Wanda Lavonne Jackson (born October 20, 1937) is an American singer, songwriter, pianist and guitarist who had success in the mid-1950s and 1960s as one of the first popular female rockabilly singers and a pioneering rock and roll artist.[2] She is known to many as the Queen of Rockabilly (or First Lady of Rockabilly). Jackson mixed country music with fast-moving rockabilly, often recording them on opposite sides of a record. 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. She has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity among rockabilly revivalists in Europe and younger Americana fans, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an Early Influence in 2009. Jackson began her professional career while still attending Capitol Hill High School in Oklahoma City after being discovered by Hank Thompson in 1954. 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. Jackson briefly dated Elvis, during which time Elvis sometimes would coach Jackson how to play rock n roll. During the 1950s, Jacksons 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 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. In September 2008, she was nominated for a second time; and was inducted on April 4, 2009 as an Early Influence. She was the first addition to the category in nine years. Jackson ranked number 35 on CMTs 2002 special, The 40 Greatest Women of Country Music. In 2006 Alfred Publishing acknowledged her influence on young musicians by publishing The Best of Wanda Jackson: Lets Have a Party, a songbook with music and lyrics to thirteen songs associated with Jackson. It was the first songbook ever published on Jackson. 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. Besides this street in Oklahoma City, the city of Maud, Oklahoma, where she was born, has named one of its streets, Wanda Jackson Boulevard. On September 9, 2010, she was given the Americana Lifetime Achievement Award for performance at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Jack White presented the award to her. In 2013 she was inducted into the Iowa Rock And Roll Music Association (IRRMA) Hall Of Fame in the category Women Who Rock. https://youtube/watch?v=STr1XRjrnhU
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 11:12:48 +0000
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