Wanda Jackson(I)
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Singer/songwriter Wanda Jean Jackson has enjoyed a long and successful
music career which encompasses such diverse genres as country, gospel,
and rockabilly.
Wanda was born on October 20, 1937 in Maud, Oklahoma. Her father Tom
was a former country singer who had to quit music because of the Great
Depression. Jackson got her first guitar from her dad while living in
California from 1941 to 1947. At age 12 Wanda and her family moved back
to Oklahoma City. She won a local talent show contest in 1952 and got
her own radio show on KLPR, which she hosted while attending high
school. Jackson recorded several songs with the country group The
Brazos Valley Boys in the
1950's; her duet "You Can't Have My
Love" with band leader Billy Gray was a #8 country hit in 1954. Wanda
met Elvis Presley
while touring the country in 1956; Presley encouraged her to start
recording rockabilly songs. Jackson's rousing "Fujiyama Mama" was a
huge smash in Japan; it remained at #1 on the radio charts for six
weeks. The equally stirring "Let's Have a Party" likewise did well; it
peaked at #37 on the US pop charts in 1960. The touching ballads "Right
or Wrong" and "In the Middle of a Heartache" were top 10 country hits
in the early 1960's. Wanda's other country hits include "Tears Will Be
the Chaser for Your Wine," "Both Sides of the Line," "A Girl Don't Have
to Drink to Have Fun," "A Woman Lives for Love," and "Fancy Satin
Pillows."
In 1966 Jackson had a #1 hit in Germany with "Santo Domingo," which she
sang entirely in German. In 1971 Wanda and her manager husband Wendell
Goodman became borne-again Christians; Jackson subsequently has
recorded several gospel albums and has performed gospel songs at
churches. In 1995 Jackson sang two duets with alternative country
singer Rosie Flores on Flores'
album "Rockabilly Filly." She has been twice nominated for Grammy
Awards and was awarded the Oklahoma Native Daughter Award. Moreover,
Wanda has been inducted into the Oklahoma Country Music Hall of Fame,
the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, the International Gospel Music Hall of
Fame, the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, and the German Country Music
Hall of Fame. Now in her 70's, Wanda Jackson still continues to tour
and perform all over the world.
