On December 9, Jackson will be performing in Maplewood, New Jersey at the Woodland. “I haven’t been in New Jersey for a good while,” she said. “I’ve always loved New Jersey from the very beginning when I started singing, since New Jersey gave me a lot of work. They have a lot of nice lounges, bars and dance places. I always had big crowds there, so I was kind of popular.”
She has been dubbed as the “Queen of Rockabilly,” and rightfully so. “Every girl would like to be a queen, so it is pretty nice. I enjoy that title,” she said, graciously.
Each day, Jackson is motivated by music. “I love entertaining, and I love music. It has always been my life, and I have been very fortunate to make my living. I’ve never made a dime doing anything else,” she said.
On her plans for the future, she said with a sweet laugh, “I plan to keep breathing, and to put one step in front of the other. I have an album coming up. I’ve worked on it with other writers in Nashville, so this album will have a lot of original songs in it. I recently was with a writer, and we are going to get my story in book form, and that is scheduled to be released around spring of next year. That’s a lot happening right here. Makes it a lot to look forward to.”
In her personal life, she shared that tomorrow, she will be celebrating her 55th wedding anniversary with Wendell Goodman, who is also her long-time manager.
In 2009, Jackson was inducted into the coveted Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. “I was very happy and I was shocked. I never thought about me being in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. When they had the category of early influence, then I felt that I deserved that. That is something I did, so it’s a real accomplishment a vote of confidence for my peers,” she said.
While it was difficult for the iconic songstress to select a personal favorite song of hers, one that stands out to her is “Right or Wrong.” “I’ve always enjoyed singing ‘Right or Wrong,’ even though I didn’t write it. I think it’s a good song, and I like it,” she said.
Regarding the key to longevity in the music industry, she said, “It’s a combination of good material and vocals, and they seem to be songs that people can relate to. In general, we have to relate to a song to fall in love with it.”
She defined the word success as “Being happy in your life.” You’ve made a life for yourself, and hopefully others also. If you’ve enjoyed your work and your family, and you have your head on straight and priorities in the right order, and put God at the top of your life, I call that success,” she said.
For her fans, she concluded, “Keep rocking. Find the good rock and roll, and stick with it. It will keep you young.”
To learn more about rock queen Wanda Jackson, her music and her touring schedule, check out her official website.
