The Jessi Colter biography that I am crafting is going to be the sort of bio that she herself would hopefully deem worthy. There are so many awful and ill-researched, cobbled-together treatments of her life and career out there (Wikipedia's being the worst) that the time has come for a more extensive and accurate account. In any event, my stab at it will be far better than it would be if there were still three dozen record-company potentates hovering around her. Imagine the days when swarthy, cigarette-puffing, executive industry trolls were gathered in a dreary conference room, trying to figure-out Jessi's music:"Is she pop? Is she country? She sure looks good. How should we market her?"
At least they knew she was good enough to make them buckets of money. That being said, I am convinced to this day that Capitol did not have a clue in terms of properly marketing the amazing Jessi for the longterm, and they made a lot of mistakes, but we'll explore that issue later, and in considerable detail.
You all may wish to hear that Waylon was the stalwart and "dedicated producer" from the proverbial get-go when Jessi hit it very, very, very big in 1975, but that may be just a little bit inaccurate. Waylon was a fabulous artist of (ahem!) some ambition and verve, on his own, but there are indications that he was not necessarily as overjoyed as one might think when wifey's songs exhibited a potential chance to upstage him. After all, "Jessi" had been a faithful wife, companion, and struggling artist for years. Artists, by nature, can often be competitive. It should not surprise us that Jessi's capacity to gain fame, hit songs, and albums of her own presented Waylon with a challenging new dynamic; it would be an interesting mountain-to-climb for any couple.
The scenario was not one of unabashed jealousy, in any event. There were "issues", indeed, but at the end of the day, Waylon wanted Jessi to fly, and Jessi lived her life to make sure that Waylon "flew". Suffice it to say that, when Waylon heard four of Jessi's original songs all gussied-up for the Capitol bosses, he knew his gal was going to be a star and had to take a big gulp for various and understandable reasons.
Amid all of this, Ken Mansfield was the one who secured those four initial demos for his Hometown unit, and he worked the boards and ruled the studio roost. Namely, he produced.
Ken is as much a gift to humanity these days, in terms of spiritual strength and direction, as he was to making a classic Jessi Colter album (or three) back in the mid-1970s -- albums that would survive the test of time. Ken Mansfield remains a legend, in our purview ... and we will be exploring all of the reasons WHY.
For purposes of temporary summation, however, Ken was (and remains) a charming and gifted man who managed the Beatles and possessed a talent for making "surrounding talent" erupt. Ken had Nashville by the cojones in the mid 1970s, and one of his greatest achievements was producing Jessi, and her 1975 I'm Jessi Colter album, which probably no one expected to do anywhere near as well as it did, but which ended-up spending about a year on charts around the world, and made even sardonic Waylon sit up and take notes. How could that album have been so good? Moreover, how could the 1976 follow-up (Jessi) have been even better?
There are many questions that Ken may answer, and we might get to that point, hopefully, but for the time being we honor Ken, his brilliance, and the superb, well-written books he has written about his incomparable journey thus far. Trust me: many stars "of yore" want to spill their memories and do have not a clue when it comes to delineating their life histories within the context of their own brains. Ken, however, is a strikingly talented writer and his books stand out as exquisite documents. He is currently a beloved and successful pastor (and we love our pastors) but he has tantalizing insights regarding some of the most crucial aspects of Jessi's career history, more than anyone now living, I think, and we revere him de facto for his excellence. Believe me -- every song he produced for Jessi will be parsed and analyzed on this blog.
Buy Ken's books here and here and here ...
If it sounds like I may indeed be angling for a Jessi-specific interview with Ken, I am. His history with Colter will hopefully be lavished upon readers as if delivered via flying red carpet, but the crucial thing is that observers understand that all three of Ken's books are better than they perhaps deserve to be; I cannot overemphasize the fact that Mr. Mansfiled is a compelling writer. The superior quality of his accounts should not surprise us, given that Ken is a man who has always apparently made it a point to work with the best.
We shall delve further into the unique contribution of Ken Mansfield regarding Jessi Colter's musical legacy, and he has indeed documented some very intriguing things -- including what Waylon did and did not want for his wife's career trajectory, at least at the outset. Stay tuned, good friends, and once again: buy Ken's outstanding trilogy of books by clicking on the links above. You will be astonished by the scope of this man's incredible journey as a professional and as an individual seeking answers on the vast horizon of life.
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