Appalachian Figures
Few Leslie Countians have written a song that climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard country chart. One did it from Hyden. Betty Jean Robinson, born Betty Jean Rhodes on June 17, 1933, grew up in the hills around Hyden and later carried that upbringing to Nashville as a working songwriter and, in time, a prolific gospel artist. Her life bridged two musical worlds, country and sacred, and her paper trail still sits in Kentucky archives and offices that family historians use every day.
Hyden beginnings
A contemporary primary record for basic facts is the funeral-home obituary. It lists Robinson’s birth in Hyden, Kentucky, on June 17, 1933, to General Dewey Rhodes and Annie Gray, and notes her long residence at “Melody Mountain” near Franklin, Tennessee, where she died on November 25, 2021.
Kentucky’s Office of Vital Statistics confirms that birth certificates for persons born in Kentucky from 1911 to the present are held at the state level. That means a certified copy of Robinson’s 1933 birth record is obtainable through the state’s OVS, either directly or via its authorized vendor.
Writing for Nashville
By the mid and late 1960s Robinson had country cuts to her credit. The U.S. Copyright Office’s Catalog of Copyright Entries shows a 1967 registration for “Baby’s Back Again,” words and music by Betty Robinson, with Marchar Music as claimant. This is a primary, contemporaneous entry documenting authorship and publication.
Connie Smith recorded the song for RCA Victor and released it as a single late in 1967. It became a top ten country hit the following spring and later appeared on Smith’s 1968 album I Love Charley Brown. Contemporary trade charts reflect its climb, and standard references summarize the peak at No. 7 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles.
“Hello Love” heads to No. 1
Robinson’s most enduring credit came a few years later with “Hello Love,” co-written with Aileen Mnich. A 1975 issue of BMI Music World lists the writers, the publisher Four Star Music, and Hank Snow’s RCA recording, a tidy one-page industry confirmation of the song’s provenance.
The U.S. Copyright Office’s sound-recording catalog documents Hello, Love era releases by Hank Snow in early 1974, another primary breadcrumb that situates the work on disc.
Snow’s single “Hello Love” reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles for one week and spent ten weeks on the chart in the spring of 1974. This chart fact is widely reproduced and is supported by Billboard chart compilations and contemporary issues from that period.
You can also see the credit embedded on official digital releases and label scans of the RCA single, which attribute the composition to Betty Jean Robinson and Aileen Mnich. These artifacts are small but potent primary confirmations of authorship as released to the public.
“Up on Melody Mountain”
Robinson later devoted most of her career to Christian music and broadcasting. The obituary notes more than three dozen albums and a long-running program titled Up on Melody Mountain, which matches her own autobiography of the same name published in the 1990s.
Kentucky institutions have claimed her as one of their own. The Frazier History Museum’s “Musical Kentucky: A Song from Each County” project spotlights Leslie County with Robinson’s 1991 piece “Kentucky Born,” and summarizes her career in a county context.
Why it matters
Betty Jean Robinson’s story is a familiar Appalachian arc. A child of the Kentucky mountains learned harmony at home, found a toehold in Nashville as a working writer, and sent a simple country greeting to the very top of the national chart. The paper trail, from a Hyden birth certificate to a copyright line on an RCA label, lets us document it with care.
Sources and further reading
Williamson Memorial Funeral Home obituary for Betty Jean (Rhodes) Robinson, birth in Hyden, parents, dates, and service information. williamsonmemorial.com
U.S. Copyright Office, Catalog of Copyright Entries (Music, July–Dec. 1967): “Baby’s Back Again,” w and m Betty Robinson; Marchar Music; 14 Sep 1967; EP236044. Internet Archive
U.S. Copyright Office, Catalog of Copyright Entries (Sound Recordings, 1974): entries for Hank Snow releases during the Hello Love period. Internet Archive
BMI Music World (Fall 1975): “HELLO LOVE – Aileen Mnich, Betty Jean Robinson; Four Star Music; RCA: Hank Snow.” World Radio History
Official digital releases and label artifacts confirming composer credits: Apple Music listing for “Hello Love” (composer credits) and RCA single label scans. Apple Music – Web Player
Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics, record custody and ordering information for births 1911–present; VitalChek authorization. chfs.ky.gov+2chfs.ky.gov+2
Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives, Vital Record Indexes; State Archives overview; FamilySearch “Kentucky Vital Record Indexes, 1911–1999.” kdla.ky.gov+2kdla.ky.gov+2
Leslie County Clerk, marriage license information and recordings. lesliecountyclerk.ky.gov+1
Billboard country chart summary for “Hello Love” (1974), with corroborating references to period issues. Wikipedia+1
Connie Smith, “Baby’s Back Again” on RCA Victor and album context on I Love Charley Brown. YouTube+1
Betty Jean Robinson, Up on Melody Mountain (Creation House, 1997). chfs.ky.gov
AllMusic artist page for Betty Jean Robinson; AllMusic song credit page for “Hello Love.” AllMusic+1
Frazier History Museum, “Musical Kentucky: A Song from Each County,” Leslie County entry on Betty Jean Robinson. Frazier History Museum
SecondHandSongs work pages for “Hello Love” and “Baby’s Back Again” with ISWC metadata. SecondHandSongs+1