Mirriam Johnson (born May 25, 1943), known professionally as Jessi Colter, is an American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...

singer who is best known for her collaborations with her husband, country musician

Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music. Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...

, and for her 1975 country-pop crossover hit "

I'm Not Lisa "I'm Not Lisa" is a song by American country music artist Jessi Colter. It was released on January 16, 1975, as the lead single from her album ''I'm Jessi Colter''. The song was Colter's first major hit as a solo artist. Content "I'm Not Lisa" ...

". Colter was one of the few female artists to emerge from the mid-1970s " outlaw country" movement. After meeting Jennings, Colter pursued a career in country music, releasing her first studio LP in 1970, '' A Country Star Is Born.'' Five years later, Colter signed with

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...

and released "I'm Not Lisa", which topped the country charts and reached the top five on the pop charts. In 1976 she was featured on the collaboration LP ''Wanted: The Outlaws'', which became an

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

-certified Platinum album.

Early life

Mirriam Johnson was born on May 25, 1943,Ankeny, Jason Jessi Colter biography at Allmusic.com/ref> in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

, and raised in a strict

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestantism, Protestant Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christian movement Her mother was a Pentecostal preacher and her father was a racecar driver. At age 11, Colter became the pianist at her church. After graduating from

Mesa High School Mesa High School is a public high school in Mesa, Arizona, United States. Mesa High School currently accommodates grades 9–12 as part of Mesa Public Schools. Mesa High School is the oldest high school in Mesa, Arizona, and is home of the Jack ...

in 1961, she began singing in local clubs in Phoenix. After marrying guitarist

Duane Eddy Duane Eddy (born April 26, 1938) is an American rock and roll guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had a string of hit records produced by Lee Hazlewood, which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" sound, including " Rebel ...

in 1961, and still using her real name of Mirriam Johnson, she released two singles that were issued on the Jamie label. The first, "Lonesome Road", received scattered airplay in several US markets, though not enough to make any national charts. After a second single failed to even get regional airplay, Johnson did not record again for nearly a decade. She continued to tour with Eddy until divorcing in 1968. The following year, she met country artist

who helped her secure a recording contract with

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

Career

Early career: 1970–1974

Johnson, now billing herself as "Jessi Colter", resumed her recording career in 1970. That year, Waylon Jennings and Colter sang duet on two top 40 country chart hits. On March 25, 1970, she played keyboard for her husband during his appearance on ''

The Johnny Cash Show ''The Johnny Cash Show'' is an American television music variety show hosted by Johnny Cash. The Screen Gems 58-episode series ran from June 7, 1969, to March 31, 1971, on ABC; it was taped at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. ...

''. She released her debut album, ''A Country Star is Born'', on RCA, with Jennings and Chet Atkins co-producing The album was not successful and did not make an impact on the country music market. It was Colter's only album for RCA, and she left the label soon after. However, her face appears on several Jennings record covers from this period.

Breakthrough success: 1975–1979

In 1975, Colter signed with

. On the label, she released her debut single, "

".Zimmerman, Keith and Kent (2003), ''The Very Best of Jessi Colter'', retrieved August 8, 2008 The song was Colter's breakthrough single; it reached No. 1 on the

Billboard Country Chart Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital s ...

and peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Pop Chart, becoming a crossover hit in 1975. Her second album, titled '' I'm Jessi Colter'' was also released that year and reached No. 1 on the Cashbox

Top Country Albums Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales ...

chart, No. 4 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart and No. 50 on the ''Billboard'' 200 Top 100 Pop Albums chart. The follow-up single from that same album " What's Happened to Blue Eyes" was also very successful, peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard Country Chart and No. 57 on the Pop Chart. The single's B-side, "You Ain't Never Been Loved (Like I'm Gonna Love You)," charted among the Top Pop 100 also in 1975. A survey of industry sources reveals that Capitol was releasing both "You Ain't Never Been Loved" and "What's Happened to Blue Eyes" as simultaneous singles for the Pop and Country markets. The confusion in marketing was made evident when programmers were uncertain of which single to play. Both sides of the same record scored on the Pop Top 100, but "What's Happened to Blue Eyes" powered into the Country Top 5. Capitol clearly recognized that a miscalculation had occurred and subsequently purchased full-page industry ads saying, "We've FLIPPED. What's Happened to Blue Eyes IS the single." It was too little, too late. With two competing singles marketed to radio, Capitol's risky move made certain that Colter would not naturally follow-up the success of 'I'm Not Lisa' in the Pop Top 40. The second single was nevertheless a huge country/pop success and later that year, Colter launched a nationwide tour as part of Waylon Jennings' program at the

Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Santa Monica Civic Auditorium is a multi-purpose convention center at 1855 Main Street in Santa Monica, California, owned by the City of Santa Monica. It was built in 1958 and designed by Welton Becket and as a concert venue, it has a seating cap ...

. In 1976 Colter released her second and third Capitol studio albums, ''

Jessi Jessi may refer to: People * Jessi (musician) (born 1988), Korean-American rapper, singer, and songwriter * Gianluigi Jessi (born 1945), Italian basketball player * Jessi Alexander (born 1976), American country music artist * Jessi Colter (bor ...

'' and '' Diamond in the Rough.'' Both albums were as successful as Colter's 1975 album, both debuting at No. 4 on the Top Country Albums chart. The lead single from her ''Jessi'' album, " It's Morning (And I Still Love You)" was a Top 15 country hit in 1976 on the country charts. Her second album that year, ''Diamond in the Rough'' produced only one charting single, "I Thought I Heard You Calling My Name". At this point, Colter had established herself as a big-selling "albums artist," rather than a casual honky-tonk hitmaker, given that her talents were far more inclined to soul-rock than to mundane country music. For the remainder of the decade, Colter toured with her husband,

, and released her studio album '' Mirriam'' in 1977. She then released her next album, '' That's the Way a Cowboy Rocks and Rolls'' the following year. Her success began to decline through the remainder of the decade, with her final two albums of the decade not producing any Top 40 country hits.

Later music career: 1980–2002

In 1981, Colter and her husband returned to release a duet album entitled '' Leather and Lace''. The album's first single, "Storms Never Last," was written by Colter, and the second single, "

The Wild Side of Life "The Wild Side of Life" is a song made famous by country music singer Hank Thompson. Originally released in 1952, the song became one of the most popular recordings in the genre's history, spending 15 weeks at number one on the ''Billboard'' co ...

"/" It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels," was also a major hit in 1981, peaking at No. 10 on the Billboard Country Chart. The album was certified Gold in sales by the RIAA that year, Colter's second RIAA-certified album to date.

Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasi ...

wrote the title track of the album; however, after receiving word that Colter and Jennings might divorce, Nicks released her own version of the song as a duet with

Don Henley Donald Hugh Henley (born July 22, 1947) is an American musician and a founding member of the rock band Eagles. He is the drummer and one of the lead singers for the Eagles. Henley sang the lead vocals on Eagles hits such as " Witchy Woman", "Des ...

. It peaked at No. 6 on Pop chart, also in 1981. Also in 1981 Colter released her final studio album on Capitol records, '' Ridin' Shotgun'', which also spawned Colter's last charting single on the country charts, "Holdin' On". As the decade progressed, Colter's success began to decline. She released an album in 1984 on the Triad label titled ''

Rock and Roll Lullaby "Rock and Roll Lullaby" is a 1972 hit single performed by B. J. Thomas. It was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Song lyrics The song is sung in a first-person narrative of an adolescent or adult raised by a single teenage mother during ...

,'' produced by

Chips Moman Lincoln Wayne "Chips" Moman (June 12, 1937 – June 13, 2016) was an American record producer, guitarist, and songwriter. He is known for working in R&B, pop music and country music, operating American Sound Studios and producing hit albums li ...

. However, in the later years of the decade, she decided to let her recording career decline to help take care of and nurse her husband through his

drug abuse Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...

and various medical problems. She remained active during this time. In the early 1990s, she focused her attention on performing and released an album of

children's music Children's music or kids' music is music composed and performed for children. In European-influenced contexts this means music, usually songs, written specifically for a juvenile audience. The composers are usually adults. Children's music has hi ...

titled '' Jessi Colter Sings Just for Kids: Songs from Around the World'' in early 1996. It featured a guest appearance by Jennings, who recited some of his poetry for the video. In 2000, Colter performed on Jennings's live album ''Never Say Die'', released two years before his death in 2002, at age 64.

Return to music: 2006–present

In 2006, Colter returned to recording with a new studio album released on the

Shout! Factory Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...

label, '' Out of the Ashes''. "Out of the Ashes" was Colter's first studio album in over 20 years. The album was produced by

Don Was Don Edward Fagenson (born September 13, 1952), known professionally as Don Was, is an American musician, record producer and record executive. Primarily a bass player, Was co-founded the funk-rock band Was (Not Was). In later years he produced so ...

and reflected on Jennings' death. Jennings had an unused vocal, "Out of the Rain," which was featured on the track. The album was given many positive reviews, including

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

, which gave the album four out of five stars in 2006. ''Out of the Ashes'' was her first album since 1981 to chart on the Top Country Albums chart, peaking at No. 61. In 2007 Colter recorded a duet version of her 1975 hit "I'm Not Lisa" with

Deana Carter Deana Kay Carter (born January 4, 1966) is an American country music singer-songwriter who broke through in 1996 with the release of her debut album '' Did I Shave My Legs for This?'', which was certified 5× Multi-Platinum in the United States ...

on her 2007 album, '' The Chain.'' In 2017, Colter and

Jan Howard Jan Howard (born Lula Grace Johnson; March 13, 1929 – March 28, 2020) was an American country music singer and songwriter. As a singer, she placed 30 singles on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Hot Country Songs, country songs chart, w ...

provided guest vocals to a track appearing on

Written in Song ''Written In Song'' is the sixteenth studio album by American country artist Jeannie Seely. It was released on January 13, 2017 on Cheyenne Records and was produced by Seely. It is her first studio release in six years and the second to be issue ...

, an album by

Jeannie Seely Marilyn Jeanne Seely (born July 6, 1940) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer. She also has several acting credits and published a book. Seely found success with the Grammy Award-winning hit " Don't Touch Me" (196 ...

. The song, called "We're Still Hangin' In There Ain't We Jessi", references how Seely and Colter are seemingly two of the only women in country music who managed to have a successful marriage. Colter's first album in eleven years, ''The Psalms'' was released on March 24 via

Legacy Recordings Legacy Recordings is an American record label that is a division of Sony Music. Formed in 1990 after Sony's acquisition of CBS Records, Legacy originally handled the archives of Sony Music-owned labels Columbia Records and Epic Records. In 2 ...

. The album consisted of Colter's favourite

Book of Psalms The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...

passages put to music and was produced by

Lenny Kaye Lenny Kaye (''né'' Kusikoff; born December 27, 1946) is an American guitarist, composer, and writer who is best known as a member of the Patti Smith Group. Early life Kaye was born to Jewish parents in the Washington Heights area of upper M ...

, who recalled an evening when he, Colter, Jennings and

Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter and author who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album ''Horses''. Called the "punk poet ...

were having dinner together in 1995 when Colter began to sing passages of the Bible. Kaye stated that he was "transfixed" and kept the evening in his mind until he convinced Colter to record those renditions in 2007, with the album being recorded over the course of two sessions, along with a further two in 2008. Of the album, Kaye stated that "we tried to choose songs that weren't about warring peoples but more about comfort and reconciliation". On April 11, 2017, Colter released a

tell-all An unauthorized biography is a biography written without the subject's permission or input. The term is usually restricted to biographies written within the subject's lifetime or shortly after their death; as such, it is not applied to biographi ...

memoir titled "''An Outlaw and a Lady: A Memoir of Music, Life with Waylon, and the Faith That Brought Me Home''".

Personal life

Waylon Jennings & Jessi Colter (cropped)

Colter met guitarist

in Phoenix. He produced her first record, and she toured with him. They were married in 1961 in Las Vegas, settling in Los Angeles. She pursued a career as a songwriter under her married name, Mirriam Eddy. Her songs were recorded by

Don Gibson Donald Eugene Gibson (April 3, 1928 – November 17, 2003) was an American songwriter and country musician. A Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, Gibson wrote such country standards as " Sweet Dreams" and "I Can't Stop Loving You", and enjoy ...

Nancy Sinatra Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940) is an American singer and actress. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra ( Barbato), and is best known for her 1966 signature hit " These Boots Are Made for Walkin'. Nancy Sinatr ...

, and

Dottie West Dorothy Marie Marsh West (October 11, 1932 – September 4, 1991) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Along with her friends and fellow recording artists Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, she is considered one of the genre's most i ...

. Colter and Eddy have a daughter, Jennifer. In 1968, Eddy and Colter separated, divorcing later that year. Colter moved back to Arizona. In 1969, she met and married

.Wolff, Kurt (2000). In ''Country Music: The Rough Guide''. Orla Duane, Editor. London: Rough Guides Ltd., p. 351 At this time, Colter adopted her stage name, Jessi Colter. She chose the name based on a story her father once told her about an accomplice of

Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the " Little Dixie" area of Western Missouri, James and his family maintained st ...

, Jesse Colter. The couple then moved to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

, and had one son, Waylon Albright "Shooter" Jennings (born 1979). In the early 1980s, Colter and Jennings nearly divorced due to his addiction to drugs. However, they remained together until Jennings's death in 2002.

Discography

;Studio albums * 1970: '' A Country Star is Born'' * 1975: '' I'm Jessi Colter'' * 1976: ''

'' * 1976: '' Diamond in the Rough'' * 1977: '' Mirriam'' * 1978: '' That's the Way a Cowboy Rocks and Rolls'' * 1981: '' Ridin' Shotgun'' * 1984: ''

'' * 1996: '' Jessi Colter Sings Just for Kids: Songs from Around the World'' * 2006: '' Out of the Ashes'' * 2017: ''The Psalms'' ;Collaboration albums * 1976: ''

Wanted! The Outlaws ''Wanted! The Outlaws'' is a compilation album by Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser, released by RCA Records in 1976. The album consists of previously released material with four new songs. Released to capitalize on ...

'' (with

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and ''Stardust'' (1978 ...

and

Tompall Glaser Thomas Paul "Tompall" Glaser (September 3, 1933 – August 12, 2013) was an American outlaw country music artist. Biography Glaser was born in Spalding, Nebraska, the son of Alice Harriet Marie (née Davis) and Louis Nicholas Glaser. He was ...

) * 1981: '' Leather and Lace'' (with Waylon Jennings) * 1978: ''

White Mansions ''White Mansions'' is a 1978 concept album written by English singer-songwriter Paul Kennerley which imagines the lives of American Southerners in the Confederacy during the Civil War. The songs were performed by country singers, each portray ...

'' (with Waylon Jennings, John Dillon, Steve Cash and

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list o ...

) ;Compilation albums * 1995: ''The Jessi Colter Collection'' * 2003: '' The Very Best of Jessi Colter: An Outlaw...a Lady''

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Colter, Jessi 1943 births 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American women pianists 21st-century American pianists 21st-century American women pianists American country pianists American country singer-songwriters American women country singers Capitol Records artists Country musicians from Arizona Country musicians from Tennessee Country pop musicians Jennings family Living people Mesa High School alumni Musicians from Phoenix, Arizona Outlaw country singers People from Nashville, Tennessee RCA Records artists Singer-songwriters from Tennessee Singer-songwriters from Arizona