Wanda Jackson to perform tonight on “VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul”
Oklahoma’s own Queen of Rockabilly Wanda Jackson will perform on “VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul,” airing at 8 tonight on VH1.
Performers also include Anita Baker, Mavis Staples and Ledisi, Chaka Khan, Erykah Badu, Boyz II Men, Estelle, Marsha Ambrosius and Travie McCoy.
The headlining divas will be Mary J. Blige, Kelly Clarkson, Florence + the Machine, Jennifer Hudson, Jessie J. and Jill Scott.
Dolly Parton, Queen Latifah, Terrence Howard, Nas, Common and La La Anthony will serve as presenters for the show.
Jackson will join Sharon Jones with The Dap-Kings in performing her cover single “You Know I’m No Good” as part of a tribute to the late Amy Winehouse. Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine also will sing Winehouse’s “Back To Black” as part of the homage.
To see the full list of performance for tonight’s show, click here.
-BAM
Wanda Jackson to perform Dec. 19 on “VH1 Divas”
Wanda Jackson (AP file)
Oklahoma’s own Queen of Rockabilly Wanda Jackson has been added to the list of performers for “Vh1 Divas Celebrates Soul,” airing Dec. 19 on VH1.
Newly added performers also include Anita Baker, Mavis Staples and Ledisi, reports CMT.com. Previously announced performers include Chaka Khan, Erykah Badu, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Boyz II Men, Estelle, Marsha Ambrosius and Travie McCoy.
The headlining divas for the show will be Mary J. Blige, Kelly Clarkson, Florence + the Machine, Jennifer Hudson, Jessie J. and Jill Scott.
Dolly Parton, Queen Latifah, Terrence Howard, Nas, Common and La La Anthony will serve as presenters for the show.
-BAM
Video: Wanda Jackson to appear on “Women Who Rock” special on PBS tonight
Wanda Jackson (AP file)
Oklahoma’s own Queen of Rockabilly Wanda Jackson will be featured tonight on the PBS Arts from Cleveland TV special “Women Who Rock,” airing at 8:30 p.m. on OETA. The OKC PBS station also will rebroadcast the special at 1:30 a.m. Saturday.
Here’s the synopsis:
Women are the 21st century’s top-grossing recording artists. This film tells the story of how we got here, tracing the earliest women musicians from the 1920′s to the mega stars of today.
The TV special has been put together in conjunction with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s ““Women Who Rock” exhibit, which opened in May and is on view through Feb. 26. The Cleveland, Ohio, institution has billed it “the world’s first museum exhibit dedicated to the most influential female artists,” a groundbreaking and provocative exploration of the vital roles women have played throughout the history of rock ‘n’ roll, from the genre’s inception to today.
A longtime Oklahoma City resident and 2009 rock hall inductee, Jackson, 74, not only is featured in the exhibit and TV special, she also was part of the star-studded lineup earlier this year at museum’s annual “It’s Only Rock and Roll Spring Benefit Concert,” which tied into the “Women Who Rock” theme.
“I supposed that after they inducted me, they decided they’d better do this,” quipped Jackson, who is widely regarded as the first woman to record rock ‘n’ roll music, in an interview with me earlier this year. “It’s exciting certainly. … I know if they do it, it’ll be done right.”
Check out this clip of Jackson from tonight’s TV special:
Watch Women Who Rock: Wanda Jackson on PBS. See more from THE ARTS.
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Video: LookatOKC’s “Got It Covered” – Justin Witte plays Wanda Jackson’s “Fujiyama Mama”
My excellent colleagues George Lang and Kyle Roberts have launched a new video series for LOOKatOKC called “Got It Covered.” In the third installment, Justin Witte performs a horn-tastic cover of Oklahoma rockabilly legend Wanda Jackson’s hit “Fujiyama Mama”
“Got It Covered” will feature 12 local musicians covering classic songs by Oklahoma artists. The series will last for 12 weeks and will shoot at 7 p.m. each Thursday at Saints, 715 NW 16 in the Plaza District. The pub is sponsoring the series.
Audiences are encouraged to show up 30 minutes before taping to enjoy each performance. Each video will debut the following Monday.
The singers, bands and musicians participating in the series select one of 12 songs to perform — first come, first served. The last musician to schedule a performance has to play the last song on the list, which includes signature songs from The Flaming Lips, Reba McEntire, the GAP Band, Leon Russell, Color Me Badd and other famed Oklahoma music stars. To see the full list, go to http://lookatokc.newsok.com/got-it-covered.
The next “Got It Covered” performance will be at 7 p.m. this Thursday at Saints, Jabee performing Hanson’s “MmmBop.”
-BAM
Happy 50th anniversary, Wanda Jackson and Wendell Goodman
In this 2009 file photo, Mayor Mick Cornett reads a proclamation with Wanda Jackson and her husband/manager Wendell Goodman as the mayor proclaims March 24, 2009, " Wanda Jackson Day" in Oklahoma City during a city council meeting. (Photo by Paul B. Southerland, The Oklahoman Archives)
The fun fact that Wanda Jackson once dated Elvis Presley often comes up in biographies and news stories about the Queen of Rockabilly.
As a matter of fact, though, the first lady of rock ‘n’ roll has been Wendell Goodman’s sweetheart for more than half a century.
Jackson and her manager/husband Goodman are celebrating their 50th anniversary Friday. The Oklahoma City couple will mark the milestone in the Bahamas, Goodman said in an email to The Oklahoman.
We hear so much about short-lived show-biz marriages, but both Wanda’s career and marriage are now into their fifth decades and by all accounts seem to be going strong.
After their golden anniversary trip, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer will spend much of the fall touring the U.S. and Europe in support of her new album “The Party Ain’t Over,” which was produced by rocker Jack White and released in January on Nonesuch/Third Man Records.
Happy anniversary to Wanda and Wendell!
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Smithsonian Channel to rebroadcast “Wanda Jackson: The Sweet Lady with the Nasty Voice” Saturday
The Smithsonian Channel will rebroadcast “Wanda Jackson: The Sweet Lady with the Nasty Voice,” a great documentary about the Oklahoma rockabilly legend, at 7 p.m. Saturday, according to NewsOK TV blogger Melissa Hayer.
Here is the film’s description:
The story of the first lady of rockabilly and one of Elvis’s girlfriends – rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Wanda Jackson. As Rolling Stone said: “Jackson was the first to bring a woman’s intuition into the boy’s club of early rock-n-roll.” The film follows the Grammy Award nominee and legendary singer as she performs in Maine, Austin, New York City, Oklahoma City, Washington, D.C., and overseas in Sweden and Finland.
The “Inside the Music” documentary features interviews Elvis Costello, Patti Scialfa, Bruce Springsteen, Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead and Slim Jim Phantom of The Stray Cats. It also chronicles the long efforts of these rock stars and others to get Wanda Jackson inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Maud native and longtime Oklahoma City resident was ushered into the rock hall in 2009.
The Smithsonian Channel will be premiering three new “Inside the Music” documentaries in October: “Phil Collins: Going Back to Detroit,” “Real World of Peter Gabriel,” and “Hip Hop: The Furious Force of Rhymes.” Click here to see when they will air.
-BAM
Video: Wanda Jackson and Imelda May sing “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” in New York’s Central Park
Oklahoma’s own Queen of Rockabilly Wanda Jackson performed for a crowd of thousand’s Wednesday night in New York’s Central Park.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t there, but this had to be a highlight of the night: Irish singer Imelda May joined the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer for a fun rendition of the Jerry Lee Lewis classic “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” that led into Jackson’s own signature hit “Let’s Have a Party.”
If this doesn’t get your blood pumping, I regret to inform you that you passed on sometime during the day and your body just doesn’t know it yet!
-BAM
Video: RIP Amy Winehouse
Troubled singer Amy Winehouse was found dead Saturday by ambulance crews called to her home in north London’s Camden area. She was 27.
The singer, best known for her telling hit “Rehab,” was as famous for her alcohol and drug addictions and troubled relationships as she was for her Grammy-winning, chart-storming, retro-inspired music. “They tried to make me go to rehab,” according to the now-haunting lyrics on her global smash 2006 single, “Rehab.” “I said ‘No, no no.’”
The British hitmaker made an auspicious debut with her jazz-influenced 2003 album “Frank.” She shot to worldwide fame with the 2006 follow-up “Back to Black,” with its blend of jazz, soul, rock and classic pop. It won five Grammys and made Winehouse — with her black beehive hairdo and old-fashioned sailor tattoos — one of music’s most recognizable stars, according to the AP.
But her music was ultimately overshadowed by her demons, particularly her struggles with substance abuse.
Last month, Winehouse canceled her European comeback tour after she swayed and slurred her way through barely recognizable songs in her first show in the Serbian capital of Belgrade. Booed and jeered off stage, she flew home and her management said she would take time off to recover, reported the AP.
To read the full obituary from the AP, click here.
An autopsy today failed to determine what killed the 27-year-old star, leaving fans and family with a weeks-long wait for the results of toxicology tests, the AP reported. A family spokesman told the wire service that a private funeral “for family and close friends” is set for Tuesday at an undisclosed time and place.
Oklahoma rockabilly legend Wanda Jackson recorded Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good” as the first single for her Jack White-produced album “The Party Ain’t Over.” Check out video of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer performing the cover live, along with Winehouse’s official video for “Rehab,” both posted below.
Our thoughts are with Winehouse’s family, friends and fans.
-BAM
Bonnaroo begins today; Wanda Jackson to play the festival Friday
Wanda Jackson (AP file)
The celebrated Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival begins this afternoon in Manchester, Tenn., with Oklahoma music icon Wanda Jackson due to perform Friday afternoon.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, 73, is part of a prestigious and eclectic lineup that includes Eminem, Arcade Fire, Robert Plant and Band of Joy, Lil Wayne, The Black Keys and Loretta Lynn.
The Strokes, Big Boi, Gregg Allman, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Florence + The Machine, Hayes Carll, Justin Townes Earle, The Del McCoury Band, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Iron & Wine and Mavis Staples will perform at the massive event, too.
The 10th annual Bonnaroo is set for today-Sunday in Manchester, Tenn., on the 700-acre farm it has called home since its 2002 debut. The festival continues to favor groups with jam-band tendencies: This year’s slate features String Cheese Incident, Primus and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, with Widespread Panic headlining the final day of the 2011 event.
In addition, Bonnaroo 2011 will be the only festival date for a reunited Buffalo Springfield, according to the Associated Press.
Original Buffalo Springfield members Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Richie Furay played in public for the first time since 1968 last October at Young’s annual Bridge School charity concert. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers were a short-lived act, but were pioneers in the country- and folk-rock movements of the late 1960s.
The group’s lingering influence can be found in the music of fellow Bonnaroo 2011 acts Ray Lamontagne, My Morning Jacket, Mumford & Sons, The Decemberists and Ryan Bingham.
To celebrate Bonnaroo’s 10th anniversary, Dr. John and The Original Meters will make a rare joint appearance to recreate their 1974 album “Desitively Bonnaroo,” the source of the festival’s name. According to the AP, Bonnaroo long ago shed its jam-band label and has become one of the most diverse festivals of its kind, annually drawing tens of thousands of music fans to central Tennessee.
A Maud native and longtime Oklahoma City resident, Jackson has been celebrating a career revival since she partnered with rocker Jack White, who produced her new album “The Party Ain’t Over.” “The Queen of Rockabilly” and White promoted the January album release with performances on “The Late Show with David Letterman” and “Conan,” and Jackson and Weatherford band Green Corn Revival ripped through a packed hometown show at the ACM@UCO Performance Lab in Bricktown.
In May, Jackson and Cyndi Lauper played show launching the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s “Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power,” the world’s first exhibit devoted to rock’s most influential female artists, including Jackson.
-BAM
Adele cancels North American tour dates due to illness; shows were to feature Wanda Jackson
Adele (AP file)
Wanda Jackson (AP file)
British singer-songwriter Adele has been forced to cancel the rest of her sold-out North American tour due to her ongoing struggles with laryngitis.
This message was posted on her website Friday:
Adele has been forced to cancel the remaining 9 dates of her sold-out North American tour due to ongoing illness. Adele recently postponed 5 shows under doctor’s orders when she was diagnosed with laryngitis. While resting in Los Angeles, Adele met with an Otolaryngology specialist who determined it was imperative that she take the next few weeks to recover with absolute voice rest.
Adele, renowned for her powerful live vocal performances, was intent on resuming her tour on June 4th in San Francisco, CA before learning of her advanced condition.
“I’m really frustrated. I was hoping with a weeks rest I’d be better to sing again straight away. However there is absolutely nothing I can do but take the doctors advice and rest some more. I’m so sorry. See you soon, love Adele”
Plans to reschedule these cancelled tour dates are being investigated; more information will be provided when available.
Oklahoma’s own “Queen of Rockabilly” Wanda Jackson was set to open for Adele for nine of the sold-out shows starting May 31 in Vancouver, British Columbia, and ending June 20 at the famed Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn.
In an interview last month before her performance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Jackson told me she was looking forward to meeting Adele for the first time on the tour. Adele invited Jackson to join her tour after recently discovering the Maud native’s music when the blue-eyed soul singer’s tour bus driver was playing a CD that included the Oklahoman’s 1960 signature hit “Let’s Have a Party.”
“She recently had the cover of Rolling Stone, and I read that article. I was astounded with her language, of course, but maybe I can help her there, too,” said Jackson, a stalwart Christian with a laugh. “But (she has) a fabulous voice and writes all the songs and she’s a musician, too.”
Jackson apparently hopes to get another chance to tour with Adele. This message was posted Friday on Jackson’s Facebook page:
All of Wanda’s concert dates for the month of June appearing alongside Adele have been postponed due to Adele’s laryngitis. More details and the re-scheduled dates will be released soon.
Jackson will next perform Friday, June 10 at the massive Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tenn.
Adele’s sophomore album, “21,” is the best-selling album of the year. It has sold close to two million units in America, according to the Associated Press.
The 23-year-old Grammy winner’s single, “Rolling In the Deep,” is currently No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 charts.
- BAM
