Juice Newton

A favorite among both country and pop audiences in the 1980s, singer-songwriter Juice Newton enjoyed crossover success throughout the decade with such country-rock hybrids as "Angel of the Morning," "Queen of Hearts," "Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me" and "You Make Me Want to Make You Mine." She toiled in obscurity for most of the 1970s, recording three largely unheard records as Juice Newton & Silver Spur, before striking out on her own in 1981. With longtime musical partner Otha Young, she penned two huge pop-country hits in "Angel" and "Queen," which were quickly followed by the equally polished "Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me." The songs, which drew equally from classic country and '60s-era studio pop, quickly minted Newton as a Top 40 artist, though she struggled to maintain the billing in subsequent years before shifting to a purely country format for the massively popular Old Flame (1985). The album generated six Top 10 country singles, including the chart-topping "Make You Mine" and two other No. 1 singles. After a lengthy hiatus in the early 1990s, Newton returned to recording with several independent releases that were well received by her fanbase. Though her tenure at the top of the charts proved short-lived, Newton's gifts as both a singer and songwriter produced several enduring pop and country hits that extended her career for decades.