Queen of Rockabilly
Wanda Jackson was a maverick - the first and only white female rocker with attitude. Raven-haired and heavy-lidded, Jackson dared you to believe there was something deliciously forbidden about a wild rock 'n' roll tune likeMean Mean Man, not least because she recorded so few of them in a career that took her from country to rock 'n' roll then back to country again. Though it's not readily apparent or commonly perceived, Wanda Jackson broke the mold in more ways than one.''I was really a maverick'' she recalls, ''I was trying to put some glamour and sex appeal into country music when it wasn't the done thing. My manager was doing his best to get me to just wear skirts and sweaters. He said, 'You should look just like the people in the audience.' I said, 'no, I think they come to see someone look a little different than the girl next door'. It helped establish me and set me apart.''In January 1958, Wanda's booking agent and manager Jim Halsey was approached by Bobby Poe & The Kats, a mixed race rock 'n' roll band out of Arkansas. They were offered the task of working as Wanda's road band and in April 1958 they spent four days recording with her at the Capitol Tower in Hollywood. The sessions spawnedMean Mean Man,Let's Have A Party,Long Tall Sally,Money Honey,Rock Your Baby(all heard here) as well as a slew of country songs all of which appeared on her debut LP.Further dangerous singles such asRock Your BabyandSavin' My Lovecame and went, and Wanda was beginning to mildly despair at her lack of chart success. ''I had already given up on the rock stuff,'' she explained. ''I had talked to Ken Nelson and told him I wanted to go back to doing just country. Then a deejay in Des Moines, Iowa, started playingLet's Have A Partyoff my first album and got such a tremendous reaction to it that he contacted Capitol and they agreed to put it out on a 45.''Let's Have A Partyreached #38 on the Hot 100 in the autumn of 1960, revitalizing Wanda's career at a time when she was beginning to doubt whether she would ever fulfil her potential. Wanda milked it for all it was worth, changing the name of her band to the Party Timers and cashing in with an album titledThere's A Party Going On. Unlike many artists on their first hit, Wanda at 23 had six years of experience behind her and was ready and primed to take advantage of the break when it came.All her classic rock 'n' roll sides are packed full to bursting onto this blistering (and long awaited) CD, affirming her status as theQueen of Rockabilly.