From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Sun May 25, 2003  2:18 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Jessi Colter
 
JESSI COLTER (By Shaun Mather) 

Born Miriam Johnson, 25 April 1947, Phoenix, Arizona

If I was a woman I suppose I'd have loved to have married Elvis. If I 
had Anne Bolin-ish tendencies I'd have married Jerry Lee or if it was 
just good fun I'd have been a groupie for Gene and the Blue Caps. 
Johnny Cash is devoted and would have made a lovely husband, but
I disgress. When it comes to luck in the hubbie stakes, Jessi Colter
takes some beating (oh er!). Whilst in her late teens she married
Duane Eddy and has since spent the last thirty odd years as the wife
of Waylon Jennings. However, we're not recognising her birthday at 
Shakinland because of her husbands, she is a singer and songwriter
herself and has enjoyed her own colourful career. She adopted her
stage name of Jessi Colter in honour of ancestor Jess Colter, a
real-life train robber and counterfeiter who rode with Frank and Jesse
James.

Born Miriam Johnson into a strict Pentecostal home, she left Phoenix
in her teens to join Duane Eddy's band. She was introduced to the King
of Twang through her brother-in-law, the enigmatic Cowboy Jack Clement.
Her first record, "Young And Innocent"/"Lonesome Road" came out on
Jamie in 1961 and was also released in the UK (London HLW 9337).
Duane and Miriam married in 1962 but were divorced six years later.
During this time she also made waves as a songwriter, having her 
songs cut by Don Gibson and Nancy SInatra among others.

Following the divorce, she headed back to Phoenix and it was here that
she met Waylon Jennings. Waylon was taken by her looks and her voice 
and did the two best things he could in that situation. He married her (in
October 1969) and got her a record deal with his own label, RCA. Her 
debut album, A Country Star Is Born, came out in 1970, the same year
as she hit the charts with Suspicious Minds, a duet with Waylon. She 
made it on her own in 1975 when I'm Not Lisa went to the top of the 
country charts and climbed into the pop top 5.

In '76 she was part of the ground-breaking concept album, Wanted! The
Outlaws, with Waylon, Willie Nelson and Tompall Glaser, which as well 
as marking the start of the Outlaw movement, was also the first country
album to go platinum. Her solo successes continued and in 1981 she 
again cut with ol Waylon, the beautiful Storms Never Last. There's a great
scene in the Waylon story (Video and DVD) where he and Jessi sit opposite
one another singing Storms. He winks at her they just seem so devoted,
it's a real touching moment. With the untimely passing of her husband, 
she has been involved in a tribute album and lives back in Arizona with 
their son Shooter.

CD : Jessi Colter Collection (Capitol, 1995)