Wanda Jackson Opens New Palladian Series

On the heels of her latest album, The Party Ain’t Over, a collaboration with White Stripes guitarist and founder Jack White, Wanda Jackson has found herself back in the spotlight with fans old and new.

Following summer appearances at Bonnaroo and the Austin City Limits Festival, and fresh off her Gold Record for her latest release, the First Lady of Rockabilly and America's first female Rock and Roll singer, makes a tour stop at The Clayton Center on Oct. 22 to open the ninth annual Palladian Series.

Jackson’s remarkable career began in the mid-1950s, when she became the first woman to perform unadulterated rock and roll. She one-upped the boys, including one-time boyfriend Elvis Presley, in defining this new genre with her exhilaratingly forthright approach. The diminutive Jackson, an Oklahoma native, came across as both gritty and glamorous, with a playfully suggestive growl to her voice that matched the daring, handmade outfits she wore—short skirts and fringed dresses that have inspired would-be bad girls for decades to come.

Jackson cut the rockabilly hit "Fujiyama Mama" in 1958, which became a major success in Japan. Her 1960 version of "Let's Have a Party," which Elvis had cut earlier, was a U.S. Top 40 pop hit, and a year later she was back in the country Top Ten with "Right or Wrong" and "In the Middle of a Heartache." In 1965, she topped the German charts with "Santa Domingo," sung in German. In 1966, she again hit the U.S. Top 20 with "The Box It Came In" and "Tears Will Be the Chaser for Your Wine." Jackson's popularity continued through the end of the decade.

Jackson toured regularly, was twice nominated for a Grammy and was a big attraction in Las Vegas from the mid-'50s into the '70s. In 1972, Jackson released a gospel album on Capitol, Praise the Lord, before shifting to the Myrrh label for three more gospel albums. In 1977, she switched again, this time to Word Records, and released another two. In the early '80s, Jackson was invited to Europe to play rockabilly and country festivals and to record. She's since been back numerous times.
While Elvis Presley gave Wanda the courage to begin performing, Jack White brought Jackson into the 21st century with his collaboration as producer and guitarist on The Party Ain’t Over. The album, a retro-modern collection of music that includes a cover of Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good,” and (at the request of the artist himself) Bob Dylan’s “Thunder On The Mountain,” showcases Jackson, as wickedly charismatic as ever.

Jackson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009, and in 2010 she received the Americana Lifetime Achievement Award.

Tickets for the 8 p.m. performance featuring Wanda Jackson and her band are $22.50 and are available by phone at 919-553-1737, at The Clayton Center Box Office from 10 a.m. until noon and from 1 until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or online at www.theclaytoncenter.com.

All shows in the 2011-2012 Palladian Series begin at 8 p.m. in the renovated and historic 600-seat auditorium at 111 E. Second St. in downtown Clayton, located about 15 miles east of Raleigh. Special event times vary by performance.

Coming up, The Clayton Center presents the host of Cash Cab in Canada, Adam Growe in The Quiz Show, a unique stand-up comedy show where the audience can win prizes live on stage, on Sunday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. Call the box office for more information about upcoming events.

Other popular artists presented in past seasons at The Clayton Center include Kathy Mattea, Dianne Reeves, Ricky Skaggs, Johnny Winter, Jesse Cook, Jim Brickman, Doc Watson, Riders In the Sky, the Harlem Gospel Choir and David Sedaris.