Wanda Jackson gets her Way in Oklahoma City
Wanda Jackson holds her copy of the Wanda Jackson Way street sign Wednesday in Bricktown. (Associated Press photo)
A version of this story also appears in Thursday’s The Oklahoman.
After building a 55-year music career spanning three genres, garnering an international fan base and earning a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Wanda Jackson is getting her way in Oklahoma City.
“I think I’ve always had my own way, really. I keep fighting until I get it,” the Queen of Rockabilly said with a laugh said after Wednesday afternoon’s dedication of Wanda Jackson Way.
About 150 elected officials, musicians and fans gathered in Bricktown for the ceremony. Wanda Jackson Way runs parallel to Reno Avenue and connects Oklahoma Avenue to Mickey Mantle Drive.
“I’ll just say follow Mickey Mantle; he’ll take you right to me. He was a country music fan, you know. He used to come out … when I had my band and we worked dances around the country,” Jackson said after closing the ceremony with a performance.
The Oklahoma City Council voted unanimously in July to name the alley for Jackson, a longtime Oklahoma City resident who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April. She is the fourth music star to have a Bricktown roadway named for her; Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill, legendary guitarist Charlie Christian and Grammy-winning alternative rockers The Flaming Lips are the previous honorees.
Mayor Mick Cornett called Jackson, 71, a “true Oklahoma City legend.” The singer broke into the music business as a teen with a 15-minute daily show on local radio station KLPR.
The mayor and Ward 7 Councilman Skip Kelly presented her with a full-size copy of the street sign and helped her cut the red fringed ribbon, which matched her snazzy blouse. Ward 4 Councilman Pete White shared stories of listening to Jackson at high school assemblies and praised her for never forgetting her roots.
“She was always the star of those shows, and I remember that very well as someone who grew up listening to KLPR,” he said. “She didn’t move someplace else, she didn’t go to some other town, or some other state, she’s right here in Oklahoma City.”
While she also performed country and gospel, Jackson became a rock pioneer in the 1950s. At the urging of rising star Elvis Presley, she became the first woman to sing in the emerging style.
“I’m not worthy of all the acclaims and accolades, but I’m very grateful for them,” Jackson said during the ceremony. “I’ve lived like a fairytale life. Every year of my life has truly been wonderful and exciting. I feel like Cinderella still, but … 2009 has really been memorable for me.”
Jill Simpson, Oklahoma Film and Music Office director, read a governor’s proclamation declaring Wednesday Wanda Jackson Day in the state. When Cornett apologized that she had already missed half her day, Jackson, who turns 72 next month, proved as witty as ever.
“I don’t get up ‘til noon anyway,” she quipped.
The singer, who continues to tour, also proved she still has her distinctive powerhouse voice, belting out her hits “Mean Mean Man,” “Right or Wrong” and “Let’s Have a Party,” backed by a band from the nearby Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma.
Sitting in the grass in front of the small stage, Oklahoma City resident Marilyn Owens recalled a childhood trip to KLPR to see Jackson perform.
“This is wonderful, couldn’t happen to a more perfect performer,” Owens said. “It’s amazing that she’s still going strong.”
Paula Warlick of Tulsa extended a business trip to Oklahoma City to see Jackson perform live for the first time.
“My parents listened to her when I was a kid, so you hear something all your life and you don’t realize that somebody lives in Oklahoma. … I didn’t know she was from Oklahoma until I was older,” she said. “She’s a woman in rock who paved some ground for women, so I’m a big fan.”
As Jackson signed autographs after the ceremony, Wendell Goodman, her manager and spouse, said the landmark honor is particularly special since it comes from their hometown.
“Oklahoma City and Oklahoma County and the state have just bent over backward to pay homage to her … and we are so pleased,” he said.
He added with a laugh, “She’s had her way with me for 48 years.”
-BAM
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