Radio Free Elsewhere BulletinExtra

Wanda Jackson

American singer, songwriter, and musician (born 1937)

Wanda LaVonne Jackson is an American singer and songwriter. Since the 1950s, she has recorded and released music in the genres of rock, country and gospel.

She was among the first women to have a career in rock and roll, recording a series of 1950s singles that helped give her the nickname "The Queen of Rockabilly". She is also counted among the first female stars in the genre of country music.

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Admit one

Wanda Jackson

what: one person
from: Maud
born: 1937
on the air here: 11 songs

File card: Wanda Jackson

real name: Wanda Lavonne Jackson

labels: Capitol Records, Decca, Black Country Rock Media, CMH Records, Third Man Records

genres: country music, rockabilly, gospel music, folk music

awards: Americana Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance, Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame, Rockabilly Hall of Fame, Oklahoma Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame

plays: guitar, voice

Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.

countryrockabillygospelsinger-songwriterwhitesnake - is this love

The Airwaves CourierExtra

Early life

Jackson was the only child of Tom and Nellie Jackson in Maud, Oklahoma. Her father worked multiple jobs, including a gas station attendant and delivery truck driver. He also played music in a local band alongside his brother. Because of limited opportunities in Maud, the family moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1941. Jackson often sang alongside her parents at home. Nellie Jackson often had Jackson sing while she was out of sight, to ensure her daughter was accounted for. In Los Angeles, Jackson was introduced to western swing music. She enjoyed hearing music by popular western acts like Bob Wills and Rose Maddox. When she was six years old, her father introduced Jackson to the guitar. She also took guitar lessons and was soon skillful...

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The Airwaves CourierExtra

1953–1955: Country beginnings

Jackson also continued working with Hank Thompson. In 1953, she appeared with him regularly on his local television program and on a similar program for 30 minutes hosted by KLPR. Thompson also recorded Jackson on several demonstration tapes in hopes they would be heard by major record labels. Thompson was also attempting to get his band member Billy Gray a recording contract and had the pair sing several duets. Jackson was supposed to be signed by Thompson's label, Capitol Records, but was rejected by producer Ken Nelson. "Girls don't sell records!" he told Thompson. In her book, Jackson recalled hearing Nelson's statement: "I recognize that Ken wasn't being sexist, so much as he was thinking about business. But it still gave me a little...

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Musical styles and voice

Jackson's musical style includes rockabilly, country and gospel music. In her early career, she was known for releasing country and rock records simultaneously. Music writers and critics have analyzed the reasoning behind this decision. Critic Bruce Eder explained that "she spent years walking a tightrope between traditional country and rock & roll, just trying to carve out a niche for herself and earn a living". Author Kurt Wolff wrote that Jackson released both genres simultaneously because she "never [felt] the need to hide one set of songs from fans of the other." Critic William Ruhlmann theorized that Jackson "was encouraged to straddle musical genres" due to her record label's worries that rock would decline in popularity.

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The Broken RecordExtra

Performance style and image

Jackson's choice of stage wear and movement on stage has also been a subject of discussion. Unlike other female country performers, Jackson chose to dress in gold lamé outfits and sequined dresses, most of which were designed by her mother. "I was the first one to put some glamour in the country music," she explained to the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Mary A. Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann added that Jackson's outfits demonstrated "fire, energy, and uninhibited nerve that doubtless shocked conservatives". The way Jackson moved on stage has also been seen as uncharacteristic of other female performers. Bobby Moore added that Jackson's live shows embedded "upbeat songs" and "high-energy" that "compelled audience members to party like they don't...

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US singer born October 20, 1937. She was one of the first female rock and roll singers in the United States, releasing her debut record in 1954 (which was a country recording). She is often hailed as the "Queen Of Rockabilly". She charted 34 times in the U.S. and U.K. as a solo artist between 1956 and 1974 and once with Billy Gray in the duet "You Can't Have My Love" in 1954. This included two top ten country songs, "In the Middle of a Heartache" (#6) and "Right or Wrong" (#9), both in 1961. Inducted into Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2009 (Early Influence). Also known as: Jackson, Jackson, Wanda, W Jackson, W. Jackson, W. Jones From Discogs (free to use). Their entry