MIRANDA LAMBERT

Tickled Pink

For powerhouse singer-songerwriter Miranda Lambert, success is a family affair rooted in East Texas

CBy David Muscari with reporting by Pete Northway ountry music superstar Miranda Lambert is simply the tops.

The blonde beauty became the reigning Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year in early 2022, making the 38-yearold star eligible for the ACM's prestigious "Triple Crown Award."

Only nine other acts have qualified for the prize, which requires wins for New Female/Male Artist or Duo/Group of the Year, Female/Male Artist or Duo/ Group of the Year, and Entertainer of the Year.

Lambert is the ACM’s most awarded artist in history and the Country Music Association's most awarded female artist.

“Ran fans" around the globe adore the threetime Grammy winner’s top-selling, storytelling albums — “Kerosene,” “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” “Revolution,” “Four the Record,” “Platinum,” “The Weight of these Wings,” "Wildcard," and "Palomino."

Dallas Hotel Magazine publisher Pete Northway travelled through the rolling hills of East Texas to tiny Lindale (population: 6,059) to talk with Lambert’s parents and explore the music icon’s historic hometown.

Photo by Catherine Powell

Photo by Robert Ascroft for foureleven.agency

The Lambert family’s impact is visible all over Lindale in businesses, products, and even Visit Lindale Tourism Officeliterature. (See “A Tale of Lindale” on following pages.)

“It’s really an enormous tribute to the city’s favorite daughter and provides a tangible boost to the local economy,” Northway says.

He also reached out to the singer-songwriter, who was in Las Vegas for her performance residency at Planet Hollywood. Opened in September, “Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo” has shows booked through April.

DHM: You’ve worked hard for your success. What got you to where you are now?

ML: My trade secret is also a life secret that my mom taught me when I was young. Know who you are and stick with it. Be your true self and don’t change for anyone.

DHM: Texas is famous for producing outstanding musicians, and songwriters. What is it about the state that churns out so many memorable artists?

ML: Texas welcomes us. There are venues everywhere and plenty of people who want to hear live music. That’s why we have the Texas Country and Red The Pink Pistol Boutique in Lindale carries Lambert’s signature clothing brand, Idylllwind, and a new line of home décor called Wanda June

Photo courtesy of Miranda Lambert Lambert’s legions of “ran fans" have bought her hit albums and attended her concerts in droves

Dirt music movements. Texas has always made a way for the singersongwriters to be heard and seen.

DHM: Are your songs autobiographical?

ML: Some of them are — some were lived through vicariously by me or fellow writers. My parents were private investigators all of my young life, so some are about stories heard around the dinner table…[what] I heard from them or the women and children we took into our home.

DHM: Your hometown is clearly a special place for you: There is a street named in your honor, and your favorite color of hot pink is all over Lindale. What does it mean to you?

ML: Lindale is special to me. The fact that my favorite color is splashed around town is probably the best evidence that my hometown has supported me and my music for over 20

Photo courtesy of Miranda Lambert Family first: Rick, Miranda and Bev Lambert enjoy an afternoon together in their beloved hometown

years. One of my biggest songs, “The House That Built Me,” probably says how I feel best:

These handprints on the front steps are mine

Up those stairs, in that little back bedroom

Is where I did my homework and I learned to play guitar

And I bet you didn't know under that live oak

My favorite dog is buried in the yard

DHM: You’ve been a role model for other female artists. Is that a particular point of pride for you?

Know who you are and stick with it. Be your true self and don’t change for anyone.

ML: Yes, a huge source of pride. My mom is a strong woman and so were my grandmother and her mother before her. They taught me early to lift up and support other women in any way that you can. We took in women and children while I was growing up. Our family has advocated for women all my life. I’m just carrying on the family tradition.

DHM: How did your store in Lindale, the Pink Pistol, come to be?

ML: The Pink Pistol is a kick. It’s meant to be an experiential sipping and shopping experience. I opened the first one in Oklahoma when I lived there in an effort to bring people into the small town of Tishomingo. The store was really successful, so we decided to bring it to Lindale. Visitors should prepare to be greeted with a smile, drink some wine or beer, have an old-fashioned soda, and have fun spending a day or two in my hometown. For that reason, we will most likely just keep it in Lindale as the location is so personal to me, which is also part of what makes it so special.

DHM: You’re in Las Vegas for an extended series of shows. How did that happen, and what’s the experience like?

ML: We’d been talking about a residency for over a year. The time just seemed right, so when Live Nation and my team met with the residency folks in Vegas, it was a ‘yes’ all around. The show is all of the fire, glitter, and glitz that you would expect in Vegas, yet it’s still very me and focused on the music. We’ve been able to bring in a much bigger set and more production than we do on the road, so that has been a lot of fun for us on stage and for the fans who have come out to shows so far. We’re there through April so anyone who hasn’t joined us at the Velvet Rodeo yet still has time to come join the party!

DHM: What would people be surprised to learn about you that they probably don’t know?

ML: People are usually surprised to learn about how shy I am. I have always been really shy and mostly a homebody. Also, they are usually shocked to hear that I’d rather be in a camper than the finest hotel in the world. DHM: What do you miss most about Texas?

ML: The music scene, Mexican food, and my family. But I visit Texas often. I have a cottage in Lindale and a house in Austin that I go to anytime that I can. I don’t give myself much of an opportunity to miss it!

A Tale of Lindale

The charming East Texas town is home to all things Miranda

Miranda’s parents Bev and Rick Lambert know the landscape. Their famous daughter’s fingerprints are all over Lindale in her famed Pink Pistol boutique and more.

Located about 80 miles from Dallas, the rural East Texas town is relaxed, warm, and friendly, yet the country star’s international fame is also part of Lindale today.

“Believe me, you never get used to it,” Rick says with a laugh.

Miranda’s Pink Pistol boutique showcases her signature fashion brand, Idyllwind.

Inspired by her personal style, the label offers clothing, knitwear, boots, and accessories. Think fringe, plaid, southwestern and Native American motifs, and more.

It’s all sold at the Pink Pistol as well as online at idyllwind.com and at Boot Barn nationwide.

Pink Pistol also carries her new home decor line, Wanda June, which is named for her grandmother and her mother, whose middle name is June. Outside of the Pink Pistol, the line is sold exclusively at Walmart.com.

“You can buy something at the Pink Pistol for $5 or for $500,” says Rick, adding that autographed guitars are popular items.

The Lamberts also started Red 55 Winery, which offers 12 varietals. The Lamberts produce and bottle between 7,000 to 10,000 cases of wine a year, selling through their website to 29 states plus distribution in Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Nevada.

These family businesses attract some 50,000 visitors annually from all over the world, generating business for local hotels, stores, and restaurants.

“It’s her hometown and she has always been adamant about supporting and promoting it in interviews, biographical videos or anywhere she can mention it,” Rick says.

What are the “must-do’s” in Lindale?

Darden Harvest Park is a landmark, and it’s next to the Cannery complex where Red 55’s tasting room and the Pink Pistol are located.

The bucolic park offers walking trails, a dog park, an 18-hole disc golf course, a splash pad for kids, and beautiful scenery. Lovely Pickers Pavilion can be rented for weddings, parties, and family reunions.

“We have a diverse restaurant community of Mexican, Italian, Asian, barbecue, and home cooking,”

Old Mill Pond Museum Rick and Bev Lambert

Rick says. “I highly recommend the Hemingway tasting room featuring Red 55 wines, inside the Pink Pistol.”

There are plenty of places to stay plus a new SpringHill Suites by Marriott with a western-themed Miranda suite.

In the wake of Miranda’s success, Lindale now promotes a thriving music scene.

THESE FAMILY BUSINESSES ATTRACT SOME 50,000 VISITORS ANNUALLY FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, GENERATING BUSINESS FOR LOCAL HOTELS, STORES, AND RESTAURANTS.

“She was the catalyst,” Rick says.

Lindale was designated as a Texas Music Friendly City by the governor’s office, and it’s got multiple stages showcasing a stream of Texan artists.

“There are also stages in Lindale that can accommodate everything from small gatherings to thousands for the bigger acts,” says Rick.

Lindale’s history is also on full display year-round. From the city’s Old Mill Pond Museum to the iconic Lindale Candy Company, visitors can literally taste and see the sweetness of a simpler time.