She’s Wanda-ful…
Here’s to the Queen, the Queen of Rockabilly (the only queen we Irish girls will abide), proclaimed throughout the land – Miss Wanda Jackson.
We arrive at the Corner Hotel, Richmond and the crowd is gathering. The rockabilly hairstyles and fashions are standouts; this is not your usual crowd.
Inside Ezra Lee, his dad, his brother and a friend are belting out some Jerry Lee Lewis style songs while the crowd hugs the bar. The Corner is the perfect spot for the gut-bucket rockin twang of rockabilly. My ears are rubbing their hands together.
The crowd moves forward during the break, anticipating Wanda. Ezra Lee and the band return to intro the Queen. She steps boldly out on stage with her big black hair, white fringed jacket and bows her welcome to the crowd. She owns it, the crowd surge forward, applauding, reaching, expectant.
Wanda Lavonne Jackson is 75. She’s been recording hits since the 1950s, was a peer of Elvis Presley’s (who she credits as getting her singing rock’n’roll), is a songwriter, pianist, plays guitar (pink!), inspired Adele to write her hit ‘Rollin in the Deep’ and recently worked with Jack White on a new album.
She has longevity and she has cool. Six decades in the spotlight.
She tells us she is going to take us on a musical journey, and wow what a trip. Kicking in with fabulous hits like ‘Hard Headed Woman’ (is a thorn in the side of a man)
The crowd sings along with her, loving lines like ‘brrr… shivers down my backbone’, like we had them ourselves. More hits ‘Let’s Have a Party’, ‘Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On’, the journey feels timeless.
She does however let us in on the time the lord came into her life. The godless sinful crowd stays quiet, fiddling with their phones, looking around the room… she gets on with it though, the hits keep comin and comin.
She rips, growls and yodels like a woman possessed, and we can’t get enough. Well actually I have to sit down with my knee hurting from my last gig (read how here).
Wanda is a living enigma, a wild woman, ageless, free… though I’m not sure what Wendall would say about that. If you ever get the chance you simply MUST see her.
Love Aunty Mod
Connect with Wanda:
- Go to her website for tour updates.
- Her Facebook page has lots of great media too
Love the comment ‘six decades in the spotlight’.
woohoo, she sounds amazing….a rockin legend indeed! Where can we go and see her???
Head to her website http://www.wandajackson.com/main.html
One of my fav songs of her’s is ‘Hotdog that made him mad.”
Not that any of the McCuskey girls need lessons in making their blokes mad.
Here it is by the women herself…
Dear Aunties,
if you continue to annoy the men in your life, they may indeed take flight.
Of course I will need to go with them.
Love the Valet
Sometimes you can never leave….. ‘check out’ a possibility….. leave, no! Where have we heard that before????
Great clip… Yep… gotta keep them honest (& guessing)….the moral stands today!! Isnt she fabulous?