Rock Pioneer Wanda Jackson Tells Her Tale in New Doc, Plus Video

Fifty years after Wanda Jackson unleashed her country snarl on the world with her breakout hit "Let's Have a Party," the first woman of rockabilly (a.k.a. the Queen) is telling her story. Jackson — who has dated Elvis Presley, toured with Buddy Holly and Johnny Cash, and recorded with Elvis Costello and the Cramps — is the star of The Sweet Lady With the Nasty Voice, a documentary that will make its TV debut on the Smithsonian Channel on May 18th (see clip, above). The film follows the singer, 70, over the past two years as she tours Europe and the U.S. and includes vintage clips of her live shows, as well as interviews with Costello, Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa, who give props to Jackson for influencing their music. So how did the mild-mannered girl from Oklahoma break into the rock & roll boys' club? "The guys I was working with — Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash — I felt like if they can do it, I can do it," says Jackson. "Sometimes I did it better."

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Song Stories

“Oh Sherrie”

Steve Perry | 1984

Steve Perry's girlfriend Sherrie Swafford was actually in the studio when Perry began writing this song--his lone Top Ten hit as a solo act--with two co-writers. The trio began at midnight one night with just "Oh, Sherrie!" and "hold on, hold on." Three hours later, they had a complete song. Swafford, however, had to wait until the next day to hear it. "Sherrie actually got tired and went to bed," Perry said. She also appeared in the video, but their relationship did not hold on for long.

More Song Stories entries »

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