At age 16, Gayle performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Lynn's place. "Loretta was sick," Gayle told PEOPLE in 2016. "I know Mooney, her husband, talked somebody into letting me go on stage that night." ...

One of Gayle’s breakthrough moments came at age 16, when she performed at the Grand Ole Opry in place of Lynn. "Loretta was sick," Gayle told PEOPLE in 2016. "I know Mooney, her husband ...