As a duo, Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn were unstoppable. Together, they earned countless awards and scored five number one hits, including now-classic songs such as “After the Fire is Gone” and “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man.”
The chemistry between Twitty and Lynn was off the charts whenever they sang together, prompting many to wonder if they were romantically involved with each other. But the two were nothing more than friends, though their bond was still unbreakable.
“I’d have to say that knowing Conway Twitty has been one of my great pleasures in life,” Lynn said during an interview with Nash Country Daily.
You’ve surely watched some of the videos out there that show Twitty and Lynn singing one of their many duets together. But have you ever watched one of their complete concerts? To add to that, have you ever watched them perform a concert together, but separately?
If you answered “no” to either one or both of those questions, then you’ll be delighted to see the video that we found for you today. This clip dates back to 1970, which is the year that Twitty and Lynn performed at a concert in Oslo, Norway. The timing of the concert came one year before Twitty and Lynn released their first duets album, We Only Make Believe, and also a year before the release of their first single, “After the Fire is Gone.”
So since they weren’t a duo at the time, Twitty and Lynn didn’t share the stage once during the concert. Instead, the two of them performed their own solo sets, one after the other.
Twitty opened the show with a cover of Merle Haggard‘s “Sing Me Back Home,” followed by a lively performance of Hank Williams‘ “Jambalaya.” Of course, no set would be complete without “Hello Darlin’,” which Twitty sang as his next to last piece.
Once Twitty wrapped up, Lynn came out to begin her portion of the show. She sang some of her sassiest hits, including “Fist City” and “You Ain’t Woman Enough.” Mid-set, Lynn took the time to sing a gospel classic, the beloved “How Great Thou Art.”
As you can tell, that one concert was jam-packed with high-quality music from two of country music’s best performers. Looking back on this clip, it’s funny to think about how Twitty and Lynn never shared the stage during that particular show. But within a year’s time they were an official duo, and are now known as one of the greatest duos country music has ever had.
You can catch Twitty and Lynn’s full 1970 Oslo concert in the clip below. Which one of the songs in the show was your favorite? We could never choose!