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It's Time for |
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Norma Jean is a very under-rated singer. She deserves a much higher profile in the world of Country and Western Music. This is my little contribution to her fame.
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Norma Jean Beasler, the "Country's Favorite" hails from Wellston Oklahoma (born Jan 30, 1938) and after a music-filled upbringing, started her career in Oklahoma City's radio studios, debuting on KLPR at age 12. |
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TV followed, first with Red Foley's Ozark Jubilee USA which she joined in 1958, during which time she was inducted to the Grand Ole Opry cast. It was at Red Foley's suggestion that she dropped her surname and became known simply as "Norma Jean". |
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In 1959 she started recording for the Columbia label, but she did not achieve her highest success until she moved to Nashville in 1960 and joined the weekly broadcast of the Porter Wagoner Show. |
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Soon after, she was invited by RCA Victor to record for their productive label, and recorded 27 albums there. Strangely, despite her wonderful solo career, her biggest-selling record is the trio song with Bobby Bare
and Liz Anderson called "The Game of Triangles", an excellent (Grammy Award nominee) song in which glamourous Norma Jean blatantly steals the absent husband from under housewife Liz's (bare?) feet.
Maybe Liz will have to do some "Husband Huntin' again".
That album is superb, with several other trio songs, have a listen to "One Among the Three of Us (Is Always in the Way)", "Which One is to Blame", or "Three Mixed Up Hearts". Sadly, the record is not all trio songs though, with each artist also performing two solo songs which are great, but I crave more trio songs. |
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While on the Porter Wagoner Show, she and Porter got involved romantically and, when he wouldn't consent to divorce his (already estranged) wife Ruth, for fear of wrecking his wholesome family image, she ended the relationship and left the show. |
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She continued to record and work at the Grand Ole Opry, the fiesty themes of vengeful wife, or drinking, truck drivin', man-eating woman present in a lot of Norma Jean's recordings, appealed to the emerging women's movement, ensuring her continuing success into the mid-70s. |
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After several quiet years (last RCA Record was released in 1973) "Let's Go all the Way", her first big hit song from the mid-60s album of the same name, was re-recorded as a duet with Claude Grey. |
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After living back in Oklahoma for a while, Norma Jean returned to Nashville in 1984, releasing an independent showcase album "My Best to You" on her own Roma label (Roma is her daughter's name). A "Best Of Norma Jean" CD was released in 2000 on Collector's Choice Music, but contains most of the same tracks as the Roma compilation, but does include the fabulous "Dusty Road". |
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Norma Jean occasionally performs live, mainly in Branson Missouri
as part of a Country Ladies show. She has done recordings in Hamburg, Germany, mainly duets with Herman Lammers Meyer, but I am not
aware if these are commercially available.
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Norma Jean is writing her autobiography and it should be in the final stages by now.
She advised me that she is still working on it, so at least it's progressing.
I think it's going to be called "All the Way and Back" and I for one, can't wait to read it. |
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If you like Norma Jean, e-mail me! |
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Porter Wagoner Show |
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Album cover photos |
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Discography |
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Links |
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