Rock’s first lady, Wanda Jackson, finally accepted to Rock and Roll Hall of FamePosted by
brandyJanuary 15, 2009
A version of this story ran in Thursday’s
The Oklahoman.Queen of Rockabilly finally gets her dueThe First Lady of Rock ‘n’ Roll is finally joining the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Oklahoma singer Wanda Jackson, often called the Queen of Rockabilly and the First Lady of Rock ‘n’ Roll, will be inducted April 4 into the Cleveland institution, the rock hall announced Wednesday.
Artists are eligible for the rock hall 25 years after the release of their first recording; Jackson started singing rock ‘n’ roll in 1956 at the urging of her tourmate and sweetheart Elvis Presley. She is considered the first female rock ‘n’ roll singer.
“It’s a thrill to be in there with all my buddies that I worked with in ‘50s, Elvis and Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee (Lewis) and Buddy Holly,” Jackson said Wednesday. “I guess now it’s official that Elvis was right, that I could sing this music. And I still can and I still do.”
The rock hall’s first class was inducted in 1986, and many of Jackson’s fans have protested that she should have been included then. But the Oklahoma City resident said she is happy to get the honor at a time when her rock songs are more popular than ever.
“I think I probably appreciate it more now than I would have back then … because of this new interest, resurgence, popularity of the ’50s rock music. Rockabilly it was called, but that was the beginning of rock ‘n’ roll,” she said.
The Maud native, who is still touring at 71, will be inducted in the hall of fame’s early influence category.
“We’re excited about it. It’s long overdue, I think anyway, but I’m prejudiced,” said Wendell Goodman, Jackson’s manager and husband of 47 years.
For about 13 years, he and “10,000 friends around the world” have campaigned for Jackson’s inclusion in the rock hall. Rocker Elvis Costello wrote a stinging letter to the rock hall a few years ago, saying that Jackson’s absence “risks ridicule and having the appearance of being a little boy’s club.”
“A lot of people like that have come to bat for her,” Goodman said. “The problem is your younger rock ‘n’ roll fans don’t remember Wanda nor her contribution. … I think Rolling Stone put it: ‘Wanda was there at the creation of rock ‘n’ roll; for girls with guitars, Wanda was the creation of rock ‘n’ roll.’ And that’s quite a statement.”
Now that his wife has been accepted into the rock hall, Goodman said his next project probably will be to get the Country Music Hall of Fame to recognize her contributions to that musical genre.
“They don’t know what she’s done either,” he said. “Wanda set every standard there is for modern-day, beautiful, sexy-looking country female … singers. She was the first.”
Jackson said she will sing at the rock hall induction and plans to perform her best-known rock songs, such as “Let’s Have a Party,” “Fujiyama Mama” and “Right or Wrong.” She also will donate her original guitar and a dress to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
That dress isn’t the only one of Jackson’s mind these days.
“I’m thinking about what I’m gonna wear. Typical woman, right?” she said with a laugh.
-BAM
Categorized under:Wanda Jackson, classic rock, country music, music
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http://blog.newsok.com/bamsblog/2009/01/15/rocks-first-lady-wanda-jackson-finally-accepted-to-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame/