Wanda Lavonne Jackson
(born October 20, 1937) is an American singer and guitarist who had success in the mid-1950s and 60s as one of the first popular female rockabilly singers and a pioneering rock and roll artist. [1] She is known to many as the The First Lady (or Queen) of Rockabilly.
Jackson mixed country music with fast-moving rockabilly, often recording them on opposite sides of a record. [2] As rockabilly declined in popularity in the mid-1960s, she moved to a successful career in mainstream country music with a string of hits between 1966 and 1973, including, "Tears Will Be the Chaser for Your Wine," "A Woman Lives for Love" and "Fancy Satin Pillows."
She has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity among rockabilly revivalists in Europe, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an Early Influence on April 4, 2009. [3] [4]
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WANDA JACKSON TICKETS
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Biography
Early life
Wanda Jackson was born in
Maud, Oklahoma on October 10, 1937, but has lived much of her life in
Oklahoma City. Her father, a musician, moved the family to
California during the 1940s in hopes of a better life.
Two years later, he bought Jackson a
guitar and encouraged her to play. He also took her to see performances by
Spade Cooley,
Tex Williams and
Bob Wills, which left a lasting impression.
In 1952, when she was 15, the family moved back to Oklahoma. That same year she won a talent contest which led to her own radio program, soon extended by 30 minutes.
[5]
Jackson began her professional career while still attending Capitol Hill High School
[6] in Oklahoma City after being discovered by
Hank Thompson in 1954,
who invited her to perform with his band, the
Brazos Valley Boys. She recorded a few songs on their label,
Capitol Records, including "You Can't Have My Love," a duet with Thompson's bandleader, Billy Gray. The song was released as a single in 1954 and reached number eight on the
country chart. Jackson asked Capitol to sign her, but was turned down by producer Ken Nelson who told her "girls don't sell records." Instead, she signed with
Decca Records.
1955 – 1959: Early career
After graduating from high school, Jackson began to tour with her father as manager and chaperon.
She often shared the bill with
Elvis Presley, who encouraged Jackson to sing rockabilly. She was a cast member of
ABC-TV's
Ozark Jubilee
in
Springfield, Missouri from 1955-1960, and in 1956 she signed with Capitol, recording a number of singles mixing country with rock and roll. "I Gotta Know" released in 1956, peaked at number 15.
[7] [8]
During the 1950s, Jackson's stage outfits were often designed by her mother. Unlike traditional clothing worn by female country music singers of the time, she wore
fringe dresses, high heels and long earrings. Jackson has claimed she was the first female to put "glamor into country music."
She continued to record more rockabilly singles through the decade with producer Ken Nelson. Jackson insisted that Nelson make her records sound like those of label mates
Gene Vincent and
The Blue Caps. Nelson brought in many experienced and popular session players, including rock and roll pianist Merill Moore and the then unknown
Buck Owens. With a unique vocal style and upbeat material, Jackson created some of the most influential rock and roll music of the time.
[9]
In the late 1950s, Jackson recorded and released a number of rockabilly songs, including "Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad," "Mean, Mean Man," "Fujiyama Mama" (which hit number one in
Japan) and "Honey Bop." The songs, however, were only regional hits.
She toured Japan in February and March 1959.
1960 – 1964: The Queen of Rockabilly
In 1960, Jackson had a Top 40 pop hit with "Let's Have a Party," a song Presley had cut a year earlier.
She was headlining concerts with her own band, which she dubbed The Party Timers. Prominently featured were pianist
Big Al Downing and guitarist
Roy Clark, virtually unknown at the time.
A year later, she recorded more country-pop material with "Right or Wrong," a number nine hit, and "In the Middle of a Heartache," which peaked at number six on the country chart.
The unexpected success of her records led Capitol to release a number of albums composed of her 1950s material, including 1960's
Rockin' with Wanda
and
There's a Party Goin' On,
which included "Tongue Tied" and "Riot in the Cell Block #9." Her 1961 and 1962 albums,
Right or Wrong
and
Wonderful Wanda
, featured her two top ten country hits from 1961. In 1963, Jackson recorded a final album titled
Two Sides of Wanda,
which included both rock and roll and country music, including a cover of
Jerry Lee Lewis' "
Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On".
[10]
1965 – 1979: Country and gospel hits
In 1965, Jackson made the move to country music as rockabilly declined in popularity, and had a string of Top 40 hits during the next ten years. In 1966, she released two singles that peaked in the country top 20, "Tears Will Be the Chaser for Your Wine" and "The Box it Came in."
In 1967 she recorded two albums, and released a string of singles during the next few years that often asserted a fiery and violent persona, including 1969's "My Big Iron Skillet," a top 20 hit which threatened death or assault for cheating on a spouse.
In 1970 and 1971, she had her final top 20 country hits with "A Woman Lives for Love" and "Fancy Satin Pillows." Jackson was a premier attraction in
Las Vegas and was twice nominated for a
Grammy award. She had a
syndicated television show,
Music Village,
from 1967-68.
In the early 1970s, at her children's request, Jackson and her husband began to regularly attend church and discovered
Christianity.
She began recording
gospel songs and albums, including 1972's
Praise the Lord
on Capitol.
After Capitol dropped her, she recorded a number of albums for small religious labels and set up
Evangelical church tours with her husband across the country. Jackson wanted to record a mix of country and gospel music for her albums; however, religious labels were not interested.
1980 – present: New beginnings
In the early 1980s, Jackson was invited to
Europe to play and record rockabilly material when revivalists sought her out.
She regularly toured
Scandinavia,
England, and
Germany during the decade; and influenced country artists including
Pam Tillis,
Jann Browne and
Rosie Flores.
In 1995, she sang two duets with Flores on her 1995 album,
Rockabilly Filly,
and then embarked on a United States tour with her, her first American tour since the 1970s.
In 2001, she played at the Rockabilly Festival in
Jackson, Tennessee with
Narvel Felts and
Billy Haley and His Comets.
[11] Her backup band was The Cadillac Angels (Tony Balbino, Mickey Chihuahua and
Anders Stone). Despite her age, Jackson continued touring.
[12]
She was number 35 on
CMT's 2002 special,
The 40 Greatest Women of Country Music.
In 2003, Jackson released her first studio album since the 1980s,
Heart Trouble
on
CMH Records. The 16-track album included guest appearances by
Elvis Costello,
The Cramps and Rosie Flores.
[13] in 2005, singer
Amy LaVere portrayed a young Jackson in the
Johnny Cash biopic,
Walk the Line
.
On October 28, 2008, Jackson returned to England for an appearance at the London Rock 'n' Roll Festival with
Jerry Lee Lewis and
Linda Gail Lewis at the
London Forum.
[14]
Personal life
In 1955, Jackson briefly dated Elvis Presley while on tour with him.
[15] She married former
IBM programmer Wendell Goodman in 1961, who served as her manager throughout her career. The couple had two children. Unlike her counterpart,
Janis Martin, who quit the music business after getting married, Jackson kept working. She currently lives in Oklahoma City.
Recognition
Jackson is a member of the
Rockabilly Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Music and Country Music halls of fame, as well as the International Gospel and the German Music halls of fame.
She was nominated for induction into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 but was not elected.
[16] In September 2008, she was nominated for a second time;
[17] and she was inducted on April 4, 2009 as an Early Influence,
the first addition to the category in nine years.
Discography
Notes
- Biography - Wanda Jackson
- Country Music: The Rough Guide
- Wanda Jackson to be inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- The Associated Press: Run-DMC, Metallica lead list of 2009 Rock Hall
- Wanda Jackson biography
- Jennifer Chancellor, "Sass and Style" (Profile of Wanda Jackson), ''Tulsa World'', November 2, 2008.
- http://rcs.law.emory.edu/rcs/ss/02/ss2201.mp3 Sample of "I Gotta Know" at Rockin' Country Style @ Em
- http://rcs.law.emory.edu/rcs/pics/d02/2150.htm "I Gotta Know" record label
- ''Wanda Jackson biography''
- The Rock & Roll Eruption of Wanda Jackson
- Rockabilly Festival on Tap for Jackson
- Title Unavailable
- Wanda Jackson - Heart Trouble
- London Rock & Roll.com
- http://www.classicbands.com/WandaJacksonInterview.html
- Twitty, Jackson Nominated for Rock Hall
- Wanda Jackson Nominated for Rock Hall Induction
References
- Biography - Wanda Jackson
- Country Music: The Rough Guide
- Wanda Jackson to be inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- The Associated Press: Run-DMC, Metallica lead list of 2009 Rock Hall
- Wanda Jackson biography
- Jennifer Chancellor, "Sass and Style" (Profile of Wanda Jackson), ''Tulsa World'', November 2, 2008.
- http://rcs.law.emory.edu/rcs/ss/02/ss2201.mp3 Sample of "I Gotta Know" at Rockin' Country Style @ Em
- http://rcs.law.emory.edu/rcs/pics/d02/2150.htm "I Gotta Know" record label
- ''Wanda Jackson biography''
- The Rock & Roll Eruption of Wanda Jackson
- Rockabilly Festival on Tap for Jackson
- Title Unavailable
- Wanda Jackson - Heart Trouble
- London Rock & Roll.com
- http://www.classicbands.com/WandaJacksonInterview.html
- Twitty, Jackson Nominated for Rock Hall
- Wanda Jackson Nominated for Rock Hall Induction