Wanda Jackson special premieres tonight on OETA
Wanda Jackson (Photo by Jim Beckel/The Oklahoman)
“A Conversation With … Wanda Jackson,” an intimate, in-depth interview with the Queen of Rockabilly, will premiere at 9 tonight on OETA.
Hosted by Dick Pryor, “A Conversation With …” features up-close and personal discussions with the state’s history makers.
Jackson, who turns 72 this month, was there at the beginning of rock ‘n’ roll, and she’s still going strong. From the time she was young, Jackson wanted to be a “girl singer.” She regularly sang on a radio show in her hometown of Oklahoma City while in junior high school and had her first hit record by the time she was 17.
Jackson sang country songs until Elvis Presley encouraged her to try a new form of music called rockabilly – a combination of country, rhythm and blues, gospel and swing. She toured with Elvis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Buddy Holly and became the “Queen of Rockabilly” and the “First Lady of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” In April, 2009, this music pioneer and native Oklahoman was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Oklahoma City officials last week dedicated Wanda Jackson Way, an alley running parallel to Reno and connecting Oklahoma Avenue and Mickey Mantle Drive, in the singer’s honor.
Hosted by Emmy Award-winning journalist Dick Pryor, “A Conversation With …” features discussions with the state’s prominent residents. Guests have included former Principal Chief of the Cherokees Wilma Mankiller, Gov. Henry Bellmon, Gov. George Nigh, civil rights activist Clara Luper and producer/promoter Lee Allan Smith.
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Photo gallery: Wanda Jackson Way dedication
Wanda Jackson smiles and waves to crowd during outdoor ceremony Wednesday afternoon honoring the rockabilly legend and Oklahoma City resident with the official naming of a Bricktown alley Wanda Jackson Way. Holding the new sign are Mayor Mick Cornett, right, and Council members Skip Kelly, left, and Pete White. (Photos by Jim Beckel/ The Oklahoman)
Jim Beckel, one of the skilled photographers at The Oklahoman, was on hand Wednesday to cover the dedication of Wanda Jackson Way in Bricktown. As you can see, Jim took several great shots of the event.
Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett hugs Wanda Jackson during the ceremony.
The Queen of Rockabilly speaks during the dedication. “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.”
Jackson performs with a band from the nearby Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma.
She proved she still has her distinctive powerhouse voice, belting out her hits “Mean Mean Man,” “Right or Wrong” and “Let’s Have a Party.” After covering Jackson for a couple of years now, hearing her perform live was a real thrill for me.
After the ceremony and performance, Jackson signed autographs and posed for photos for several fans. (Among those who waited in line to get their picture taken with the singing legend were Derek and Raechel Brown of local band Crocodile.)
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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.”
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OETA to premiere Wanda Jackson special Tuesday, Oct. 6
Wanda Jackson (Associated Press photo)
“A Conversation With … Wanda Jackson,” an intimate, in-depth interview with the Queen of Rockabilly, will premiere at 9 p.m. Tuesday on OETA, the network announced today.
Hosted by Dick Pryor, “A Conversation With …” features up-close and personal discussions with the state’s history makers.
Jackson, 71, was there at the beginning of rock ‘n’ roll, and she’s still going strong. From the time she was young, Jackson wanted to be a “girl singer.” She regularly sang on a radio show in her hometown of Oklahoma City while in junior high school and had her first hit record by the time she was 17.
Jackson sang country songs until Elvis Presley encouraged her to try a new form of music called rockabilly – a combination of country, rhythm and blues, gospel and swing. She toured with Elvis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Buddy Holly and became the “Queen of Rockabilly” and the “First Lady of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” In April, 2009, this music pioneer and native Oklahoman was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Today, Oklahoma City officials dedicated Wanda Jackson Way, an alley running parallel to Reno and connecting Oklahoma Avenue and Mickey Mantle Drive, in the singer’s honor.
Hosted by Emmy Award-winning journalist Dick Pryor, “A Conversation With …” features discussions with the state’s prominent residents. Guests have included former Principal Chief of the Cherokees Wilma Mankiller, Gov. Henry Bellmon, Gov. George Nigh, civil rights activist Clara Luper and producer/promoter Lee Allan Smith.
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Wanda Jackson Way to be dedicated today
Wanda Jackson (Photo by Jaconna Aguirre/The Oklahoman)
Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett will be joined by city and state leaders to officially dedicate Wanda Jackson Way in Bricktown with a ceremony at 1:30 p.m. today.
The event will be highlighted by a very special live musical performance by the Queen of Rockabilly herself. The event is free and open to the public. Wanda Jackson Way is located north and parallel with East Reno Avenue and extends from South Oklahoma Avenue to South Mickey Mantle Drive.
Oklahoma City Council voted unanimously on July 21 to name a Bricktown alley after Jackson for her lifetime musical achievements.
The internationally acclaimed musician and longtime Oklahoma City resident was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 4. Mayor Mick Cornett proclaimed March 24, 2009 Wanda Jackson Day in Oklahoma City.
Jackson was America’s first major female rockabilly singer. When she began touring as a teenager in 1955 she was placed on the bill with rising star Elvis Presley.
A few of Jackson’s hits include, “You Can’t Have my Love,” “Fujiyama Mama” and “Let’s Have a Party.”
Jackson was born in Maud in 1937. Her family moved to California during the depression in 1941 and returned to Oklahoma City when Jackson was about 12 years old. While attending Capitol Hill High School she won a local talent competition and was offered a 15-minute daily show on radio station KLPR. Country singer Hank Thompson heard her perform and encouraged her to record with the Brazos Valley Boys. “You can’t have my Love” became a national hit in 1954, when Jackson was just 17 years old.
Jackson continues to tour world wide, singing country, rockabilly and gospel. She has been nominated for two Grammys, and in 2008 was the subject of a documentary, “The Sweet Lady with the Nasty Voice.”
The dedication is being coordinated in conjunction with the Oklahoma Film & Music Office, the Bricktown Association, Downtown OKC, Inc., the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma and the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce.
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Wanda Jackson to perform at her street dedication
Wanda Jackson (Photo by Jaconna Aguirre/The Oklahoman)
The Queen of Rockabilly will perform live during the dedication of Wanda Jackson Way Sept. 30 in Bricktown, NewsOK is reporting.
The 1:30 p.m. performance and dedication is free to the public.
Wanda Jackson Way will be named to honor the internationally acclaimed musician and longtime Oklahoma City resident. It is north of and parallel to E Reno Avenue and extends from S Oklahoma Avenue to S Mickey Mantle Drive.
Jackson, who toured with and dated Elvis Presley in the 1950s, is widely regarded as the first woman to sing rock ‘n’ roll music. She also performed country and gospel music.
The Maud native was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 4. The Oklahoma City Council voted unanimously on July 21 to name a Bricktown alley after Jackson for her lifetime musical achievements.
Jackson’s hits include, “You Can’t Have My Love,” “Fujiyama Mama” and “Let’s Have a Party.”
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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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Life is still a party for Wanda Jackson
From left, Roseanne Cash, Ron Wood, Wanda Jackson and Bobby Womack perform during Jackson’s induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April. (Associated Press photo)
Earlier this week, I spoke to Oklahoma City singing star Wanda Jackson about the naming of an Bricktown alley in her honor. We also talked about how the 71-year-old’s career has skyrocketed since she was inducted April 4 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The Associated Press recently spoke to the Queen of Rockabilly and First Lady of Rock ‘n’ Roll about her big year, too. The AP reporter also talked to rock hall CEO Terry Stewart about Jackson.
“Wanda was certainly a stand alone in what she did,” Stewart told the AP.
Jackson’s rockabilly/early rock ‘n’ roll hits included “Let’s Have a Party,” “Rock Your Baby” and “Fujiyama Mama.” She is widely recognized as the first woman to sing rock music. Her distinctive, sexy growling voice and form-fitting, fringed dresses (made by her mother) set her apart.
Jackson also forged successful careers in country and gospel music.
The AP story covers Jackson’s start as a teenage country singer, her well-documented relationship with Elvis Presley and her many awards.
To read it, click here.
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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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Wanda Jackson officially gets her way
Wanda Jackson (Photo by Paul B. Southerland/The Oklahoman Archives)
Oklahoma City Council today voted unanimously to name a Bricktown alley after Oklahoma Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Wanda Jackson for her lifetime musical achievements.
The alley is north and parallel with East Reno Avenue and extends from South Oklahoma Avenue to South Mickey Mantle Drive. It is near Flaming Lips Alley, named after the Oklahoma-based alternative rock band, The Flaming Lips. Country singer Vince Gill and jazz musician Charlie Christian also have roads named after them in Bricktown.
The internationally acclaimed musician and longtime Oklahoma City resident was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 4. Mayor Mick Cornett proclaimed March 24, 2009 Wanda Jackson Day in Oklahoma City.
Jackson was born in Maud in 1937. Her family moved to California for a few years as her parents looked for job opportunities. They returned to Oklahoma when Jackson was still a girl and settled in Oklahoma City.
While attending Capitol Hill High School, Jackson won a local talent competition and was offered a 15-minute daily show on radio station KLPR. Country singer Hank Thompson heard her perform and encouraged her to record with the Brazos Valley Boys. “You Can’t Have My Love” became a national hit in 1954, when Jackson was just 17 years old.
She first recorded rock ‘n’ roll (then known as rockabilly) in 1956 at the urging of up-and-comer Elvis Presley, whom she toured with and briefly dated. She is widely considered the first woman to sing rock ‘n’ roll.
Jackson continues to tour worldwide, singing country, rockabilly and gospel. She has been nominated for two Grammys, and in 2007 was the subject of a documentary, “The Sweet Lady with the Nasty Voice.”
I spoke with Jackson today about the naming of an alley for her; read Wednesday what the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer had to say about this latest honor.
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