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]Contents [hide] 1 Biography 1.1 Early life 1.2 1955–1959: Early career 1.3 1960–1964: The Queen of Rockabilly 1.4 1965–1979: Country and gospel hits 1.5 1980–present: New beginnings 1.6 Personal life 2 Recognition 3 Notes 4 References 5 External links
[edit] Biography [edit] Early life
Wanda Jackson was born in Maud, Oklahoma on October 20, 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.[2] 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.[1] In 1948, when she was 12, the family moved back to Oklahoma. In 1956, 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,[1][1] who heard her singing on local station KLPR[7] and 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.[2] [edit] 1955–1959: Early career
After graduating from high school, Jackson began to tour with her father as manager and chaperon.[1] 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.[5][8][9]
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; and has claimed she was the first female to put "glamor into country music."[1]
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.[10]
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.[10] She toured Japan in February and March 1959. [edit] 1960–1964: The Queen of Rockabilly
In 1959, Jackson had a Top 40 pop hit with "Let's Have A Party", a song Presley had cut a year earlier.[5] 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.[10] 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.[1]
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".[11] [edit] 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".[1] 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.[10] 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.[1]
In the early 1970s, at her children's request, Jackson and her husband began to regularly attend church and discovered Christianity.[10] She began recording gospel songs and albums, including 1972's Praise the Lord on Capitol.[2] 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.[11] [edit] 1980–present: New beginnings
In the early 1980s, Jackson was invited to Europe to play and record rockabilly material when revivalists sought her out.[1] She regularly toured Scandinavia, England, and Germany during the decade; and influenced country artists including Pam Tillis, Jann Browne and Rosie Flores.[1] 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.[2]
In 2001, she played at the Rockabilly Festival in Jackson, Tennessee with Narvel Felts and Billy Haley and His Comets. [12] Her backup band was The Cadillac Angels (Tony Balbino, Mickey Chihuahua and Anders Stone). Despite her age, Jackson continued touring.[13] 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.[14] in 2005, singer Amy LaVere portrayed a young Jackson in the Johnny Cash biopic, Walk the Line.[6]
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.[15]
In late 2009, it was announced that Jackson would start work on new recordings with Jack White.[16] The recording has since been completed and includes a cover of the Bob Dylan song, "Thunder on the Mountain".[17] [edit] Personal life
In 1955, Jackson briefly dated Elvis Presley while on tour with him.[10][18] She married former IBM programmer Wendell Goodman in 1961, who has and continues to serve as her manager. 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.[6] [edit] Recognition
Jackson is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Music and Oklahoma 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.[19] In September 2008, she was nominated for a second time;[20] and was inducted on April 4, 2009 as an Early Influence,[4] the first addition to the category in nine years.
In 2009, Oklahoma City named an alley for her in the Bricktown entertainment district. "Wanda Jackson Way" was officially christened with a live performance by Jackson in her "Way" on September 30, 2009.
Wanda Jackson's Funnel of Love was covered by the English rock band The Fall on their 2010 album: Your Future Our Clutter .
