Country star who was Elvis squeeze performs in Seattle

  • By Sharon Wootton / Special to The Herald
  • Thursday, July 28, 2005 9:00pm
  • LifeGo-See-Do

A few years ago, Wanda Jackson made the 40 Greatest Women of Country Music list at number 35, edging ahead of Lucinda Williams, K.T. Oslin, Barbara Mandrell, LeAnn Rimes and Linda Ronstadt (Patsy Cline topped the list).

Wanda Jackson: 9 p.m. Saturday, Tractor Tavern, Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle; $15; 800-965-4827.

Cross Canadian Ragweed: 9 tonight, Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle; $12; 800-965-4827.

Janiva Magness: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, St. Edwards State Park, Kenmore; free. Also 8 p.m. Aug. 5, Triple Door, 216 Union St., Seattle; $15; 206-838-4333.

More Drama Tour: 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sky Church, EMP, Seattle Center; $55; 206-628-0888.

Joe McPhee: 8 p.m. Monday, Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle; $12, $10; 800-965-4827.

Reilly &Maloney: 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Forest Park, 802 E. Mukilteo Blvd., Everett; free; 425-257-8322.

Locust Street Taxi: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Port Gardner Landing, Everett; free; 425-257-8322.

Clint Black: 7 p.m. Tuesday, South Lake Union Park, Seattle; $47; 206-628-0888.

The Queen of Rockabilly tag still lingers, although she probably has sung more gospel and country than rockabilly. She has been in the business since the 1950s. Her voice is rawer than most female singers today, more Muddy Waters than Tammy Wynette.

She’ll bring the same passion for music and fire-breathing chops to a performance with Ruby Dee &The Snake Handlers on Saturday in Seattle.

Jackson is working on a CD, a tribute to her old boyfriend, Elvis Presley. Her version of Elvis’ “Let’s Have a Party” was a Top-40 hit. And yes, she can still growl.

Jackson earned another measure of respect in June when the National Endowment for the Arts named her a recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship, the country’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.

Cross Canadian Ragweed: The alt-country rockers visit Seattle tonight. CCR’s latest record, “Soul Gravy,” has sold more than 120,000 units. The band got some nice play last fall in Country Music Today magazine, and they set an attendance record at Dallas’ Lone Star Park, breaking Willie Nelson’s 2002 mark.

Janiva Magness: The two-time Handy Award nominee is picking up praise from blues critics. She’ll perform Thursday in Kenmore and Aug. 5 in Seattle. Magness has earned a B.B. King Award for musical excellence and the Jim Croce Award for Outstanding Achievement in Rhythm &Blues.

More Drama Tour: Yes has taken a break from touring this year but musicians Steve Howe (guitarist), Alan White (drummer) and Chris Squire (bassist) carry on. The More Drama tour stops in Seattle Tuesday for a primer on progressive rock.

Joe McPhee: A concert marking the release of “Remembrance,” a recording of multi-instrumentalist McPhee and bassist Michael Bistro’s inspired 2001 Earshot Jazz Festival performance, will be Monday in Seattle. Their boundary-expanding jazz will be complemented by jazz-inspired poet Paul Harding.

Riley &Maloney: Ginny Reilly and David Maloney again return to the area for a Sunday concert in Everett. They rose out of the folk music scene of the 1960s, stopped playing together after 20 years, but reunited several years ago and keep a busy schedule.

Locust Street Taxi: The jazzy-folk rock trio’s original songs and infectious improv comedy appeal to all ages. The band performs Thursday in Everett. Nathan Geyer plays trombone and keyboards; Mario Pesacreta, trumpet; and Franco Bertucci (Papa Taxi) guitar and keyboards. Occasionally they’ll ask the audience to shout out topic suggestions, which will lead to a song.

Clint Black. The man at the front edge of the new-country wave of the early 1990s returns for a concert Tuesday in Seattle. He released “Spend My Time” in 2004, his first new material in more than six years, and now has “Drinkin’ Songs &Other Logic” on the shelves.

Wanda Jackson performs Saturday in Seattle.

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