get together every time we canThe Mississippi River can’t keep us apartThere’s too much love in this Mississippi heartToo much love in this Louisiana heartSee the alligator all a-waitin’ nearbySooner or later they know I’m gonna tryWhen she wave from the bank don’t you know I knowIt’s a goodbye fishin’ line, see you while I goWith a Louisiana woman waitin’ on the other sideThe Mississippi River don’t look so wideLouisiana woman, Mississippi manWe’ll get together every time we canThe Mississippi River can’t keep us apartThere’s too much love in this Mississippi heartToo much love in this Louisiana heartWell, I thought I’d been loved but I never had‘Til I was wrapped in the arms of a Mississippi manWhen he holds me close it feels almostLike another hurricane just a-ripped the coastIf he can’t come to me I’ma gonna go to himThat Mississippi River, Lord, I’m gonna swimHey, Louisiana woman, Mississippi manWe’ll get together every time we canThe Mississippi River can’t keep us apartThere’s too much love in this Mississippi heartToo much love in this Louisiana heartWell, the Mississippi River, Lord, it’s one mile wideAnd I’m gonna get me to the other sideMississippi man, I’m losin’ my mindGotta have your lovin’ one more timeI’m gonna jump in the river and-a here I goToo bad alligator you swim too slow