Country Singer Billie Jo Spears Dies at 73

Billie Jo Spears

VIDOR, Texas (AP) _ Billie Jo Spears, whose performance of “Blanket on the Ground” went No. 1 on the country charts in 1975, has died at age 73.

Carl Willis of R.S. Farmer Funeral Home in Silsbee, Texas, which is handling funeral arrangements, confirmed her death. He had no details, but The Orange Leader reported that she died Wednesday morning at her home in the Southeast Texas town of Vidor, 85 miles northeast of Houston. No cause of death was stated.

The native of nearby Beaumont, Texas, was voted most promising female vocalist by the Academy of Country Music in 1976. Her other hits included “Mr. Walker, It’s All Over” in 1969; “What I’ve Got in Mind” in 1976; “Misty Blue” in 1976; and “If You Want Me” in 1977.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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