he Queen of Rockabilly, Wanda Jackson, continues her hot streak. She's been all over the press since before the January, 2011 release of her latest CDThe Party Ain't Over which was produced by the everywhere man Jack White. She'd been recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received an Early Influence award.
And now Jackson's old acoustic guitar will be featured at a new exhibit in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame dedicated to female artists. The exhibit,Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power, chronicles the pioneering role of women in rock 'n' roll, from Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith to Bikini Kill and Lady GaGa.
And Jackson fits right in. After all, she broke the mold for female singers in the 50s. No one had heard a "girl" sing like she did. If Lady GaGa thinks she has the corner on raw sexuality, she's dead wrong! Jackson brought the same type of "dangerous" sensuality to her music that Elvis did and she did it about 40 years before GaGa was born.And she did it with a lot more taste and class in my not-so-humble opinion. GaGa's nothing new, she's just more explicit. Jackson...nowshe was new!
"It's like they just got their heads together and said, 'We will not help this girl do it,'" Jackson says of the men who controlled the record business of the 50s. "They just wouldn't play my records if it was the rock stuff. So it didn't take long before I was putting a country song on one side of a record and a rock song on the other."
That probably worked in Jackson's favor in a way since country music was her home for many years and she had decent success with some great country songs. She also went on to record lots of gospel music. But it's the rock and roll that she's remembered for now. Her early rockabilly releases have become iconic classics of the genre.
She could throw her voice from sweet to gravelly in mid lyric and she still does today at 73 years old. As a teenager she was a powerful performer who turned heads not only because she was beautiful to look at, but because she created a beautiful package of sight and sound. And she pushed boundaries with glamor, style, and attitude.
As a septuagenarian, she is still a powerful performer. She seems tireless and has been keeping up a heavy touring schedule since the release of her new record. She seems to be everywhere. She is still a superwoman of rock and roll. No doubt about it: Jackson is indeedA Woman Who Rocks!
Buster Fayte is an author and rockabilly musician. Visit his Rockabilly Romp blog athttp://rockabillyromp.info, download free rockabilly computer background artwork as Buster's way of welcoming you to the blog, and join the rockabilly discussion.
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