INTERLUDE: Jessi Colter and Fellow Artists Geared-Up for Release of New Waylon Jennings Tribute Album, 'The Music Inside'

Before we return to the ongoing Jessi Colter blog-bio, now is the ideal time to let fans know that the Jessi & Shooter-spearheaded album 'The Music Inside' is due for digital release in late January and for wide release through various outlets on February 7, 2012. This set constitutes the second volume in an ambitious and superb Waylon Jennings tribute effort launched last year with Volume I. Produced by Scattertunes creator Witt Stewart, the project in each of its phases has brought together some of the best established and up-and-coming artists in the industry, all of whom prove passionate about honoring the late, great Waylon through powerfully personal interpretations of his biggest hits and favorite songs. From Mongomery Gentry, Hank Williams Jr., Alabama, Josh Thompson, Jewel, Dierks Bentley, Sunny Sweeney, and, of course, Jessi Colter and Shooter Jennings, the two collections form an astonishing and cohesive whole in terms of paying top-flight musical homage to Waylon. The new album can be preordered at Amazon, and those who wish to know more about the genesis of this groundbreaking effort are encouraged to follow this link to read about the very special involvement of Jessi and Shooter.

    Jessi, in particular, offers some tantalizing insights into the reasons she included her original song, 'Mama' on the newest recording. As many of her fans know, 'Mama' was one of the stunning tracks on Jessi's classic 1977 Capitol album, Mirriam. Perhaps one of the most criminally under-appreciated albums of the 1970s, Mirriam was Jessi's "new wine" after the massive successes of 1975 and 1976, a striking exploration of her spiritual roots, featuring ten hauntingly beautiful songs written and sung in the signature Jessi Colter style. In many ways, the record was a shimmering pinnacle, a piece of transcendent artistry for Jessi, but the label fought her tooth and nail on the project and, when it was released, Capitol did not even remotely give it the support that a work of such exquisite caliber (and a star of Colter's considerable stature, at the time) deserved. Ken Mansfield talked a bit about this in my recent discussion with him, and Waylon also spoke about his disappointment on Jessi's behalf, indicating that 'Mama' was one of his favorite songs. Jessi has broached the subject a couple of times and this interview (related to the release of the first tribute set) sheds significant new light on her own feelings about the Mirriam album. As someone who still considers Mirriam to be a masterpiece, a great and groundbreaking album that was also wonderfully ahead of its time, I can't wait to hear (and purchase) the new collection featuring Jessi's updated rendition of 'Mama' and all of the other stars shining bright in honor of Old Hoss.

SINGING FOR DUANE AND JAMIE: Jessi-Blog Bio Continues ... With Memory Lane Musical Accompaniment

When last we left the blog's ongoing biography of the great and beautiful Jessi Colter, we were pondering the origins of precious little Mirriam Johnson of Mesa, Arizona, and her potential range of influences as a budding prodigy ... playing piano and singing in her mother's evangelical church. A soulfully satisfying stew of marrow-melting Gospel, blues, Western country, and (unquestionably) late '50s/early '60s pop, jazz, and rock were crucial to her early musical development, both as a singer and songwriter. Arizona was and remains a state boasting a wide-range of opportunities to nurture talent at the grass-roots level. Performing at local Western dances, talent shows, and even on the long-running local Lew King TV and radio programs provided outlets for the petite Mirriam's powerful and plaintive song-delivery. By the time she met rocker Duane Eddy through her sister, Sharon's, husband ("Cowboy" Jack Clement) in 1961, it was clear that Mirriam was well on her way to a musical career of some significance.

Eddy certainly saw the potential for both romance and star quality in Mirriam while she was still in her late teens, and backed-up his vision by producing her first sides for the Jamie label. The chesnut pop-rocker Lonesome Road was Mirriam's first foray into solo recording in 1961. The production (Duane at the helm) is tight, smart, but garden-variety early-'60s girl-singer stuff. Understandably, there might have been a temptation to mold Mirriam into the piping"Little Miss Firecracker" Brenda Lee milieu, with perhaps a dash of spicy Teresa Brewer thrown-in for good measure. Though Mirriam's version of Lonesome Road is not really remarkable in terms of arrangement, it is a stunner in the studio performance category. The unrestrained power of Jessi Colter's "teen voice" is not only intriguing when compared with her far more nuanced 1970s stylings, it is already showing signs of distinction. The unique timing is all her own, as is the underlying "Tell it like it is, girl!" Pentecostal hitch in her delivery. When she wraps her pipes around the lyric, "Look up, look up, and meet your Maker, when Gabriel blows his horn," this young woman's voice is under-girded and infused with an almost black church-choir soulfulness. There is a straightforward ache, there -- one that can't be an affectation, but which is rather the result of years of "living" with the power and panorama of Gospel music and its deep wellspring of tradition and potency.

The Lonesome Road single is a good single simply because Mirriam Johnson is singing her heart out, and one is not wrong to wonder if this particular choice of material (religion cloaked in pop-rock) was selected to soothe potential concerns of Mama Helen about her daughter's foray into the uncharted territory of the music industry.  Whatever the case may be, it was not a successful single for Mirriam, even though her performance and her drop-dead gorgeous "look" can hardly be faulted. As Jessi herself was to opine later on in her career, disc jockeys may have simply found the name "Mirriam Johnson" to be unsuited to the roster of snappy pop/rock monikers they were used to spinning. Though the Johnson surname speaks for itself in terms of anonymous American sturdiness, "Mirriam" is a name steeped with Biblical import -- attached not only to an Old Testament prophetess, the revered sister of Moses who played the tympanum and led the delivered women of Israel in song, but it was a derivative of the name of the Mother of Jesus herself. Though the name "Mirriam" would be revisited in a powerful-yet-tender (and public) manner by Jessi Colter after stardom descended upon her in the mid-1970s, a name that was essentially "Mary Johnson" was perhaps too pedestrian when it came to helping this exceptionally talented lady gain her initial foothold in the business.

Mirriam was not exactly daunted, however. Under Eddy's production auspices, she continued to record sides for Jamie. Two of those 1961 cuts, I Cried Long Enough and Making Believe, are currently featured on YouTube for the listening enjoyment of Jessi fans. The former song is one of her original compositions and tantalizes us with a very early glimpse of this woman's ability to craft declarative, compelling lyrics with intriguing chord changes and then sing her own material with a maturity and evolving style that belied her youth. Her more gentle interpretative powers were in full swing on the Making Believe standard, but it is her original song that shines most. Give the song a listen and then link to the B-side via YouTube.

The tracks Mirriam recorded during this period also underscore the fact that she was undeniably a pop singer with rock, country, and even a few jazz flourishes appearing only at the outskirts of her style. Again, the listener is almost stunned by the raw power of Mirriam's "teen rocker" vocals when compared to her more mature and stylistically evocative sound of the 1970s. In 1961, Mirriam Johnson's bell-clear soprano has all the power and gusto of Dolly Parton at full-throttle, without Dolly's charming hint of helium, without the belovedly persistent whine. 1961 Mirriam displays little tremolo and closes a lyrical bar with as much solidity and fullness as she employs at the beginning of the bar. 1975-1981 Jessi Colter, on the other hand, exerts power only when the emotion of the lyric demands, and then allows her increasingly tremulous delivery to trail off and flutter at the end of a lyric, vulnerable and bittersweet. Though there may have been a few instances when the 1970s/1980s Jessi Colter was perhaps vocally uncomfortable with certain material, or when she was perhaps even afraid of the raw power of her own voice, there can be no mistake that her souful evolution as a singer was already beginning in the early 1960s. This signature talent would eventually lead one Billboard industry reviewer to describe Jessi Colter as "one of the top five song stylists in Nashville" in 1978.

(MORE BIO TO COME ...)

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO JESSI FANS ... and CHATTING WITH THE GREAT KEN MANSFIELD

As the good cheer and unique joy of Christmas approaches, this is clearly an ideal time to wish everyone the safest, most blessed, and peaceful holiday season, along with a New Year filled with abundance and opportunity. It is also exciting to report that, in the past two weeks, I had a chance to speak at length with none other than Ken Mansfield --author, musician, producer, industry executive, and Christian lecturer extraordinaire. As many fans will recall, Ken produced Jessi's first four classic Capitol albums in the 1970s, including (of course) landmark tracks like "I'm Not Lisa", "What's Happened to Blue Eyes", "Storms Never Last" and other hits. During this period of fruitful collaboration, Ken rightfully garnered a multitude of rave reviews, awards, and award nominations for his efforts with Jessi (and with Waylon as co-producer of her tracks). Many fans will likewise remember that Ken produced Waylon's extraordinary 1976 classic Are You Ready for the Country? album. These successes, however, are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg in terms of Ken Mansfield's litany of accomplishments within the recording industry; his important association with a little band known as "The Beatles" deserves considerable mention, too.

Nevertheless, it is difficult to overemphasize Ken's contribution to the shaping of the mid-1970s outlaw-country "sound". One of the best ways to delve into that extraordinary history is to read the forthright and gripping accounts written by Ken himself! A superb trilogy of books gives testimony to the considerable artistic legacy of this man, along with a moving and potent narrative detailing Ken's Christian spiritual journey. The books can be purchased from a number of sources, but it is perhaps most convenient to peruse them and purchase them via Mr. Mansfield's official Amazon.com page. These days, Ken is a compelling and in-demand speaker, travelling nationally and internationally to witness to Christian groups about his conversion experience and how this grace-filled spiritual vision reflects back, in terms of perspective, upon his work as a star-maker in the often punishing entertainment industry.

Given the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, along with Ken's already hectic professional schedule, I was particularly thankful for his time when it came to talking about Jessi and her 1970s heyday. In an amiable hour of phone discussion, Ken had only the highest praise for Jessi and Waylon; his deep respect for these two, as both artists and individuals, is palpable. We covered a lot of territory, some of which was noted in his trilogy of books (another reason to buy those gems) and we explored a few more obscure aspects of the artistic process of working so closely alongside Colter and her posse. I am hoping to secure an in-depth interview with Ken some time after the New Year, if schedules permit, but suffice it to say that Ken graciously shed a great deal of light upon Jessi's rise to mid-1970s stardom. Among other things, Ken talked about the watershed moment when he first saw Jessi Colter performing on an episode of Hee Haw in the early 1970s. Indeed, Ken had tuned-into that particular episode because he wanted to watch the show's headlining star ...Waylon! Ken had already been a great admirer of Waylon's work, but he had never heard of Jessi, who he presumed to be the Hee Haw episode's featured "girl singer" du jour; he did not know that Jessi was associated with Waylon, at that time.

Mansfield was floored by his musical hero, Waylon Jennings, but equally intrigued by this beautiful and talented young lady at her piano. Being a man with no small measure of industry influence, Ken recounted how he made immediate inquiries into Jessi's identity, possible management status, etc. Upon learning that Jessi was, in fact, married to Old Hoss, he figured that Colter would already be well represented by some agent or production entity. As it turns out, she wasn't. To his delight, Ken received a phone call not long afterward and the pleasant voice on the other end of the line greeted him with the (perhaps prescient) words: "Hello, Ken. I'm Jessi Colter."

A powerful professional relationship was born at that juncture and the rest is history, for we all know how Jessi's "I'm Not Lisa" took the entire nation by storm in 1975, along with her debut album, I'm Jessi Colter (which went to No. 1 in Cashbox, No. 4 in Billboard), and her subsequent recording successes -- crossover chart appearances with hits like "What's Happened to Blue Eyes" and "You Ain't Never Been Loved" and monster-selling albums like Jessi and Diamond in the Rough. Ken was also quick to acknowledge the crucial reaction of Capitol Records VP (and fellow industry legend) Al Coury, who listened to the four-track demo Ken produced on Jessi and "nearly fell off his chair," agreeing to sign her on-the-spot. Mr. Mansfield also gave high praise to Jessi for her confidence and professionalism in the studio. Even before she became a star, she believed in her one-of-a-kind, original music and didn't want a lot of superfluous bells & whistles when it came to recording.

"Jessi was no-nonsense in the studio," said Ken during our conversation. "We brought in her little piano and she played and sang her heart out. She didn't want any overdubs or anything, which is why on her records you hear this amazing, very real voice."

Ken also spoke briefly with me about Jessi's seminal but underappreciated Mirriam album of 1977, as well as his wish that the label had released Jessi's incomparable original version of "Storms Never Last" as a single in 1975. "I absolutely believe it would have been another million-seller for her," he said. I wholeheartedly agreed with him on that one.

All in all, it was a pleasure and an honor to speak with this exemplary gentleman, and I do hope to flesh-out the experience with a formal interview transcript after the New Year, as mentioned. Ken was open to the idea of sending him some "Jessi Questions" within that context, so we will see what may be seen in the near future. Until then, if you want one of the most compelling "inside looks" at the making of the music you love, along with geat stories about so many other big-name artists and industry "powers", I would encourage you to purchase one or all of Ken's books. He apparently also has what sounded to me like his most extraordinary project ever in-the-works, too; we'll keep readers posted when Mr. Mansfield feels ready to reveal more. If anyone out there is interested in welcoming Ken as a powerful, uncompromisingly Christian speaker for your church, or as a speaker for your corporate organization/event, check out his www.AuBaycom.com multi-media site.

For now, let me wrap-up this entry by reemphasizing my gratefulness for Ken Mansfield's time, generosity, and enlighteningly positive words about our beloved Jessi (and Waylon). The next installment of Jessi's bio will show up on the blog after the New Year, and hopefully a transcripted interview with Ken shall follow in due course. Let me wish a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to Jessi, her loved ones, her associates, and to all of Jessi's and Waylon's and Shooter's fans at home in the USA and elsewhere. Godspeed and God Bless! ~Ian

JESSI BUSY AS EVER: Promoting Upcoming Waylon Tribute (VOL. II) and Singing with Hank Jr. for the Country Music Hall of Fame

The next portion of my Jessi Bio (dealing primarily with Mirriam Johnson's life and work in the "Duane Eddy Years" and her first meeting with Ol' Waylon) will arrive as soon as I get my Christmas shopping done, which of course will be mere moments away. NOT. In any event, Jessi the Lady has been busy this December, still working on her own projects and contributing to great causes. Notably, she has been in Nashville with Shooter and a number of other artists, gearing-up for the eventual release of the second volume in the official Jessi-approved Waylon tribute album, and also helping old friend Hank Williams Jr. in a benefit to raise money for the Country Music Hall of Fame. One of Nashville's most beloved columnists, Hazel Smith, dishes wonderfully about a recent visit with Jessi, and fans can be privy to the details by following this link: http://www.cmt.com/news/hot-dish/1675728/hot-dish-jamey-johnson-gives-jessi-colter-a-20-bill-for-scratch-paper.jhtml

More to come, friends. As mentioned, 2012 is going to be a busy year for Jessi, Shooter, their fans, and Waylon's legions of fans. Stay tuned and enjoy safe and blessedly happy holidays!

JESSI's BIOGRAPHICAL ESSENTIALS, PART II

This is not a good day to peruse the Jessi-Bio. I spent over two hours composing the "Part II" of Mirriam Joan Johnson's early life, liveliness, and legacy, and my wicked, wicked, WICKED pc just flopped like a dead squirrel as I was finishing the piece.
I wrote some exceptional insights about Mirriam's early years, gleaning nuances about that powerful & peculiar "pentecostal style" in terms of her piano playing at Mama Helen's church. Yes ... I plumbed some depths, and am flummoxed. Blogspot used to "save" drafts. I guess they are pissing me off.

In any case, I am devastated by the loss of all that I wrote about Mirriam Johnson's (Jessi Colter's) early fusion of influences. Namely, I went into detail about the tradition of Pentecostal muscianship, the socio-cultural background of Mesa, AZ, and the juicy amalgamation of church-y styles that 11-year old Mirriam must have incorporated into her "sound" by the time she reached the mere brink of her teens.

I went on (with references) about how she was duly sheltered as a young lady (from the skunky honky tonks) but was encouraged in reasonable directions as a young woman by her Mama.

Being totally pissed at the services of blogspot, I noted that Mirriam Joan Johnson gained a fabulous local reputation as a prodigy in Mesa, was guided under the watchful and worthy love-shroud of Mama & Papa Johnson, but still became intuitive and fabulous enough to merit a "smuggler" scenario. Mirriam's sister, Sharon, had married wheeler-dealer producer "Cowboy" Jack Clement, and Jack was "in thick" with twangy guitar superstar Duane Eddy. Though she had particpated-in and won a number of regional singing/songwriting contests, Mirriam was a bit interested in auditioning for Eddy.

Willie Nelson has made more than one semi-nasty remark about Jessi Colter, and we aim to take him to task for his comments (Yes, I am going to rake Willie up one side and down the other), but "lack of ambition" cannot be a slogan wrapped around Mirriam Joan Johnson circa 1960-61. Mirriam's brothers had to secrete her out of the house into a "bar" (Oh MY! That was CLEARLY off Mama Helen's radar), but Mirriam, who could sing like a bird, as we all know, caught Eddy's eye and ear, on that particular evening, and she also caught the very first wave of a tide that would bring her toward shores she had never dreamed of.

The rest of my previously stunning bio was related to Mirriam Johnson's  hypothetical conundrum, as a youngster:

"I suppose I am something of a prodigy. Mama's flock requires me to have a Gospel soul, and I have one, and this sort of pentecostal "soul" requires emphatic piano-playing. Plus, they like soft, roadhouse-y flourishes at-the-edges of hymns, when they break to speak in tongues. I can do that, which makes my piano-playing style rather funky and unique. But I also want to write my own songs, and I think I can take-on the world in that regard, if I want. Do I want it?"

I will revisit Mirriam's development as a very young singer, songwriter, and Evangelical Gospel chanteuse in the next installment. My two-hour "version" was obviously much better and more elaborate. Bear with us.

(Grrrrrrr.....)

Amazing News: Jessi's Autobiography is reportedly in-the-works ... New Album Rumored for 2012

The next installment of my Jessi Colter-bio will arrive as soon as I find time amidst all of my other projects, but until then Colter fans ought to be galvanized by the following news: Jessi has been hard at work on her autobiography -- crafting her life-story at home in Arizona and sometimes in the town of Normandy, near Nashville. The autobiography is confirmed by a recent article about the Jennings estate's indefatigable business-manager, Nikki Mitchell, in the Shelbyville Times Gazette. The article is entitled Ready for the Country? and can be read at http://www.t-g.com/story/1784482.html. As if this news was not exciting enough, a new Jessi Colter studio album is rumored for 2012. In interviews related to the promotion of the latest Jessi & Shooter-approved Waylon Jennings tribute album, Jessi notes that she has been working with Lenny Kaye and a slew of peers for the past three years. The disc is expected to be released by Scatter Records. No matter what the case may be, the idea of Jessi's memoirs reaching the public is particularly extraordinary. Her life has been as adventurous as that of her beloved husband, and with all due respect to the beloved and wonderful Waylon ... I expect Jessi remembers a lot more of the key moments. It would be the musical autobio of the decade, if well-written and candid, and we already know that Jessi is a straight-shootin' and admirably articulate woman. Stay tuned, Colterians!

JESSI COLTER: The Biographical Essentials (PART ONE)

The woman who would become known to the world of pop, country, rock, and American roots music as "Jessi Colter" entered the world on May 25, 1947 (or 1943, according to sources we dismiss due to Jessi's seemingly eternal youth and sexiness) as Mirriam Johnson, the sixth child of seven children born to Helen Johnson of the Mesa, Arizona "neck of the world". Mama Helen (a formidable, hard-working woman of European ancestry) was not only a full-time homemaker for her delightful brood, but an ordained evangelical/Pentecostal minister and feisty preacher with her own church and congregation. Papa Johnson was a one-time racing-car builder, inventor, and entrepreneur who, with his lovely wife, owned copper and turquoise mines sequestered near a lodge-style family camp near the Gila River, deep in the Arizona desert. Remember these things as we outline our story of Jessi Colter's unique beginnings: faith; family; fast cars; and the kinds of wide-open, mystically lonesome Western desert spaces that can often be the domain of genuinely maverick American "outlaw" personalities.

That inimitable, pioneering Western lifestyle formed the foundation of a loving family guided by the strong hand of Mother Helen's unshakable faith. These were key factors in the development of Jessi Colter's character. Throughout her adult life, Jessi has been known as a woman of class, sass, grace, independence, and a sizzling sense of humor as wry and dry as the desert sands from which she seemingly sprung. She is a woman of the American "West" and, though fame has enabled her to travel the world and light-up everything from concert stadiums and record company offices to glitzy Nashville, New York, and LA soirees, her identity will always be authentically linked to the gorgeous-but-arid land of her birth, and to the faith that permeated her stark and very "deep in the West" Arizona upbringing. It has always amazed me that some folks think that the only people who dwell in "the country" are to be found in the South. Sorry, honey -- that is Establishment Nashville smoke & mirrors, along with a lot of other twisted territorial foolishness. Authentic rural music is defined by whatever off-the-beaten path, outside-the-big city, hardscrabble outskirt and otherwise backwater American region can be found. Nashville is about as "country" as Times Square. Yet it has been the mecca for giddy artists who craved acceptance and who were subsequently eaten-up and spit-out. This, good friends, is why the term "outlaw" was even applied to country & western music to begin-with. Listen and learn from the likes of Waylon Jennings and his posse. Even so, every outlaw worth his or her salt tends to take a circuitous route on the journey to "find themselves" and gorgeous Jessi Colter was no exception.

There can be little doubt that children in large families often find wonderfully strategic ways to make themselves heard and to demonstrate their usefulness. Kids are resilient in this regard and the creative child can employ particularly effective methods in order to secure the attention and love that all normal children need and desire. Little Mirriam Johnson proved herself quite useful indeed; Mama Helen's church congregation needed a piano player and, when Mirriam demonstrated a swift talent for tickling the ivories soon after lessons commenced at age seven, a prodigy was just around the proverbial corner. Within four years, the scene must have looked portentous, like something out of a rollicking (but evangelistic) rock & roll bio-flick: Helen preaching God's love and the holy words of Scripture to her tongue-speaking flock, churning them into a crescendo of hallelujahs and prophetic exaltation, while, at the nearby upright piano, 11 year-old Mirriam was just beginning to strike the first, authoritative notes of a Gospel nugget like His Eye is On the Sparrow. The kid could play, and, with the help of God and the spirit-filled orchestration of Mama Helen, that church swooned and swayed with the searing brand of intense "soul" that has been the bedrock and constant wellspring of some of the greatest American musical artists of our time. Mirriam Johnson had soul -- and she came by it the real way ... hard work, innate talent, and instilled inspiration. No one had to "attach it to her" years later in some industry boardroom at the Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood.

An eleven year-old girl striking the keys and filling a room, filling hearts with the wonderfully aching chords and melodies of soul-stunning Gospel music -- Gospel music up at the sharp end. That was only the beginning, folks, but what a beginning it was!

(STAY TUNED FOR PART TWO)