Vince Gill talks Will Rogers, musical diversity and more before receiving Sunday award
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Oklahoma musician Vince Gill to receive Will Rogers Spirit Award in Tulsa
Singer/songwriter/guitarist Vince Gill considers humorist/cowboy/social commentator Will Rogers “the coolest Okie in history.”
So, it’s fitting that the Oklahoma-born country music star is traveling from Nashville back to his home state this weekend to receive the 2009 Will Rogers Spirit Award from the Rotary Club of Will Rogers. The club, along with members of Rogers’ family, will present the award to Gill during a gala Sunday night at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa.
“We look for somebody who exemplifies the spirit of Will Rogers,” said gala committee member Lucy Cravens. “He’s raised a lot of money for a lot of different organizations.”
The “roast and toast,” themed “Oklahoma Swing” after the Gill hit, will feature friends and colleagues of the star performing and speaking in his honor.
For Gill, 52, getting an award named for Rogers, who famously declared “I never met a man I didn’t like,” is a great compliment.
“I don’t know that they’re actually comparing you to (Will Rogers), but you do hopefully some decent things for people and live life for other people instead of just yourself. And that’s all I’ve ever really tried to do is if somebody needs a hand up, you give it to ‘em. And if somebody needs you to help out, you help ‘em out. That just seems like a commonsense way of life,” Gill said in a phone interview from his Nashville home. “That to me comes from where I’m from.”
The Country Music Hall of Famer and his wife, fellow singer Amy Grant, are known for lending their talents to an array of philanthropic projects. The couple this year hosted a concert in Washington, D.C., to benefit Challenge America, a charity working with injured veterans. Since 1993, Gill has hosted his own pro-celebrity golf tournament, “The Vinny,” to support junior golf programs.
He has been busy this year working with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. He not only serves as president of the museum’s board of officers and trustees, he also is the creator and driving force behind its “All for the Hall” fundraising initiative.
“I asked everybody to just when they’re playing out there and they’re doing 125 shows a year, just say, hey, while we’re in Omaha, we’re going to play for free and just take the proceeds from that show and give it to the hall of fame,” he said. “Because it was always my belief that the reason I ever played music was because of how much I loved it. It was never how much I could get out of it.”
On Oct. 1, Gill joined Emmylou Harris, Dwight Yoakam, Melissa Etheridge and others in Los Angeles for the third annual “All for the Hall” guitar pull, in which the musicians traded off playing new and favorite songs.
A few days later, Gill and fellow star Keith Urban co-hosted the sold-out “We’re All for the Hall” benefit concert at Nashville’s Sommet Center. The event, which also featured Taylor Swift, Faith Hill and Brad Paisley, raised more than $500,000.
“It created a tremendous amount of attention and I think it’ll be like dominoes. I think that it’ll inspire a lot of other people to do the same thing,” Gill said.
The 20-time Grammy winner finds inspiration in working with musicians and singers from across genres. He will perform with rock band Daughtry on the Country Music Association’s 43rd Annual CMA Awards, which will air Nov. 11 on ABC. They will play their country-rock collaboration “Tennessee Line,” featured on the band’s new album “Leave This Town.”
He said frontman Chris Daughtry asked him to lend his voice to the song after a mutual friend, singer-songwriter Richard Marx, suggested it.
“Not everything I do is country, you know. I’ve worked with Barbra Streisand, I’ve worked with Ralph Stanley, I’ve worked with Daughtry, I’ve worked with Mark Knopfler,” Gill said.
“That creates its own versatility, being willing to go play bluegrass with Del McCoury and then sit down at a jazz piano with Diana Krall and rock as hard as you want with Mark. … It’s just an open mind is all that’s created all those kind of relationships. And I’m prouder of that anything I’ve accomplished my own. The reason I learned to play music was to play it with other people.”
Former Hootie & the Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker praised the Oklahoma native for his musical generosity, noting that Gill sang on his debut country album last year.
“Vince is the coolest guy on the planet,” Rucker said. “There’s not a lot of people who are the real deal … and Vince is the real deal.”
Going on
The Rotary Club of Will Rogers’ 2009 Gala “Oklahoma Swing”
What: Honoring Will Rogers Spirit Award winner Vince Gill.
Benefiting: Proceeds will go in part to Blue Star Mothers of America Inc., Oklahoma Chapter 1.
When: 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
Where: Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N Main, Tulsa.
Cost: $125 for individual tickets.
Information: (918) 749-6661 or www.willrogersrotary.org.
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Vince Gill, Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts to be profiled in CMA TV special
Vince Gill (Photo by Chris Landsberger/The Oklahoman Archives)
Carrie Underwood (Associated Press photo)
Rascal Flatts (AP photo)
Oklahoma country music stars Carrie Underwood, Vince Gill and Rascal Flatts (which includes Joe Don Rooney of Picher) will be featured on the television special “In the Spotlight with Robin Roberts: Bright Light. Big Stars. All Access Nashville.”
The special will air on ABC (KOCO-5 in Oklahoma City) on Nov. 10, the day before the 43rd Annual Country Music Association Awards air live on the network. It will be hosted by “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts.
Tim McGraw and Martina McBride also will be profiled on the one-hour special, according to CMT.com. The show will include interviews with Gill, Rosanne Cash and Loretta Lynn about their musical families.
Also, President Barack Obama, Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts will take part in a segment about their favorite country songs. Viewers can go to www.abcnews.com to cast their votes for their favorite country track. The winning song will be revealed the following morning, the day of the big awards show, on “Good Morning America.”
ABC has started posting online a few snippets of Roberts’ interviews with the stars. Video clips up now include Underwood talking about the record deal she didn’t land when she 15 and the ways she copes with life as a celebrity. Also, bits featuring Underwood with her mom Carole and Gill with his daughter Jenny are available for viewing.
To see the clips and learn more about the special, go to http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/InTheSpotlight.
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Vince Gill-Daughtry and Kenny Chesney-Dave Matthews duets planned for CMA Awards
Vince Gill (Photo by Steve Gooch/The Oklahoman Archives)
Chris Daughtry of the band Daughtry (Associated Press photo)
Several additional performers have been announced in the past few days for next month’s 43rd Annual CMA Awards, including big cross-genre duets pairing Oklahoma native Vince Gill and rock band Daughtry and Kenny Chesney with Dave Matthews.
In addition, Oklahoma resident Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean, Billy Currington, Lady Antebellum and Zac Brown Band are recent additions to the Country Music Association’s awards show lineup.
The 43rd Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Brad Paisley and Oklahoma native Carrie Underwood, airs live from the Sommet Center in Nashville on Nov. 11 on ABC.
In their debut CMA Awards performance, Grammy-nominated rock band Daughtry joins Country Music Hall of Fame member Gill for a duet of “Tennessee Line,” which the superstars recorded together for Daughtry’s new album, “Leave This Town.” That album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart in July, becoming the group’s second consecutive album to top the charts. Daughtry’s self-titled first album, released in 2006, was the quickest-selling rock debut album in SoundScan history, selling more than five million copies worldwide.
Gill, who was born in Norman and raised in Oklahoma City, has won 18 CMA Awards, including Entertainer (1993, 1994), Male Vocalist (1991-1995), and Album of the Year (1993 for I Still Believe in You; 1994 for Common Thread: Songs of the Eagles). The singer-songwriter, who hosted the CMA Awards for 12 consecutive years (1992-2003), was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007.
Chesney and Matthews will perform “I’m Alive,” which they recorded together for Chesney’s “Lucky Old Sun” album. The song was originally recorded by Willie Nelson. The Matthews/Chesney duet is the current single from Chesney’s “Greatest Hits, Vol. 2.”
Chesney, the four-time and reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year (2004, 2006-08), is tied with Oklahoman Garth Brooks as the top winner in this category. He has received seven CMA Awards, including Album of the Year in 2004 for When the Sun Goes Down, which he co-produced with Buddy Cannon. This year, he has three nominations: Entertainer, Male Vocalist, and Musical Event with Mac McAnally for “Down the Road.” Chesney has sold more than 25 million albums, achieved 19 No. 1 hits, debuted five albums at No. 1 on the all genre Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, and for the last eight years has sold more than one million concert tickets annually, making him the biggest ticket seller in any genre in this century.
Matthews will be making his debut appearance on the CMA Awards. The singer/songwriter/actor has sold more than 32 million albums as leader of the acclaimed Dave Matthews Band and won three Grammy Awards. Dave Matthews Band’s current album is the platinum-certified “Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart in June. This accomplishment ties them with Metallica as the only bands in chart history to debut five consecutive studio albums at No.1. With more than 16 million tickets sold, Dave Matthews Band was named the top-drawing American band in the world by Billboard.
Miranda Lambert
Lambert, a Tishomingo resident, is nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year. The fiery performer has a career total of seven CMA nominations. Her new album “Revolution” recently debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums Chart. This accomplishment established Lambert as the third artist in the SoundScan era to have their first three albums debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart.
McGraw last performed on the CMA Awards stage in 2005, when he joined wife Faith Hill on “Like We Never Loved At All.” His last solo performance on the CMA Awards was in 2004, when he opened the show with “How Bad Do You Want It?” The superstar, who has sold more than 40 million albums and dominated the charts with 30 No. 1 singles, has won 11 CMA Awards, including Entertainer (2001); Male Vocalist (1999, 2000); and Album of the Year (1998 for Everywhere; 1999 for A Place in the Sun). McGraw last received a CMA Award in 2007 for Musical Event of the Year on “Find Out Who Your Friends Are” with Tracy Lawrence and Kenny Chesney. McGraw will release his new album, “Southern Voice,” on Tuesday.
Aldean, who has a career total of two CMA nominations, recently celebrated topping the Billboard Top Country Singles chart for four weeks with his hit “Big Green Tractor.” The song, which is from his album “Wide Open,” also topped the Billboard all-genre ringtone chart, a first for a country artist.
Currington earned two nominations this year, Single and Music Video of the Year, both for “People Are Crazy,” from his album “Little Bit of Everything.” He co-produced the single with Carson Chamberlain, while the video was directed by The Brads. Currington has a career total of three CMA nominations, as he was previously nominated in 2005 for Musical Event of the Year for his duet with Shania Twain on “Party for Two.” The writers of “People Are Crazy,” Bobby Braddock and Troy Jones, are currently nominated for Song of the Year.
Reigning New Artist of the Year Lady Antebellum received two nominations in 2009. The trio is up for Vocal Group and Single of the Year for “I Run to You,” produced by Victoria Shaw and Paul Worley, from their platinum-certified self-titled debut album. Lady Antebellum recently released “Need You Now,” the first single from their upcoming new album of the same name, in stores Jan. 2010.
Zac Brown Band received their debut three nominations in 2009 for New Artist, Vocal Group, and Single of the Year for “Chicken Fried,” from their platinum-certified album “The Foundation.” Lead singer Zac Brown also received a fourth nomination as co-writer of “Chicken Fried” (along with Wyatt Durrette) in the Song of the Year category.
Previously announced performers include Oklahomans Brooks & Dunn (which includes former Tulsan Ronnie Dunn, Chockie-raised Reba McEntire and Checotah native Carrie Underwood, along with Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, George Strait, Sugarland, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban.
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Vince Gill, Keith Urban hosting Country Music Hall of Fame benefit show tonight
Vince Gill and Keith Urban (Associated Press photo)
Oklahoma country star Vince Gill and Keith Urban will co-host a benefit concert for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum tonight at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tenn.
The “We’re All For The Hall” concert will feature country stars Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Faith Hill, Little Big Town, Brad Paisley and Taylor Swift.
The show is part of the museum’s “All for the Hall” fundraising initiative created and led by Gill since 2005. Gill, who was born in Norman and raised in Oklahoma City, is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and museum board president.
The concert will open with a one-hour set by Urban and his band. Then, Gill will join Urban and an all-star band to bring out the special guests.
The event will be streamed live starting at 7:30 tonight at www.keithurban.net, www.VCASTLive.com and www.countrymusichalloffame.com.
Vince Gill to receive Will Rogers Spirit Award
Vince Gill (Photo by Chris Landsberger/The Oklahoman Archives)
Oklahoma native and Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill will receive the 2009 Will Rogers Spirit Award from the Tulsa-based Rotary Club of Will Rogers.
Gill, who was born in Norman and raised in Oklahoma City, will receive the award at the club’s 2009 gala, themed “Oklahoma Swing,” Nov. 8 at the historic Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N Main in Tulsa. The evening will begin with a reception at 5:30, dinner at 6:30 and the program at 7:30.
The Grammy-winning singer/songwriter/musician, who is known for his humanitarian efforts, joins fellow country stars Toby Keith and Garth Brooks as a Will Rogers Spirit Award winner.
Part of the proceeds from this year’s gala will go to Blue Star Mothers of America Inc., Oklahoma Chapter 1. The main focus of the Oklahoma Chapter 1 is to send Freedom Boxes to troops serving in Iraq , Afghanistan and on any hostile foreign soil.
Individual tickets are $125. Tables can be reserved for $1,700 to $10,000. At the elite ($10,000) and platinum ($6,000) levels, event-goers will get to attend a private VIP reception with Gill and special guests.
For more information, go to www.willrogersrotary.org.
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Video: Vince Gill performs on “The Jay Leno Show”
Oklahoma native and Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill, right, performs with actor/comedian/writer/banjo player Steve Martin during a concert in Los Angeles on Wednesday. (Associated Press photo)
Oklahoma native Vince Gill and Emmylou Harris performed “Two More Bottles of Wine” Wednesday night on “The Jay Leno Show.”
While in Los Angeles, Gill and Harris were planning to play a benefit concert for the Country Music Hall of Fame tonight at the Nokia Theater.
In addition, Gill performed a concert with Steve Martin Wednesday in Los Angeles.
Check out the video of Gill and Harris, who are great duet partners, below. Go to the second to the last segment to see the performance:
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Added tickets released for Carrie Underwood’s Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame induction and concert
Carrie Underwood (Associated Press photo)
The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame today released several additional blocks of reserved seating for its 2009 upcoming concert and induction ceremony, featuring Oklahoma artists Carrie Underwood, Rocky Frisco and Ramona Reed.
Underwood, Frisco and Reed have been named the class of 2009 inductees into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, joining other previously inducted performers and artists including Vince Gill, Toby Keith, Merle Haggard, Wanda Jackson, Hank Thompson, The All-American Rejects and David Gates.
The three will perform at the 13th Annual Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony & Concert at 7 p.m. Thursday. The event will be at the Muskogee Civic Center, 405 Boston Street.
To date, the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame & Museum has honored more than 50 individuals or groups for their talents and contributions to the music industry, including inductees into the prestigious Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.
In addition to the class of 2009 inductees, the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame will present C.H. Parker with the coveted Governor’s Award, an honor given only three times in the past. Gov. Brad Henry will attend the event to present the award.
For tickets or information, call (918) 687-0800 or go to www.omhof.com or www.oklahomamusichalloffame.com. Ticket prices range from $39.95 to $79.95, plus handling charges.
About the 2009 Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame Inductees:
Carrie Underwood, the reigning Academy of Country Music Entertainer of The Year, three-time reigning ACM and Country Music Association Female Vocalist of The Year and four-time Grammy winner, will release her new album, “Play On,” Nov. 3 on 19 Recordings/Arista Nashville. Producer Mark Bright, who helmed her hit-filled 2007 album ”Carnival Ride,” as well as seven tracks including four No. 1 hits from Underwood’s blockbuster 2005 debut, “Some Hearts.”
Earlier this year, Underwood became the first country artist in history to achieve 10 No. 1 singles from their first two albums when “I Told You So” became the fifth consecutive chart-topper from “Carnival Ride,” which also included the smash, “Just a Dream,” and three hits Underwood co-wrote: “So Small,” “All-American Girl,” and “Last Name.” To date, Underwood is the best-selling “American Idol” winner with album sales of more than 10 million.
Rocky Frisco is a 1955 graduate of Central High School in Tulsa, where he met singer-songwriter J.J. Cale. Frisco has played piano for some of rock’s most lauded visionaries, including the great and hugely influential Cale. He played in Cale’s band throughout his life. He also has played with Flash Terry, the Gene Cross Band, Clyde Stacy, Danny McBride, Tom Skinner’s Science Project and many others. He had a limited movie career, which included appearing in the 2003 remake of Where the Red Fern Grows. He once rode a Schwinn bike from Tulsa to Killeen, Texas, as a publicity stunt for KOME Radio to do an interview with Elvis Presley. He also jammed privately with Elvis Presley while there.
Ramona Reed was raised on a ranch near Talihina and was yodeling by the time she was talking. From an early age, Reed knew she wanted to have a career in music. In 1947, Reed participated in the Ted Mac Amateur Hour television program, perhaps the American Idol of its day. She earned a spot in the semi-finals and eventually earned 5th place.
Using the stage name Martha White, Reed began her career on the Grand Ole Opry where she worked with such greats as Hank Williams Sr, Roy Acuff, Red Foley and Minnie Pearl.
She started working for Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys in 1951, and performed at the Bob Wills Ranch House and toured with Bob Wills on a regular basis. Reed is the only female singer to record a duet with Bob Wills, MCA’s “Little Girl, Little Girl.” Reed continues to perform with the Texas Playboys and has been invited to share the stage with Asleep At the Wheel on numerous occasions.
Reed has been honored by the Western Swing Hall of Fame the and was designated as a Colorado Country Music Hall of Fame Pioneer.
About the 2009 Governor’s Award Recipient:
C.H. Parker is a longtime music instructor and director at Northeastern State University (NSU) in Tahlequah. For years, he coordinated its summer country music program Downtown Country, a regular live-music event featuring student performers that included Carrie Underwood. It was during that time that she and Parker came to know each other. Parker has produced the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame Concert & Induction ceremony since its inception in 1997.
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Vince Gill, Keith Urban to co-host Country Music Hall of Fame benefit show
Vince Gill and Keith Urban (Associated Press photo)
Oklahoma native Vince Gill and fellow country star Keith Urban announced earlier this week that they will co-host the “We’re All for the Hall,” a special concert event to benefit the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
The concert, which will take place on Oct. 13 at Nashville’s Sommet Center, will feature performances from a who’s who of Nashville’s best. They include Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Faith Hill, Little Big Town, Brad Paisley and Taylor Swift. Additional special guests are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Produced by AEG Live, “We’re All for the Hall” will open with a one-hour set by Urban and his band. Then, Gill will join Urban and an all-star band of maestros to bring out special guests for a one-of-a-kind, once-in-a-lifetime evening of music, friendship and camaraderie, according to a news release.
Urban, museum Director Kyle Young and museum board president Gill, who created and has led the institution’s All for the Hall fundraising initiative since 2005, announced the special concert earlier this week. All for the Hall is the museum’s first-ever non-bricks-and-mortar fundraising initiative. The campaign addresses the not-for-profit educational institution’s need for long-term financial security and provides a safety net for its work. Through an aggressive exhibit schedule, scholarly publications and hundreds of school and family programs, the museum teaches its audiences about the enduring beauty and cultural importance of country music.
“Country music, for me, is the garden from which everything I do grows,” said Urban in the release. “It’s given me a life greater than my dreams, both musically and philosophically, and I’m as passionate about it today as I’ve ever been. But in order to understand where country music is headed, we should take the time to learn and respect more about where it’s been. This is what is so crucial about the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. In addition to preserving our rich tradition, it can also provide clues on where we just might be going in the future.”
“It is particularly gratifying” Young said in the release, “when the artists we love and chronicle, artists like Vince and Keith, offer us their leadership and financial support. Keith grew up in a home where country music was cherished. He knows the music’s history and its heroes. Today, in the midst of a world tour, he steps forward to champion the importance of keeping this music and these stories alive in our great museum, and he is our hero!”
Tickets are $25 and went on sale this morning at www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations and the Sommet Center Box Office. Tickets may also be charged by phone at (800) 745-3000.
For more information, go to www.countrymusichalloffame.com.
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Vince Gill to be honored in first Grammy Salute to Country Music
Vince Gill (Associated Press photo)
Oklahoma native and Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill will be honored in The Recording Academy’s first-ever Grammy Salute to Country Music, according to VinceGill.com.
Presented by MasterCard, the salute will take place Sept. 9 at The Loveless Barn in Nashville, Tenn. The star-studded tribute will feature Gill’s wife Amy Grant, Alison Krauss, Steve Martin, Michael McDonald and Brad Paisley. The event will include a special presentation of The Recording Academy President’s Merit Award to Gill, a 20-time Grammy winner, to honor of his professional achievements and remarkable career.
This inaugural event joins others in the “Grammy Salute To” series that has featured gospel, jazz and classical music.
“We are thrilled to be celebrating country music in its epicenter of Nashville, and to honor a legendary artist like Vince Gill who has made an indelible mark on the genre,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy, in the news release. “Our ‘Salute To’ series pays homage to and celebrates the work of extraordinary people and organizations that continue to ensure that these genres remain a vital part of our culture. This event shows our commitment to recognizing musical excellence all year long, and the impact it has on our lives everyday.”
Born in Norman and raised in Oklahoma City, Gill has garnered 20 GRAMMY Awards and sold more than 26 million albums in his more than 30-year career. Iin 2007, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He has recorded 21 albums, including 2006’s” These Days,” which successfully melded country, pop, bluegrass and rock influences together in a groundbreaking four-CD set.
As an influential force on the country music scene, he has been a coveted duet partner for countless performers including fellow Oklahoman Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton, Barbra Streisand and Grant. Gill has been active in hundreds of charity events, including his own Pro-Celebrity Golf Tournament (”The Vinny”), which supports junior golf programs in Tennessee.
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Wanda Jackson proud to have Oklahoma City alley named for her
Wanda Jackson (Associated Press photo)
A version of this story appears in Wednesday’s The Oklahoman.
Wanda Jackson says renamed alley fits her
Trailblazing singer Wanda Jackson has made her way through a 55-year musical career spanning three genres.
She finds it fitting that the Oklahoma City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to name a Bricktown alley honoring her Wanda Jackson Way.
“I like that very much. Whoever thought that up was great,” Jackson said with a laugh by phone Tuesday afternoon.
Known as the Queen of Rockabilly, Jackson, 71, is widely regarded as the first woman to sing rock ‘n’ roll. She tried the new style in 1956 at the urging of up-and-coming singer Elvis Presley, whom she toured with and dated. Her hits included “Let’s Have a Party,” “Mean, Mean Man” and “Fujiyama Mama.”
She started her career as a country artist, recording her first hit in that genre in 1954. She later returned to country and forged a gospel career. A perennial star in Europe and Japan, her rock career revived in the U.S. in the 1990s with the resurgence of rockabilly. She continues to perform worldwide.
“I’ve always loved Bricktown and now to have a street with my name on it there, that’s just wonderful,” she said. “Thank you, Oklahoma City, my home sweet home.”
Jackson was born in Maud in 1937, during still-tough times. Her family moved to California in search of job opportunities when she was about 5 years old. When Jackson was about 10, they returned to Oklahoma and settled in Oklahoma City. She has made her home here since.
“To be honored by the place that you love is really them showing their love for me and the fact that I did stay here. And I’ve always talked a lot about Oklahoma around the world,” she said. , adding that Maud honored her with Wanda Jackson Boulevard several years ago.
Jackson was inducted April 4 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Mayor Mick Cornett proclaimed March 24, 2009, Wanda Jackson Day in Oklahoma City. Gov. Brad Henry in February presented her with a proclamation honoring her lifetime of musical achievements.
“It really has been my year,” she said.
She is the fourth Oklahoma music star to have a Bricktown roadway named in her honor; Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill, legendary guitarist Charlie Christian and Grammy-winning alt-rockers the Flaming Lips are the previous honorees.
Wanda Jackson Way is near Flaming Lips Alley. It is north and parallel with East Reno Avenue and extends from South Oklahoma Avenue to South Mickey Mantle Drive. Wendell Goodman, Jackson’s husband and manager, said an official dedication will take place in a few weeks.
With her rockabilly roots, she finds it appropriate that her way is an alley.
“I was always known as an alley cat, so that’ll work,” she said with a laugh.
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