Wanda Jackson On Mountain Stage

Rock & roll pioneer and rockabilly queen Wanda Jackson visits Mountain Stage with songs from her new Jack White-produced album, The Party Ain't Over. Jackson's career began when she was still in high school, but she soon found herself on the road with the likes of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewisand Johnny Cash.

Originally a country singer, Jackson was encouraged to perform rock 'n' roll by Presley, with whom she shared a brief romance. With blistering singles like "Let's Have a Party" (included here) and "Fujiyama Mama," Jackson became the first woman to top the rockabilly charts ,which earned her the respect of her male colleagues and the adoration of fans the world over. She has continued to perform for more than 50 years and in 2009 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Backed by the Mountain Stage band and assisted by an incendiary three-piece horn section, Jackson's set kicks off with "Riot in Cell Block #9" before moving into cuts from the new album, including Amy Winehouse's "You Know I'm No Good."

This segment originally aired on June 27th, 2011.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email