Wanda Jackson

Wanda Jackson remembers Elvis (Mar 2006)

"I just want you all to know that without the encouragement of Elvis Presley, I may never have even recorded rock 'n' roll or rockabilly." So proclaims Wanda Jackson in the spoken introduction to her new album for Golden Lane titled, "I Remember Elvis." Indeed, few performers can claim the personal connection that the Oklahoma-born songstress enjoyed with the King of Rock 'n' Roll. While touring together during the mid-'50s, the teen-aged singers became sweethearts.  ...

Wanda Jackson: rockabilly makes music her way (Dec 2002)

In the mid-'50s, country music was under siege from a new competitor called rock 'n' roll. Teenagers who could have been counted on to listen to country records just five years earlier were now in the thrall of the new style. And country music was on the ropes. Sales were down, concert bookings had fallen through the floor, and some of the top names in the business, including Ernest Tubb, were seriously contemplating retirement. While older performers decided they'd rather fight than switch, younger artists such as George Jones and Wynn Stewart decided to hedge their bets and cut rock 'n' roll sides, sometimes under pseudonyms.  ...