Since including Wanda Jackson‘s Funnel of Love on my Change of Season Playlist last October, there has been an astounding steady draw to the site on behalf of Jackson aka The Queen of Rockabilly. Downloads of that track have been #1 up against all of today’s latest and greatest so I felt it necessary to give Ms. Jackson some proper face time:

Wanda Lavonne Jackson was born in Oklahoma on October 20th, 1937 and was discovered by Hank Thompson in 1954. Initially she was shut out of Capitol Records that year after being told that “Girls don’t sell records,” and instead signed with Decca Records. ^[1]

Right out of high school, Jackson began touring with the likes of Elvis Presley (whom she also briefly dated) and had her first top 40 hit with Let’s Have A Party in 1959.  As the popularity of Rockabilly declined in the mid-60′s, Jackson made the transition to country music and even syndicated television.

To the dismay of Capitol Records (who signed her in 1956), Jackson began recording gospel music in the 70′s which ultimately lead to the end of her recording contract. In 2003, Wanda’s career picked up again with the release of her first studio album since the 80′s called Heart Trouble, which  included collaborations with The Cramps and Elvis Costello.

Jackson was nominated twice for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, first in 2005 and then in 2008 leading to induction in April 2009 as an Early Influence. Later in 2009, The White Stripes/The Raconteurs/Dead Weather’s Jack White announced that he would be producing 72 year old Wanda Jackson’s upcoming album in Nashville, stating that “It’s a wild record.”

This brings us to today. The first song from the wild record to have surfaced is Jackson’s cover of Amy Winehouse‘s You Know I’m No Good which I have for you below. As of now there is no official information on the full-length but rumor has it that Jackson will be hitting the stages of SXSW next week. It’s amazing how Wanda has managed to stay relevant without effort, aspiring musicians should definitely take note.

mp3: Wanda Jackson – Whirlpool [alt]

mp3: Wanda Jackson – You Know I’m No Good (Amy Winehouse Cover) [alt]

*Update: Wanda Jackson is in fact playing SXSW, check the comments section for RSVP and flyer info!