of Women in Country Music: "We were pitiful...Because we were too poor to stay in hotels, we slept in the car and ate baloney and cheese sandwiches in the parks...Then we'd go into the radio station and pester the DJ to play my record. We didn't care if it was a 500-watt local station or a 50,000-watt clear-channel station. We'd hit them all. We were on the road three months." Once the Lynn's had arrived in Nashville, Tennessee, "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl" had become a major hit. It peaked at number No. 14 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in the summer of 1960. It also charted in Music Vendor at No. 12 and Cash Box at No. 30. "Honky Tonk Girl" was not included on an official album until the release of Lynn's box set of music entitled Honky Tonk Girl: The Loretta Lynn Collection. Released on MCA Records in 1994, the song was the opening track on the box set as the release chronicled some of her biggest recordings over the years. With the success of the record Lynn was building a loyal fan base and her first fan club was formed by, Mary Ann Cooper, in November 1960. "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl" was mainly well received by critics. Paul Zollo of American Songwriter commented that the song "reflected country life as it was really lived" and that it helped the public "fall in love" with her artistry. Robert K. Oermann of Finding Her Voice: The History of Women in Country Music drew similarities of Lynn's vocals to that of country music singer Kitty Wells, "The 1960 single reveals that Loretta was patterning herself after Kitty Wells, then the dominant female country star. Her vocal style is very much in the weepy Wells style, and the number is in the seduced-and-abandoned mode that Kitty popularized in hits like "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels." "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl" prompted the rise of Lynn's musical career. The song's success was heard by country music duo The Wilburn Brothers, who invited her to tour with them. Country music artist Ernest Tubb was also impressed by the single and invited Lynn to perform on his syndicated Midnite Jamboree program. The performance would also bring her to the attention of the Grand Ole Opry, performing the song shortly after her performance on Tubb's radio program. This