Party On

Wanda Jackson's husband and manager Wendell Goodman chats affably about how he and his wife are excited about making a trip to Australia for a good couple of minutes before passing the phone to the sweet, friendly, diminutively-voiced 75-year-old Queen of Rockabilly. Since their 1961 marriage, the two have been seemingly inseparable, going through the peaks and troughs of Jackson's incredible career together.

The most striking recent development in that storied career was Jackson's 2011 studio album – her 30th – The Party Ain't Over, a record she made with modern rock'n'roll demigod Jack White in the producer's chair.

“That brought so much attention to me,” Jackson concedes happily. “Some of the articles wrongly stated it was my comeback album, but I wanted to tell them, 'Hey, wait a minute, I've been recording and working all along!' It wasn't a comeback but it certainly was a good shot in the arm for my career. I felt like it put me back as more of a viable artist for today, as well as yesteryear.”

Just about any rock'n'roll band born in the modern day would lose their minds at the prospect of working with such a revered modern artist, but Wanda Jackson had her reservations about going into the studio with Jack White.

“I did, yeah, I have to admit. I didn't know Jack at the time, I just knew that he was very popular in the rock'n'roll field and one of the top artists. I listened to some of his music and I thought, 'My goodness! What is he gonna want me to record? What kind of songs does he have in mind?' So I got a bit nervous.

“But we began exchanging ideas and him sending me songs and me sending some to him that I wanted to do, then I felt better about the whole project when I saw songs like Busted and Dust On The Bible, songs that I was very familiar with. One on that album – I don't know how I remember this song, because it was popular when I was just a little girl – drinkin' Rum and Coca-Cola by the Andrews Sisters [a calypso made popular by that group in 1945]. I remembered that from way back and I always liked it. So it was great to have such a variety of songs.”

Production for her latest LP, last year's Unfinished Business, was placed in the hands of a slightly less famous but still revered artist, one Justin Townes Earle. He has steered her in a direction far closer to her roots.

“On the new album, I think the difference is this is taking me back to basics, back to where I started. More country, more bluesy, more rockabilly; not such definite rock'n'roll songs.”

So does she feel more comfortable working with the styles that made her a star at the beginning of her career?

“I'd have to say yes to that, but on the other hand I love the challenge of learning songs – like the Amy Winehouse song [You Know I'm No Good] and [Bob Dylan's] Thunder On The Mountain and [Johnny Kidd and the Pirates'] Shakin' All Over, it was exciting and exhilarating for me to do that kind of an album. But it felt comfortable and good going back to my basics and giving my fans who have been with me through the years the music they're more used to hearing me do.”

While she might spend a bit of time reimagining other people's songs, it doesn't dilute the influence that Wanda Jackson has had on contemporary music. She is one of the forebears of rock'n'roll, no question. Hell, she even dated Elvis. To influence other great artists is something that Jackson takes immense pride in.

“Well yeah, I can't help but be a bit proud of that. When you have artists who have come forward and said that I was instrumental in them playing rock'n'roll; people like Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper… it makes me feel very good. And then the induction into the Rock'n'Roll Hall Of Fame I was put into the category of 'Early Influencers' and I felt that was exactly the spot I should be in.”

So influential is she that a Hollywood film is currently being penned about her life and times.

“I'm very excited about seeing that come together!” she admits happily. “I can't really imagine having a full movie – we've done documentaries of course – but to have actors play me… I think it'll be fun, I'll get to be a consultant on it and get to see how the movie process works and I'm looking forward to that.”

Is she fearful of how she'll be perceived?

“Uh, yeah,” she laughs. “I think anyone would be! It's a touchy thing; 'Oh gosh, is that what they think I was like?' But I'm working with the writer of the screenplay. I was quite flattered – I thought it'd be like any life story, we would pick out a certain time in my life and draw on that, make that the big thing of the movie. But he said, 'I see in your life, I've got to do it from birth right up to now, it's all got to be said.' That might be a bit of a challenge for him.

“They asked me if I had anyone in mind to play me and my husband and I said, 'Well, I was thinking about Angelina Jolie to play me and George Clooney to play my husband.' They said 'Well, you think big, don't ya!'”

She began performing as a mere 17-year-old and loves it more than ever.

“Oh absolutely, it's all I've ever done,” she says. “I try to keep getting better, I still learn from people all the time about entertainment. It's been my passion all my life; I love it. I think you have to love it to stay in it like I have and like my husband, who has been with me through all of it – and before him, my parents [who were] so helpful. It's been such a good life for me, I feel very blessed.”

As such, she wants to continue to be a part of the music industry for as long as feasibly possible.

“I think so, as long as I think I am still a viable artist and as long as people still pay their hard-earned money to come out for an evening with me; I think that is very humbling. I hope to be able to continue for a while longer – I just leave those type of things in God's hands. I think I'll know when my time's up, but right now I'm just having the time of my life. It gives everybody hope – even at my age you can still have new goals and things to do.”

Wanda Jackson will be playing the following dates:

Wednesday 20 March - Corner Hotel, Melbourne VIC
Saturday 23 March - Factory Theatre, Sydney NSW
Monday 25 March - Lizotte's, Newcastle NSW
Wednesday 27 March - Old Museum, Brisbane QLD
Thursday 28 and Friday 29 March - Bluesfest, Byron Bay NSW