Oct. 20 was the bday of the Queen of Rockabilly and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Wanda Jackson. Have seen her many times in concert, so heres a little thread. She looked around 1954/55, and thought, "Hey. All these songs are written by boys. This will not DO, I tell you." /1

But there was another factor. Hmmmm ... /2

WJ: "Elvis had been talking to me about trying to sing this new rock and roll or rockabilly – I don’t think we even had a name for it yet – and I didn’t think I could, I told him No, I’m just a country singer. But it seemed like he knew something I didn’t know..." /3

"... He said, 'You can do this. I know you can. And you need to.'" /4

Wanda Jackson pays tribute to Elvis in every one of her shows because of his encouragement. "I would not be here if it wasn't for him. I would not be in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame if it wasn't for him." She also was not afraid to Kiss and Tell. /5

This clip disappears from Youtube constantly and people keep re-up-loading it. Thank you, randos. It's a great performance, Wanda Jackson and Jack White performing "Heartbreak Hotel." /6

Here she is in action, 1958. She's on fire here - a rock star. I love the humor of her "girlish" introduction: "This is one of the most beautiful love songs ever written." And then ...

One of the major revelations and revolutions about Wanda Jackson is her voice is great but it is not in any way, shape, or form "pretty." It's ROUGH. It doesn't plead. It makes DEMANDS.

She and her mother made her signature fringed dresses and jackets. So when she would play the guitar, or move, she created this effect of constant rippling shimmering movement. "We wanted to get some sexuality in there," she said in a recent interview. Smart mother-daughter.

I think she's retired from touring in the last couple of years, so I am so glad I saw her as often as I could while she was still at it. The support/promotion of people like Jack White - Adele - and others - have brought her to younger generations. Her shows were always all ages!

When I saw Wanda Jackson at Maxwell's, she spoke very warmly of Amy Winehouse - and with some sadness too: "I had hoped very much to meet her." so tragic. Here she is performing "I'm No Good."

Another song she performs every show is Hank Williams' "I Saw the Light." I forgot I was numbering these tweets. Fuck it.

I've told this story before, but I'll tell it again! I went and saw Wanda play at a hall in suburban New Jersey. My friend worked the door, so I hung out with him. Door opened at one point and Joan Jett strolled in.

Side note: When I saw Wanda at Maxwell's, she told of playing a gig at a bowling alley in Asbury Park. Not even a real stage! Plastic chairs! She gets up there and sees Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa sitting in the front "row."

Afterwards, she went up to Bruce and said, "I can't believe you came out for this" and he was like, "Are you kidding me, Wanda???" The legendary Wanda Jackson plays at a bowling alley down the street from your house - YOU SHOW UP.

Okay, so back to Joan Jett. Joan drove out to see Wanda play. She waited at the edge of the stage to talk to Wanda, during the sound check.

The show was great, the house was packed. Joan was standing down on the floor near me. Wanda starts to sing "I Saw the Light."

1. Hearing that all-ages show singing along all the words to a gospel song written by Hank Williams was ... almost an out of body experience
and
2. I glanced over at JJ. Deadpan face, but she was bopping her body around, nodding her head to the beat, mouthing the lyrics.

Jamming out by herself to a song written by Hank Williams - performed by Wanda Jackson, an octogenarian Rock n Roll Hall of Famer - at an out of the way hall in a New Jersey suburb. The sense of continuity and RESPECT was almost too much to bear.

and finally: when I went to the Play It Loud exhibit at the Met, I loved to see her guitar - good thing it was behind glass. I wanted to touch it!