Wanda Jackson

Wanda LaVonne Jackson, born on October 20, 1937, in Maud, Oklahoma, began her musical journey at a young age. Her family moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1941, where she was introduced to Western swing music and learned to play the guitar at age six. The family later relocated to Bakersfield, California, and then to Oklahoma City, where she sang in church and developed her performance skills. She gained her own 15-minute radio segment on KLPR and was discovered by country singer Hank Thompson, leading to her first recording contract with Decca Records in 1954 while still in high school. Her debut single, “You Can’t Have My Love,” a duet with Billy Gray, reached number eight on the Billboard Hot Country and Western Sides chart.

After graduating from Capitol Hill High School in 1955, Jackson began touring, with her father acting as her manager. During a tour with Elvis Presley in 1955-1956, Presley encouraged her to explore rock and roll. In 1956, she signed with Capitol Records, where she was given permission to record both country and rockabilly music. Her song “I Gotta Know” became a success, and she followed with rock and roll tracks like “Fujiyama Mama.” “Fujiyama Mama” notably became a number one hit in Japan in 1958, leading to a Japanese tour. In 1960, her cover of “Let’s Have a Party” became her first American rock and roll hit, reaching number 37 on the Billboard pop music chart and achieving success in Australia and the United Kingdom.

Throughout the 1960s, Jackson shifted back to country music, achieving commercial success with hits like “Right or Wrong” and “In the Middle of a Heartache.” She also recorded in German, achieving a number-one hit in Austria with “Santo Domingo” in 1965, leading to European tours. In the early 1970s, after re-discovering Christianity, Jackson focused on gospel music, releasing several albums in the genre. Her career experienced a rock and roll revival in the mid-1980s, leading to European tours and new rock albums. She collaborated with Jack White on the critically acclaimed album “The Party Ain’t Over” in 2011, which charted on the Billboard 200. In 2019, Jackson announced her retirement from performing due to health reasons, and released her final studio album, “Encore,” in 2021.