Sunday, October 05, 2014

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jessi Colter

Artist:Jessi Colter
Song:I'm Not Lisa
Album:The Very Best Of Jessi Colter: An Outlaw...A Lady




I'm Not Lisa topped the country charts in 1975 and crossed over to the pop top five. But Jessi Colter is best known as the wife of Waylon Jennings. She was a big part of his Outlaw movement of the mid-70s. She was born Mirriam Johnson May 25, 1943 in Phoenix. Her sister was married to producer Cowboy Jack Clement and they introduced her to guitar legend Duane Eddy. The two married and Mirriam toured with Eddy until their 1968 divorce. As Miriam Eddy, a couple of her songs were recorded by Nancy Sinatra. Lee Hazlewood produced Eddy and Sinatra. After her divorce, Mirriam moved back to Phoenix which is where she met Waylon Jennings. She sang a couple of duets with him and he got her a record deal with his label RCA Records. She named herself after the outlaw Jesse Colter who was her uncle. Her 1970 album A Country Star Is Born didn't sell and she left RCA. She toured with Jennings and signed with Capitol Records in 1975. I'm Not Lisa was the first single from the album I'm Jesse Colter. It topped the country charts and reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. This was her biggest solo hit. Some of her other singles like What's Happened To Blue Eyes hit the country charts. And her 1976 duet of Suspicious Minds with Jennings reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. That was from the album Wanted! The Outlaws that launched the Outlaw movement. You can get Jessi's hits including Suspicious Minds on this comp. Jessi's solo career faded and she left Capitol in 1981. She continued to tour with Jennings and their 1981 album of duets Leather & Lace for RCA did very well. She didn't record much after that and remained with Jennings until his 2002 death. Their son Shooter Jennings is also a successful recording artist. Jessi recorded a duet of I'm Not Lisa with Deana Carter on Deana's 2007 CD The Chain. And Jessi released the live CD Live From Cain's Ballroom Mar. 2014. So Jessi Colter still performs but I don't think she tours regularly. Here's Jessi Colter performing I'm Not Lisa 1975.

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