One of the most influential women in rock ’n’ roll, Wanda Jackson has lived a life fit for storytelling. Luckily, fans won’t have to wait too long to hear those true tales. On November 14, the “Queen of Rockabilly” is releasing her autobiography, Every Night Is Saturday Night: A Country Girl’s Journey to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In it, the country-turned-rock-icon responsible for classic hits like “Let’s Have a Party” and “You Can’t Have My Love” gives fans an inside look into her life and influential music career.
The book spans the 79-year-old Jackson’s career, from her early fame at the age of 16 with her debut single, “You Can’t Have My Love,” to her time touring with Elvis Presley to her recent work with rock luminary Jack White and her continued touring and recording efforts.
check out our premium collection
Recently, the Oklahoma native talked with C&I about her upcoming autobiography, the barriers she’s broken, the hardships she’s faced, her time with Elvis, and pending plans to work with Joan Jett.
Cowboys & Indians: Why did you decide to release an autobiography now?
Wanda Jackson: I was always told by everybody, from fans to family members, to do one. But I always thought I didn’t have the type of lifestyle that most people want to read about. I was never on drugs or never in rehab or never been divorced, and so I thought I didn’t have the story. Scott Bomar helped me write the book. He said, “That is your story, that you made it through show business for 60-something years and didn’t get messed up with drugs or what have you.” So I said, “Well, OK. That makes sense. And maybe it’ll encourage others to do it the way you’re supposed to, take care of your family and try to make it all work.”
The Midnight Troubadour
Tough and timeless, this polo is built for the long ride. Featuring a crisp, non-collapsing collar and a rugged, stretchy fabric, it's the perfect shirt for any cowboy's wardrobe.
C&I: That’s amazing. What do you hope your fans will take from it?
Jackson: Well, I think maybe they should feel like they know me better, or me personally, about my mother and dad, and then about my family, my husband and two kids and four grandkids and one great-grandchild. I want them to feel like they know these people a lot better after they read the book. And I hope it will hold their interest. I think it will. I’ve got about 80 photos throughout the book, some in color and some are black and white. But, anyway, I hope they find it to be a good read, something they’ll enjoy.
C&I: I’m definitely excited about reading it. As the First Lady of Rockabilly, you no doubt had to overcome some hardship. What were those challenges like and what lessons from your experience would you share with aspiring female artists today?
Jackson: Well, all I know is I had a dream and I had a goal, things that I wanted to achieve, and I was fortunate — I realized that. I was surrounded, and still am, with good people who really cared about me. I’ve never had someone that wants to steal from me or use me in any way, so that made it easier for me. But I would just tell the women to keep that dream in front of you.
If you get sidetracked here and there, if you have to work at something else to keep body and soul together, well, that’s OK. But keep your dream and your goals in your eyesight and just don’t give up if you feel that’s what you want to do with your life and that’s what makes you happy. I think people should be happy about what they do. I feel very sorry for people that have to punch a time clock and work at a job that they don’t care anything about. It’s much easier and it’s hardly considered work when you get to do what you enjoy doing and you make a living at it. So it’s well worth hanging on to your dream.
C&I: That’s some great advice. Do you have a section of your upcoming autobiography you’re most proud of?
Jackson: Well, I don’t know. I’ve got about 80 of my personal photos in there and all I know is when I read someone’s biography, I love seeing the photos of the people that I’m reading about. With that in mind, I let them into my private photos and scrapbooks and things, and I hope that people will enjoy seeing the photos and reading about all these wonderful people that have been in my life.
C&I: Do you have a favorite photo that you’re sharing?
Jackson: I’ve got two or three photos of Elvis and I. And I have one with Hank Thompson and with Jack White and Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis — people like that. I’m proud to show off those photos.
C&I: When you first started out, you were singing with the all-male group the Brazos Valley Boys before going solo and opening for Elvis Presley. What was it like breaking out on your own in a mostly male-dominated business?
Jackson: Well, I wasn’t ever alone. My father acted as my manager and drove for me and took care of what business needed to be done, so I always had help.
C&I: So a solid foundation and family made a difference. Do you have any special memories from your time touring Elvis?
Jackson: Oh ... he was a big joker and he was a happy-go-lucky guy about 1955, when I began working with him. His career was exploding around him, so it was an exciting time for me to be on tour with him and to see this.
C&I: Any special memories from that time?
Jackson: We were working in Memphis and we got in town I guess the night before, so I had all day off and he came and picked me up at my hotel and took me out to his house to show me this new kind of music that he wanted me to start doing. He said, “I think you need to do this if you want sell a lot of records.” And so he took me there and he’d play a record and then pick up his guitar and say, “But if you do this to the song ... ” and just gave me an idea of rock ’n’ roll.
So I had a good teacher and he made me promise that I would try it, even though I wasn’t at all convinced that I could sing it, because I told him, “Well, I’m just a country singer and I’m a girl, so I can’t sing that music that did you do.” He said, “Yes, you can. I know you can. And if you want your records to sell, you need to record songs that the young people like. This is their kind of music and they’re the ones that buy the records now, not just adults anymore. They’re the ones that call radio stations and request your records to be played, so they’re very important to a career.”
After my dad and I thought about it and talked with him some more about it, I was convinced that I should at least try to sing this kind of music. So once I found a song and recorded it and sang it, I thought, My goodness, I found a home. I like this stuff. I love to sing it. And that’s when things began to change for me because I had two genres then, country music as well as rock ’n’ roll, and that’s the way it’s always been throughout my career.
C&I: Do you prefer one over the other?
Jackson: No, not necessarily. When I’m just singing here at home to keep my voice, you know, ready to go, I do country stuff mostly. But then I’ll throw in some rock stuff ... I’m not practicing necessarily. I’m singing songs that I don’t even do on my show. It’s just to keep my voice working good.
C&I: Over the years you’ve gotten to perform alongside and work with so many talented artists. You collaborated with Jack White on the album of covers he produced in 2011, The Party Ain’t Over, on which you sing everything from the Amy Winehouse hit “You Know I’m No Good” to Bob Dylan’s “Thunder on the Mountain.” And you’ve got something in the works with fellow female rocker Joan Jett. What were those experiences like, and can we expect any more team-ups Source: https://www.cowboysindians.com/2017/10/wanda-jackson-to-release-an-autobiography/