Wondering why people say Wanda Jackson, queen of rockabilly? An Oklahoma country singer took Elvis Presley’s advice and became a pioneering woman in rockabilly.
This profile is part of our guide to rockabilly history.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Born | October 20, 1937, in Maud, Oklahoma |
| Signed to Decca Records | 1954 |
| Met Elvis Presley on tour | 1955-56 |
| Recorded “Fujiyama Mama” | 1958 |
| Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame | 2000 |
| Rock and Roll Hall of Fame | 2009 |
Source: Oklahoma Historical Society, Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Dates and honours can be corrected or updated, so check the source before you rely on them.
Who is Wanda Jackson?
Wanda Lavonne Jackson was the only child of Tom and Nellie Jackson, and she was born in Maud, Oklahoma, on October 20, 1937. Her family returned to Oklahoma in 1949, and she sang on radio station KLPR while a student at Capitol Hill High School.
That radio show changed her life. Country bandleader Hank Thompson heard it and invited her to perform at the Trianon Ballroom with his Brazos Valley Boys.
Her start, then, was country music, not rock and roll. Her rockabilly combines country phrasing with a hard vocal edge.
From country teenager to Decca artist
Soon after the ballroom date, Jackson cut a demo tape at Thompson’s studio. She was then signed by Decca Records, as the summary table above shows.
After she graduated from Capitol Hill High School in 1955, she hit the road with her father as chaperon and manager, according to the Grand Ole Opry’s artist profile. A teenager on tour with her dad is a very different picture from the wild stage figure she became.
Her early records were country records. Rock and roll was only beginning to reshape American radio, and she had not yet found her own sound in it.
How did Elvis Presley change her direction?
Jackson met Elvis Presley on tour in 1955-56. According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, he advised her to change her style to the new rock and roll.
The Opry profile says she was placed on the same bill as Presley when she first started touring. The Oklahoma Hall of Fame adds that he encouraged her to sing his kind of music, known today as rock ‘n’ roll.
It was a turning point. She did not simply copy him, though. She took the advice and made it her own, with a voice that could growl, snarl and tease in the same song.
Her path stands beside other early rockabilly stories. If you want the male side of the same moment, read our piece on gene vincent be-bop-a-lula.
Capitol Records, “Fujiyama Mama” and “Let’s Have a Party”
Capitol’s own producer, Ken Nelson, had once turned her away. The Opry profile quotes his retort, “Girls don’t sell records,” yet she still signed a record deal with Capitol Records in 1956.
The Oklahoma Hall of Fame says that relationship lasted 18 years. The Oklahoma Historical Society adds that, with the help of Jim Halsey, she recorded “Fujiyama Mama” in 1958.
The recording’s Japanese popularity exceeded its American reception, prompting a Japanese tour and the creation of a backing band.
“Let’s Have a Party,” previously recorded by Presley, combined her “wild energy, sex appeal and rebellious spirit,” in the Hall of Fame’s words.
- “Fujiyama Mama” (1958): a hit in Japan more than at home.
- “Let’s Have a Party”: recorded in 1958, then lifted by radio play in 1960.
- Her own touring band: formed after the Japan success.
The Party Timers and the 1960 breakthrough
In 1960 a Des Moines, Iowa, disc jockey began using “Let’s Have a Party” as his theme song. She had recorded it two years earlier, so the song needed time before it took off.
According to the Opry, the recording reached the US Top 40 in 1960. The band took the name The Party Timers from the hit; its musicians included Roy Clark on guitar and Big Al Downing on piano.
In early 1960, Las Vegas also began sending overtures. Country music had already been introduced there by Hank Thompson and Bob Wills, so the city was open to a performer with her background.
Gospel, a Grammy nod and a late-career comeback
Her album “Two Sides of Wanda” mixed country and rock and roll. It also included her version of Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” and earned her first Grammy nomination, for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
She later released a gospel album on Capitol called “Praise the Lord.” Capitol was not thrilled about the change in her sound, so she moved to Myrrh Records, where she released three more gospel albums.
The story did not end there. White Stripes member and producer Jack White approached her asking to produce a record.
The two teamed up to release “The Party Ain’t Over”. They also gave a performance at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, where White presented Jackson with the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Oklahoma Hall of Fame, which inducted her in its Class of 2014, says that album showed she was not ready to give up her title as the Queen of Rockabilly. You can read the Hall’s page at its Class of 2014 entry.
Honours and why her place matters
Jackson was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009, according to the Oklahoma Historical Society’s entry.
Women are often missing from the standard rockabilly story, and Jackson is the clearest correction. Later generations found her records and pulled them back into view; our look at the rockabilly revival 1980s shows one such wave.
Three things stand out:
- She moved from country to rock and roll on the advice of a fellow touring star.
- She found an audience abroad, in Japan, when the United States was slower to respond.
- She came back with a new record in 2011, decades after her chart peak.
For a reader new to the music, her records are a fine place to start. Listen for the country twang under the growl.
Her career also shows how fluid the early genre lines were. She moved between country, rock and roll and gospel, and each stage left something in her singing.
Frequently asked questions
When was Wanda Jackson born?
Show answer
She was born on October 20, 1937, in Maud, Oklahoma, according to the Oklahoma Historical Society.
Did Elvis Presley influence Wanda Jackson?
Show answer
Yes. She met him on tour in 1955-56, and he advised her to change her style to the new rock and roll.
When was she inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Show answer
The Oklahoma Historical Society says she was inducted in 2009. She entered the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2000.
What was “Fujiyama Mama”?
Show answer
It was a song she recorded for Capitol in 1958. Japanese audiences embraced it far more than American ones did, and that success shaped her next career moves.
