Lynn Anderson obituary

In early 1971, the sound of I Never Promised You a Rose Garden dominated the pop music airwaves. Its singer was the American country music star Lynn Anderson, who has died aged 69 from a heart attack after contracting pneumonia. She was also a talented equestrian, winning numerous awards and breeding quarter horses, noted for their speed over short distances and equable temperament.

The recording of Rose Garden came about after Anderson married the musician Glenn Sutton in 1968, and they moved to Hendersonville, Tennessee, to be closer to Nashville, the centre of the country music industry. Sutton joined the staff of Columbia Records and soon Anderson signed a new contract with the same company. For her first album for the label, she insisted against Sutton’s objections that Rose Garden be included.