Rattlesnake Annie (born Rosan Gallimore, December 26, 1941)
is an American
country singer
Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
and songwriter. She earned her nickname as a child from her respect of snakes. Rattlesnake began recording music in 1959 and achieved success in Europe. She became the first female country blues musician to tour the
Eastern Bloc
The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc (Combloc), the Socialist Bloc, the Workers Bloc, and the Soviet Bloc, was an unofficial coalition of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were a ...
countries in Europe and released an album with a country singer
Michal Tučný from
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
. In 1989, she became the first American country performer to sign a recording contract with
Sony Music Japan
, often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is opera ...
.
Early years
She was born and raised near
Puryear, Tennessee, United States, on a
cotton
Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...
and
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
farm.
Rattlesnake's father had been a country and blues musician, singer, guitar and fiddle and she learned to play guitar at an early age.
[ She earned her first paycheck from singing at age eight, and from then on her goal in life was to earn a living while making music.][ When she was 12, Rattlesnake and two of her cousins formed a band called the Gallimore Sisters. They performed locally and won a statewide talent contest in 1954, landing them an appearance in ]Nashville
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
on the ''Junior Grand Ole Opry'' and a live television performance.
At age 16, Rattlesnake moved to Memphis and then on to Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is the List of municipalities in Alabama, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the List of United States cities by population, 100th-most populous ...
.
Recording career
Rattlesnake continued to pursue a music career, and in 1974 her first single, "Texas Lullabye", was released.[ She recorded her debut album, ''Rattlesnakes and Rusty Water'', on her own label, Rattlesnake Records.] At the time, it was also rare for a woman to produce her own songs. Rattlesnake reminisced of those early days: "I was breaking down barriers. If I could work like a man in the fields, why couldn't I play a guitar and produce my own records?"[
Because of promotion and her focus for International music, her first album became popular in Europe. In the mid-1970s, she became the first female country blues singer/guitarist songwriter to play in the ]Eastern Bloc
The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc (Combloc), the Socialist Bloc, the Workers Bloc, and the Soviet Bloc, was an unofficial coalition of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were a ...
countries of Europe. She appeared on television in East Germany
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
, and the West German
West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republic after its capital c ...
branch of Greenpeace
Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by a group of Environmental movement, environmental activists. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its biod ...
adopted one of her songs, "Goodbye to a River", as their anthem. In Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
she recorded an album, ''Anka Chřestýš & Poslední Kovboj'' (lit. ''Rattlesnake Annie and the Last Cowboy''), with Czech country singer Michal Tučný.[
In 1991, Rattlesnake became the first American country performer to sign a recording contract with ]Sony Music Japan
, often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is opera ...
.[ She expressed relief at the agreement, mentioning that "it's always been a hassle because they can never put me in a slot. What bin does the record store use for my records? ... When I signed with Sony Japan and they put me in their world music department, for the first time I felt free and understood."][Hudson (2007), p. 221.]
Personal life
In the early 1960s she moved to Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, where she met and married Max McGowan. The couple purchased 200 acres of land along the Brazos River
The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 14th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater ...
. The land had never been cleared or lived on. She and her husband moved to Southern Spain in the 1990s, where they remained for 30 years. In Andalusia
Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...
she immersed herself in the lives and music of the Romani people and Flamenco
Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...
.[Hudson (2007), p. 223.][Hudson (2007), p. 219.]
Music
Rattlesnake has recorded music and performed live on every continent except Oceania
Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...
In her career, she has recorded in over ten languages, including Czech, Russian, Spanish, Japanese, Maya, German, Chinese, Arabic and English.[ Many of her songs contain a political message. She says that "Songs are so important to make a statement on issues, and that's how I have used my music. Life is just full of objections, especially when you are a woman."][ In this vein, she has recorded songs for the Civil Rights Movement, for women's rights, and against the ]Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
.[
]
Albums
*''Rattlesnakes and Rusty Water'' (1980)
*''Anka Chřestýš & Poslední Kovboj'' (with Michal Tučný; 1983, Supraphon
Supraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, oriented mainly towards publishing classical music and popular music, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak composers.
History
The Supraphon name was first registered as a trademark in 1932. Th ...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
)
*''Country Livin' '' (1985)
*'' Rattlesnake Annie'' (1987)
*''Indian Dreams'' (1989)
*''Rattlesnake Annie Sings Hank Williams
Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. An early pioneer of country music, he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of the 20th century. W ...
'' (1990)
*''Painted Bird'' (1992)
*''Crossroads'' (1992)
*''Adios Last Cowboy'' (1995, by Sony Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
)
*''Troubadour'' (1995)
*''Some Stories Never End'' (1997)
*''Jak to doopravdy bylo'' (2001, with Michal Tučný, recorded live in 1982)
*''Southern Discomfort'' (2002)
*''I Ride Alone'' (2002)
*''Rattlesnake Annie Sings Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...
'' (2004)
*''The Best of Rattlesnake Annie'' (2006)
*''International Fusion Project'' (2009) featuring Caroline Perry
*''World Full of Love'' (2012)
Charts discography
Albums
Singles
Footnotes
References
*
External links
Rattlesnake Annie homepage
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rattlesnake Annie
1941 births
Living people
20th-century American singer-songwriters
20th-century American women singers
21st-century American singer-songwriters
21st-century American women singers
American country singer-songwriters
American women country singers
Country musicians from Tennessee
Singer-songwriters from Tennessee