Rock-n-Roll Royalty in Oklahoma

By Darren Brown, News9.com

OKLAHOMA CITY --Guys like Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Buddy Holly helped start the rock-n-roll movement.  And we all know Elvis is king, but it's an Oklahoma woman who reigns as the Queen of Rockabilly.

Wanda Jackson began performing country music while she was still a teenager.  She even had her own 15-minute show on the radio.  It was country star Hank Thompson who discovered her in the early 1950s and invited her to tour with his band.

But it was another artist that changed Jackson's musical destiny.  Elvis Presley, an up-and coming new artist, encouraged Jackson to play rockabilly music, a kind of country/rock hybrid.

"I got my first number one rock-n-roll song in 1959," Jackson said.  "But it wasn't in America, it was in Japan, of all places."  That song, "Fujiyama Mama," was indicative of Jackon's sassy persona.

Jackson found new fans along with her new music, but also worried that her country fans wouldn't approve.  So she began recording a country song on the flip side of every rock song she did.  The idea worked, winning Jackson more and more followers.

She and her husband Wendell underwent a spiritual transformation early in the 1970s, and Jackson tried to add gospel music to her repertoire.

But again, the change was not an easy one for her fans.  However, Jackson felt strongly about this new direction for her music, and she recorded gospel exclusively for over a decade.

She could have been content with that, but about 20 years ago, she began to get requests for appearances and opportunities to record again.  

A whole new generation of rockabilly fans was coming of age, and hungry for anything and everything connected to that era.  And who better to ride this new wave of rockabilly than the queen herself?

"Someone said 'Do you feel silly doin' teenage songs?'," laughed Jackson.  "I said 'Well, no, actually it kinda keeps me a little younger y'know?'"

Jackson has received numerous awards and accolades for her musical achievements, but she hit the big time this year.  She was one of the 2009 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  The class included Run DMC, Jeff Beck, and Metallica.

Many artists only get one shot at fame, and it's rare to have a second.  That's something Jackson is grateful for.

"I just feel like this is a brand new career," she said.  "And I feel like the Lord has just laid this in my lap.  I was just doin' what I was doin' and it  happened."

FRIDAY, JUNE 12 IS STATEWIDE WANDA JACKSON DAY.  SHE'LL BE IN CONCERT AT THE OKLAHOMA RODEO OPRY FRIDAY JUNE 12 AT 7:30 PM.  FOR MORE INFO, VISIT www.rodeoopry.com.