Born 89 Years Ago in the Sooner State, the Country Music Trailblazer Who Became Rockabilly Royalty After Taking Elvis Presley’s Advice

On this day (October 20) in 1937, Wanda Jackson was born in Maud, Oklahoma. Her family moved to California, where she discovered western swing and started playing the guitar. She had her own radio show before she graduated from high school. After touring with Elvis Presley, she began performing rockabilly. Later in life, she found success as a gospel artist before returning to country music.

Jackson grew up surrounded by music. Her father, Tom, played in a local band with his brother in Oklahoma. After they moved to California, he still sang and played guitar in the family home, and young Wanda sang along. Then, when she was six years old, her father gave Jackson her first guitar. Around this time, she discovered the western swing music of the Maddox Brothers and Rose and Bob Wills.

“I would stand right at the bandstand all night long. They never had to worry where I was. I was right there, looking up!” Jackson recalled. “When I saw Rose Maddox…I’d seen girl singers before, but this one–she was feisty. She played that bass, you know, like a guy. She really got after it.” Seeing Maddox perform showed Jackson what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.

Wanda Jackson’s Career Begins

In 1946, Wanda Jackson’s family moved to Oklahoma City. There, she sang in church and eventually auditioned for the local radio station. Her first appearance led to a daily 15-minute show on which she played country songs. Country singer and rising star Hank Thompson heard her on the radio and invited her to perform with him. That performance opened more doors for Jackson. Later, she became a regular on Thompson’s TV show.

Thompson tried to get Jackson signed to his label, Capitol Records. However, Ken Nelson rejected her, telling Thompson, “Girls don’t sell records.” Thompson then used his contacts at Decca Records to land Jackson a deal there. She inked her recording contract before graduating from high school.

She released “You Can’t Have My Love” as her debut single in 1954. It went to No. 8 on the country chart. A year later, she finished school and began touring. Her first concerts were alongside Elvis Presley. He convinced her to perform rockabilly, which was growing in popularity.

Jackson Finds Mainstream Success

After scoring a hit song and having a successful tour, Ken Nelson at Capitol Records changed his mind about Wanda Jackson. Soon, she was writing and recording songs that would go down in history as rockabilly classics.

Jackson’s early recordings have been called rocking, raucous, and even raunchy. Unlike many women in popular music, she didn’t shy away from her sexuality. From her lyrics to her stage presence and vocal delivery, she left her mark on the music world, opening doors for future performers.

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In the early 1960s, rockabilly started to lose steam. So, Jackson returned to country music. In 1961, she released a rendition of Bob Wills’ “Right or Wrong” that became a top 10 hit. She scored several more top 40 country hits throughout the decade. Then, in the early 1970s, she found religion and started making gospel music.

In the mid-1980s, Wanda Jackson returned to rock and roll and began releasing new albums and touring again. She released her final album, Encore, in 2021.

Featured Image by Gilles Petard/Redferns