Celebrating the Queen of Rockabilly – Wanda Jackson

Vintage Rock and friends celebrate the Queen of Rockabilly – Wanda Jackson.

The first lady to make a mark in the male-dominated world of 1950s rock’n’roll, Wanda Jackson was the original Wonder Woman who paved the way for countless generations of female artists who have followed. To honour her pioneering legacy we catch-up with some of our favourite stars rockin’ the scene today to discuss Jackson’s enduring influence.

Jenny Don’t
(Jenny Don’t &The Spurs)

“I first heard Wanda when a DJ played Funnel Of Love and was instantly intrigued. It was a fuzz-washed blast of rockabilly coolness. No one else sounded like her and she has influenced me with her sound and presence. I’m sure at some point she was told she should sing like so-and-so or dress a certain way but she didn’t.

“She forged ahead and stayed true to her vision. That was a pretty empowering thing to do, especially in the 50s – and definitely not easy. I love that.

Funnel Of Love

“Unfortunately, I never had the chance to catch Wanda live, but a friend that was in her band for a time told me a story which sticks in my mind. Apparently someone threw a beer on stage and it whizzed by her head. Now, I doubt anyone would intentionally throw a beer at her, the more likely scenario is it flew out of their hand while they were shakin’ a chicken [laughs], either way Wanda said, ‘Well, that was cute, but it ain’t gonna happen again’. I’ve always loved that story. She was such a class act!

“Wanda is important because she pushed the boundaries of what was expected of women in music. She showed that women could croon but also be rowdy, too – not just Elvis! Wearing fringe to accentuate her shimmy and shake wasn’t normal for her time and I believe it helped move rock’n’roll forward. Wanda’s refusal to compromise definitely inspired and paved the way for other female performers.”

ROCKIN’ WITH WANDA: “Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad is probably my favourite… it’s hard to pick just one! Rock’n’roll isn’t just the music but the attitude, too, and there’s nothing better than a song about p*ssing someone off… Especially when it is a woman singing about sticking it to her guy if he’s a jerk [laughs].”

Mozzy Dee

“I have been a fan of Wanda for such a long time and really can’t recall the first time I heard her or which song it was. However, I do remember thinking, ‘Wow! What a voice!’ while listening to Let’s Have A Party from her debut self-titled album. It was so gritty and so raw! Yet, she could hit a high note with ease, too. It made me feel like dancing all night long, and it also made me wonder what more she had in store for me as far as her music went.

“Live, she had a tenacity in demanding attention at all times. She had such a sweetness, mixed with a little bit of bite, which the audience loved and she could express herself with the utmost passion. She would command that stage, right up until she withdrew from performing. She is the Queen Of Rockabilly for a reason.

“She is a woman that could rock’n’roll alongside any other man and give them a run for their money! Her petulance for performing and the passion in her singing is what made me want to pursue rockabilly music as well. It made me fall in love with the style because I also wanted to express myself that way.

Riot In Cell Block #9

“At a time when men were the predominant figures in the industry, Wanda was one of the few women making moves. She’d join them on the road and created music that was groundbreaking. She rocked the stage harder than any other performer that was seen at the time and that paved the way for other women to do the same for decades to come. She will always be recognised as a rockabilly legend and for helping women in rock’n’roll get where we are today. Wanda is the reason why women like me can play the way we want to, no matter what anybody says.”

ROCKIN’ WITH WANDA: “My favourite track would have to be Riot In Cell Block #9. That song really riles me up, gets me going for a show – and energises me. I scream and yell alongside that woman every time I listen to it. The raw energy and unbridled passion in that song is what I strive for in my own singing and songwriting as a rockabilly artist. Wanda truly is a treasure!”

Joey Hill
(The Obscuritones)

“When I first joined The Obscuritones I had to learn Fujiyama Mama and vividly recall looking at the lyrics and thinking, ‘Wow! They’re explosive!’ [sings] ‘Well you can talk about me, say that I’m mean, I’ll blow your head off baby with nitro-glycerin!’ There’s no room for being a shrinking violet with that song! But Wanda has always been in my life, from listening to rock’n’roll records with my dad.

“While I haven’t intentionally set out to replicate her style, I was very shy when I was younger and watching videos of Wanda helped me develop my own stage presence, growling and prowling – and to not take things too seriously. I love rockabilly because it’s got such a wicked sense of humour.

“Wanda’s an archetype who laid the blueprint down for women. She had that cheeky wiggle and twinkle in her eye. The way she dressed was really controversial and I love that her mum made her clothes and encouraged her to be herself. She wanted to get away from the cute country outfits and be sexy like Marilyn Monroe.

Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad

It’s thanks to her that ladies could be more outrageous. She never asked if she could play rock’n’roll, she just did it. She had encouragement from Elvis and her dad, but she went out there and wrote her own songs, because rock songs for women didn’t exist. Wanda paved the way without planning permission. She broke the conventions and went against the grain… against the man as it were. Thank God she did!”

ROCKIN’ WITH WANDA: “I love Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad because it’s so sassy and funny. I really like I Gotta Know, where she’s saying, ‘If you like it you better put a ring on it’, many years before Beyoncé. But I’m going to choose Rock Your Baby as today’s favourite, because it’s pure rock’n’roll and has a great ‘dancing on a Saturday night’ vibe.”

Shanda Ratto
(Shanda &The Howlers)

“For me, like many other women in rock’n’roll, rockabilly, or country, Wanda Jackson was a pioneer. Wanda was so instrumental in paving the way for us all. She was such a great storyteller with her lyrics, but it wasn’t just her fabulous music that made her so important, it was also the way she held herself and spoke. You can tell she was very natural and at home on stage and had such style.

“She has a unique voice and rocked just as good, and as hard, as the fellas in a time when ‘for a girl’ was always tacked on to the accomplishments of women. We needed women like Wanda, Barbara Pittman, and Janis Martin, to step into the spotlight and shout, ‘hey! I have something to say!’ and could do it with such grit! Especially at a time when it was unpopular for women to portray themselves as such.”

ROCKIN’ WITH WANDA: “The first song I heard by Wanda Jackson was Funnel Of Love, and I hadn’t really heard a song or voice like it before. It really stuck out to me and I loved it. It is certainly one of my favourites today and just a lot of fun to sing!”

Jane Rose
(Jane Rose & The Deadends)

“I love Wanda’s stage presence and energy. She was both feminine and badass. I like that she crossed the boundaries, singing songs that males covered, and how she was able to bring a raw edge with no effort. The first time I heard her voice was probably on the song Fujiyama Mama. I was in awe of that raw energy, her vocal range, and that effortless growl, which just came naturally to her without being forced. She certainly was a force to be reckoned with! Fun ’n’ flirty on stage, commanding attention, and captivating audiences whenever she played.

“Wanda led the way. I feel like she set the precedent of how to be powerful and sexy. She’s one of the artists from that era who really pushed the boundaries and showed that you didn’t have to be a man to do this. Women can rock and we can roll… we can make you shimmy ’n’ shake, and we can make you cry and make you feel all the feelings. Listen to us ROAR!”

ROCKIN’ WITH WANDA: “It’s impossible for me to pick one favourite, so I’ll choose the first track that came to my mind which is Funnel Of Love. I love Wanda’s vocal range on this track, musically I adore the melody. It’s just a really fun song!”

Gizzelle DeAnda

“Growing up as a little Hispanic girl I didn’t know how to speak English correctly, but I knew Patsy Cline songs and have always loved country music as well as 50s R&B singers like Ruth Brown. I was sucked into 50s rock’n’roll and I was about 16 when I first heard Wanda’s Queen Of Rockabilly collection, the one where she is wearing an orange sweater and playing her guitar.

“I remember hearing Fujiyama Mama and Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad and being blown away by that voice. I always enjoy being with someone who doesn’t know who she is when they listen to her for the first time and watching their reaction. She was so unique.

“Years later, when I actually got to be on the same bill as Wanda, I couldn’t believe how amazing she was. It was just insane how little she was, but her vocal was still so powerful. I think it was in 2017, at the Observatory in California, and she was so cool and such an amazing person to watch.

Fujiyama Mama

“It always seemed like nothing could hold her back. She was tough and wasn’t afraid of anybody. It takes a lot for a woman to be bold, but a woman to be bold back in the 50s was a little extra. Back then women were supposed to play a certain kind of role and what Wanda was doing was deemed vulgar. But the fact that she was the girl that just did what she loved doing, had an incredible influence on me.

“It’s funny, I have a newspaper clipping of Wanda and she looks just like my grandma did when she was young. She looks very confident and that’s the way she presents herself all the time.”

ROCKIN’ WITH WANDA: “I have so many favourites, but I guess the one that sticks with me the most has to be Fujiyama Mama… However, I do love the way I Gotta Know flips from sweet country to that rockabilly growl.”

Celine Lee

“I was living in Las Vegas when I first heard Wanda’s remarkable voice. This was back in 2006 and the guy I was dating at the time was in a rockabilly band and had her Right Or Wrong record. I fell in love with her immediately. She is rock’n’roll and it oozes out of her so naturally. I can honestly say, everything I do as a musician has always had a huge Wanda influence. She was a pioneer ahead of her time in the 50s, and I’m so glad she is able to still see the influence she has made on so many musicians over the decades. Wanda is an originator and that’s why we gave her the Founder Of The Sound Award at The Ameripolitan Awards in Austin, Texas, back in 2017.

“She is so important because she did her own thing and combined rock’n’roll with country, or hillbilly music as they called it back then, and was the first female to do it. She inspires so many even to this day. I only wish more young musicians knew about this incredible woman.

Right Or Wrong

“I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Wanda a few times, the most recent being in January, in Oklahoma where I got to sing Fujiyama Mama in front of the Queen herself. My heart was pounding and my hands were sweaty as I asked her if it would be OK if I sang her song, and she said, ‘You better get up there and shake your fringe even more than I did in the 60s!’ I nervously went back to her after I got done singing, and she thanked me saying, ‘That’s the way my songs should be sung, and I just wish you were up there longer’. My heart was so full and we sat and watched the rest of the show together. It was a night to remember and one which I will cherish forever.”

ROCKIN’ WITH WANDA: “Picking a favourite song is such a hard question to answer because there are so many and Wanda is my ultimate No.1 hero. However, if I had to choose, I think it would be Right Or Wrong because it’s such a perfect country and western song.”

To listen to these tracks and more, click here

Read More: Classic Album: Wanda Jackson – Rockin’ With Wanda!