Fame has a short memory. The women below all had a moment when their face was everywhere, and then the industry moved on to somebody newer. What happened next is the interesting part, because almost none of them actually left.
Nancy Sinatra Talked Her Way Into The Song That Defined Her
Lee Hazlewood wrote “These Boots Are Made for Walkin'” intending to sing it himself. Nancy Sinatra talked him out of it, and that argument turned into one of the most recognisable records of the 1960s. She had signed to Reprise, her father’s label, and had spent years without a hit to show for it. The single changed that overnight, topping the charts and pulling in three Grammy nominations. Her debut album “Boots” followed it to number five on the Billboard 200. She stepped back in the 1970s to raise her daughters rather than chase the next release, which is the decision most retrospectives skip over. She still posts occasionally, still owns the song, and still gets asked about that one afternoon of persuasion.