Jessi Colter
Encyclopedia
Jessi Colter is an American country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 artist who is best known for her collaboration with her husband, country singer and songwriter Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...

 and for her 1975 country-pop crossover hit "I'm Not Lisa
I'm Not Lisa
"I'm Not Lisa" is a country music song written and recorded by American country artist Jessi Colter. It was released as a single on January 16, 1975 by Capitol Records. "I'm Not Lisa" would become Colter's first major hit as a solo artist.-Content:...

".

Jessi Colter was one of the few female artists to emerge from the mid-'70s "outlaw" movement.
After meeting her future husband, Colter pursued a career in country music, releasing her first studio LP in 1970, A Country Star is Born
A Country Star Is Born
- Chart positions :Album – Billboard ,Singles – Billboard...

.
Five years later, Colter signed with Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...

 and released her first solo single, "I'm Not Lisa" which topped the country charts and reached the Top 5 on the Pop charts. In 1976 she was featured on the collaboration LP, Wanted: The Outlaws, which became an RIAA-certified Platinum album, and helped her become one of the few female outlaw country
Outlaw country
Outlaw country is a subgenre of country music, most popular during the late 1960s and the 1970s , sometimes referred to as the outlaw movement or simply outlaw music...

 stars.

Early life

Colter was born Miriam Johnson and raised in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

 in a strict Pentecostal home. Her mother was a Pentecostal preacher and her father was a racecar driver. At age 11, Colter became the pianist at her church.
After high school, she began singing in local clubs in Phoenix.

Early career: 1970 – 1974

In 1970, Jennings and Colter sang duet on two Top 40 country chart hits which also helped Colter gain a recording contract with RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...

 the same year. She released her debut album, A Country Star is Born on RCA, with Jennings and Chet Atkins co-producing
The album was not successful and did not make an impact on the country music market. It was Colter's only album for RCA, and she left the label soon after. However, her face appears on several Jennings record covers from this period.

Breakthrough success: 1975 – 1979

In 1975, Colter was signed with Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...

. On the label, she released her debut single, "I'm Not Lisa
I'm Not Lisa
"I'm Not Lisa" is a country music song written and recorded by American country artist Jessi Colter. It was released as a single on January 16, 1975 by Capitol Records. "I'm Not Lisa" would become Colter's first major hit as a solo artist.-Content:...

." The song was Colter's breakthrough single, reaching #1 on the Billboard Country Chart
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...

 and also peaked at #4 on the Billboard Pop Chart
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

, becoming a crossover hit in 1975. Her second album titled, I'm Jessi Colter
I'm Jessi Colter
I'm Jessi Colter is a studio album by American country music artist, Jessi Colter. The album was released on Capitol Records in January 1975 and was produced by Ken Mansfield...

was also released that year, and debuted at #1 on the Top Country Albums chart and #50 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

. The follow-up single from her album, "What's Happened to Blue Eyes
What's Happened to Blue Eyes
"What's Happened to Blue Eyes" is a country music song recorded by American country artist, Jessi Colter. The song was released as her second single under Capitol Records August 4, 1975, peaking as a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Country Chart and a minor hit on the Pop chart.-Content:"What's...

" was also very successful, peaking at #5 on the Billboard Country Chart and #57 on the Pop Chart. The single's B-side, "You Ain't Never Been Loved (Like I'm Gonna Love You)" charted among the Top Pop 100 also in 1975. Colter couldn't follow-up her success on the Pop Charts; she was not able to chart among the Pop Top 40. That year, Colter launched her own nationwide tour at the Los Angeles Civic Center. In 1976, Colter released her second and third Capitol studio albums, Jessi
Jessi (album)
Jessi is the third studio album released by American country music artist, Jessi Colter. It was her second release for Capitol Records and was produced by Ken Mansfield and husband, Waylon Jennings...

and Diamond in the Rough
Diamond in the Rough (album)
Diamond in the Rough is the fourth studio album released by American country music artist Jessi Colter. It was the second album issued by Colter in 1976; the previous was Jessi, released earlier in the year...

.
Both albums were as successful as Colter's 1975 album, both debuting at #4 on the Top Country Albums chart. The lead single off of her Jessi album, "It's Morning (And I Still Love You)
It's Morning (And I Still Love You)
"It's Morning " is a country music song written and recorded by American country artist, Jessi Colter. The song was released as a single December 8, 1975 on Capitol Records...

" was a Top 15 country hit in 1976. Her second album that year, Diamond in the Rough produced only one charting single, "I Thought I Heard You Calling My Name". The album consisted of recordings by each of the featured artists. The album also included the song "Without You" which was re-released later that year and peaked at #2 on the Billboard Country Chart. For the remainder of the decade, Colter toured with her husband Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...

 and released her studio album, Miriam in 1977. She then released her next album, That's the Way a Cowboy Rocks and Rolls
That's the Way a Cowboy Rocks and Rolls
That's the Way a Cowboy Rocks and Rolls is the fifth studio album by American country music artist, Jessi Colter. The album was released in November 1978 on Capitol Records and was produced by Richie Albright and Waylon Jennings.-Background:...

the following year. Her success began to decline through the remainder of the decade, with her final two albums of the decade not producing any Top 40 country hits.

Later music career: 1980 – 2002

In 1981, Colter and her husband returned to release a duet album entitled, Leather and Lace
Leather and Lace
Leather and Lace is a duet album by Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, released on RCA Victor in 1981. It was the famous couple's first album together, though they had sung individual duets together prior to the release of Leather and Lace. "You Never Can Tell " is a well-known Chuck Berry song...

. The album's first single, "Storms Never Last," was written by Colter,
and the second single, "The Wild Side of Life
The Wild Side of Life
"The Wild Side of Life" is a song made famous by country music singer Hank Thompson. Originally released in 1952, the song became one of the most popular recordings in the genre's history, spending 15 weeks at No...

"/"It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels
It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels
"It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" is a 1952 country song written by J. D. "Jay" Miller, and originally recorded by Kitty Wells. It was an answer song to the Hank Thompson hit "The Wild Side of Life."...

" was also a major hit in 1981, peaking at #10 on the Billboard Country Chart. The album was certified Gold in sales by the RIAA that year, Colter's second RIAA-certified album to date. Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...

 wrote the title track of the album, however after receiving word that Colter and Jennings might divorce, released her own version of the song as a duet with Don Henley
Don Henley
Donald Hugh "Don" Henley is an American singer, songwriter and drummer, best known as a founding member of the Eagles before launching a successful solo career. Henley was the drummer and lead vocalist for the Eagles from 1971–1980, when the band broke up...

, which peaked at #6 on Pop chart, also in 1981.

Also in 1981 Colter released her final studio album on Capitol records, Ridin' Shotgun
Ridin' Shotgun
Ridin' Shotgun is the eighth studio album released by American country music artist, Jessi Colter. The album was originally issued in 1981 by Capitol Records.-Background:...

,
, which also spawned Colter's last charting single on the country charts, "Holdin' on." As the decade progressed, Colter's success began to decline. She released in album in 1984 on the Triad label titled, Rock and Roll Lullaby
Rock and Roll Lullaby
Rock and Roll Lullaby is a studio album by American country music artist, Jessi Colter. It was released in 1984 off of Triad Records, Colter's first and only release for the label.-Background:...

,
produced by Chips Moman
Chips Moman
Lincoln Wayne "Chips" Moman is an American record producer, guitarist, and songwriter. As a record producer, Moman is known for recording Elvis Presley, Bobby Womack, Carla Thomas, and Merrilee Rush, as well as guiding the career of the Box Tops in Memphis, Tennessee during the 1960s...

. However, in the later years of the decade, she decided to let her recording career decline in order to help take care of and nurse her husband through his drug abuse
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...

 and various medical problems. She remained active during this time.

In the early 1990s, she focused her attention towards performing and released an album of children's music
Children's music
Children's music is used here to refer to music composed and performed for children by adults. In European influenced contexts this means music, usually songs, written specifically for a juvenile audience. The composers are usually adults. Children's music has historically held both entertainment...

 titled, Jessi Colter Sings Just for Kids: Songs from Around the World
Jessi Colter Sings Just for Kids: Songs from Around the World
Jessi Colter Sings Songs for Kids: Songs from Around the World is a Children's music album by American country music artist, Jessi Colter. It was released January 1, 1996 on Peter Pan Records, Colter's first and only album of Children's music.-Background:...

in early 1996. It featured a guest appearance by Jennings, who recited some of his poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...

 for the video. In 2000, Colter performed on Jenning's live album Never Say Die, released two years before his death in 2002, when he was sixty-four years old.

Return to music: 2006 – present

In 2006, Colter returned to recording with a new studio album released off the Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 that was started by Richard Foos , Bob Emmer and Garson Foos initially as a specialty music label...

 label, Out of the Ashes
Out of the Ashes (Jessi Colter album)
Out of the Ashes is the twelfth studio album by American country music artist, Jessi Colter. The album was released February 28, 2006 on Shout! Factory Records...

. "Out of the Ashes" was Colter's first studio album in over twenty years. The album was produced by Don Was
Don Was
Don Was is an American musician, bassist and record producer.-Life and career:Was was born in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from Oak Park High School in the Detroit suburb of Oak Park, then attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor but dropped out after the first year...

 and reflected on Jenning's passing away. Her late husband, Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...

, had an unused vocal, "Out of the Rain", that was featured on the track.

The album was given many positive reviews, including Allmusic, which gave the album four out of five stars in 2006. Out of the Ashes was her first album since 1981 to chart on the Top Country Albums chart, peaking at #61. In 2007, Colter recorded a duet version of her 1975 hit, "I'm Not Lisa" with Deana Carter
Deana Carter
Deana Carter is a country music artist who broke through in 1996 with the release of debut album Did I Shave My Legs for This?, which was certified 5× Multi-Platinum in the United States for sales of over five million...

 on her 2007 album, The Chain
The Chain (Deana Carter album)
-Album:-Singles:...

.

Personal life

She met Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s he had a string of hit records, produced by Lee Hazlewood, which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" sound, including "Rebel Rouser", "Peter Gunn", and "Because They're Young"...

 in Phoenix. He produced her first record, and she toured with him. They were married in 1962, in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...

, settling in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

. She pursued a career as a songwriter under her married name, Miriam Eddy. Her songs were recorded by Don Gibson
Don Gibson
Donald Eugene "Don" Gibson was an American songwriter and country musician. A Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, Gibson penned such country standards as "Sweet Dreams" and "I Can't Stop Loving You", and enjoyed a string of country hits from 1957 into the early 1970s.-Biography:Don Gibson was...

, Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sandra Sinatra is an American singer and actress. She is the daughter of singer/actor Frank Sinatra, and remains best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"....

, and Dottie West
Dottie West
Dottie West was an American country music singer and songwriter. Along with her friends and co-recording artists Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, she is considered one of the genre's most influential and groundbreaking female artists...

. Colter and Eddy have a daughter, Jennifer. In 1968, Eddy and Colter separated, divorcing later that year. Colter moved back to Arizona.

In 1969 she met and married Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...

. At this time, Colter adopted her stage name, Jessi Colter, in honor of her great grandfather, Jesse Colter. Colter then moved to Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

 with Jennings. In the early 1980s, Colter and Jennings nearly divorced due to his addictions to drugs and other forms of substance abuse. However, they remained together until Jennings' death in 2002.

Discography

Studio albums
  • 1970: A Country Star is Born
    A Country Star Is Born
    - Chart positions :Album – Billboard ,Singles – Billboard...

  • 1975: I'm Jessi Colter
    I'm Jessi Colter
    I'm Jessi Colter is a studio album by American country music artist, Jessi Colter. The album was released on Capitol Records in January 1975 and was produced by Ken Mansfield...

  • 1976: Jessi
    Jessi (album)
    Jessi is the third studio album released by American country music artist, Jessi Colter. It was her second release for Capitol Records and was produced by Ken Mansfield and husband, Waylon Jennings...

  • 1976: Diamond in the Rough
    Diamond in the Rough (album)
    Diamond in the Rough is the fourth studio album released by American country music artist Jessi Colter. It was the second album issued by Colter in 1976; the previous was Jessi, released earlier in the year...

  • 1977: Miriam
  • 1978: That's the Way a Cowboy Rocks and Rolls
    That's the Way a Cowboy Rocks and Rolls
    That's the Way a Cowboy Rocks and Rolls is the fifth studio album by American country music artist, Jessi Colter. The album was released in November 1978 on Capitol Records and was produced by Richie Albright and Waylon Jennings.-Background:...

  • 1981: Ridin' Shotgun
    Ridin' Shotgun
    Ridin' Shotgun is the eighth studio album released by American country music artist, Jessi Colter. The album was originally issued in 1981 by Capitol Records.-Background:...

  • 1984: Rock and Roll Lullaby
    Rock and Roll Lullaby
    Rock and Roll Lullaby is a studio album by American country music artist, Jessi Colter. It was released in 1984 off of Triad Records, Colter's first and only release for the label.-Background:...

  • 1996: Jessi Colter Sings Just for Kids: Songs from Around the World
    Jessi Colter Sings Just for Kids: Songs from Around the World
    Jessi Colter Sings Songs for Kids: Songs from Around the World is a Children's music album by American country music artist, Jessi Colter. It was released January 1, 1996 on Peter Pan Records, Colter's first and only album of Children's music.-Background:...

  • 2006: Out of the Ashes
    Out of the Ashes (Jessi Colter album)
    Out of the Ashes is the twelfth studio album by American country music artist, Jessi Colter. The album was released February 28, 2006 on Shout! Factory Records...


Collaboration albums
  • 1976: Wanted! The Outlaws
    Wanted! The Outlaws
    Wanted! The Outlaws is an album by Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser, released in RCA Victor in 1976, and consisting of previously released material. Released to capitalize on the new outlaw country movement, Wanted! The Outlaws earned its place in music history by...

  • 1981: Leather and Lace
    Leather and Lace
    Leather and Lace is a duet album by Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, released on RCA Victor in 1981. It was the famous couple's first album together, though they had sung individual duets together prior to the release of Leather and Lace. "You Never Can Tell " is a well-known Chuck Berry song...

  • 1978: White Mansions
    White Mansions
    White Mansions is a 1978 album by various artists documenting the lives of white people in the Confederacy during the Civil War. The songs on the album were written by Paul Kennerley and are performed by Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, John Dillon and Steve Cash...



Compilation albums
  • 1995: The Jessi Colter Collection
  • 2003: The Very Best of Jessi Colter: An Outlaw...a Lady
    The Very Best of Jessi Colter: An Outlaw...a Lady
    The Very Best of Jessi Colter: An Outlaw, a Lady is a compilation album released by Capitol records; the collection features Country music singer Jessi Colter's biggest hits from the 1970s and '80s....



External links

  • Jessi Colter's Official Website
  • Jessi Colter at Internet Movie Database
    Internet Movie Database
    Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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