Jessi Colter is an American country artist, although she is best known for her collaborations with her deceased husband, Waylon Jennings. She is said to be one of the female country singers to have emerged from the mid-1970s outlaw country movement which is why she is often referred to as the queen of outlaw.
The country singer began her career at an early age singing in local pubs in Phoenix. She has been married twice. First to the guitarist Duane Eddy and later Waylon Jennings.
Who is Jessi Colter?
Jessi Colter was born Mirriam Johnson on May 25 1943 in Phoenix, Arizona but she was raised in a pentecostal home. Her mother was a pentecostal preacher while her father was a race-car driver.
There are speculations that she changed her name in honor of her great-grandfather, Jesse Colter. She attended Mesa High School and graduated in 1961.
Who is Her Husband?
Jessi Colter married guitarist Duane Eddy in 1961 at the age of 18. She met him in Phoenix at the start of her singing career. They married in Las Vegas and settled in Los Angeles. During the period she was married to Eddy, she used Mirriam Eddy as her name.
The marriage only lasted for barely seven years. Colter and Eddy divorced in 1968 with only one child.
Jessi Colter met Waylon Jennings after he helped her secure a recording contract with RCA Victor. She married Jennings in 1969. Their love story is considered one of the greatest love stories in country music. Waylon Jennings was failed three times before he married Colter.
Waylon Jennings first married in 1956 at the age of 18 to Maxine Lawrence. Before the marriage ended, they had four children together. He married his second wife, Lynne Jones in 1962 but the marriage still did not work so they parted ways.
Waylon Jennings still married the same year he divorced Lynnes Jones. He married Barbara Rood but still, things did not work out well as they later divorced.
Jessi Colter and Waylon Jennings faced many challenges in their marriage and were at a point threatened by divorce. Colter remained married to Jennings till he passed in 2002. Jennings died as a result of diabetic complications on February 13, 2002.
Their marriage lasted for over three decades.
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Jessi Colter Has Two Children
Jessi Colter had her first child during her marriage with Duane Eddy. Her daughter was named Jennifer at birth.
Colter and Jennings welcomed their only son Waylon Albright “Shooter” Jennings on May 19, 1979.
Jessi Colter has two grand children through her son and his ex-girlfriend Drea de Matteo. Colter’s grand children are: Alabama Gypsyrose Jennings and Waylon Albert Blackjack Jennings.
How Rich is Jessi Colter?
The 81 year-old country singer makes her earning through her music career. She has an estimated net worth of $5 million as of November 2021.
Colter sold a million copies of her albums worldwide. Some of her albums that did well are Leather and Lace, Diamond in the Rough, and a few others.
Her husband on the other hand, had a net worth of $7 million at the time of his death in 2002 at the age of 64.
Other Interesting Facts about Jessi Colter
1. Jessi Colter became her church pianist at the age of 11
Colter started her music career after she graduated from high school but she became the pianist at her church at the early age of 11.
Having performed at local pubs in Phoenix for a while, Jessi Colter got signed under the Jamie Record label. She released two singles under the label. Her first single was Lonesome Road which was not well received by country music lovers.
Her career got better after she met Jennings and he helped her secure a recording contract. Her first studio album, A Country Star is Born was released in 1970. She was later featured on the compilation album Wanted: Outlaws in 1976 with her husband, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and a few others. The album became an RIAA-certified Platinum album.
Jessi Colter released more hit singles and albums afterward. In 1975, Jessi Colter signed with Capitol Records and released her debut single, “I’m Not Lisa”. The song became her breakthrough in her career as it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Country Chart and peaked at No.4 on the Billboard Pop Chart. It also became a crossover hit in 1975.
Her second album I’m Jessi Colter was released in 1975 and it reached No.1 on the Cashbox Top Country Albums chart and No. 4 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. Together with her husband, Colter released a duet album titled Leather and Lace in 1981. the second track on the album became a major hit in 1981 peaking at No.10 on the Billboard Country Chart. The album was certified Gold in sales by the RIAA the same year.
Even though her success began to decline in the following years, Jessi Colter released an album in 1984, and in the 1990s she shift her focus on performing children’s music and she released an album titled Jessi Colter Sings for Kids: Songs from Around the world in early 1996.
Jessi Colter returned in 2006 and recorded a studio album that was released on the Shout Factory label. It was her first studio album in almost 20 years. She later released her first album, The Psalms in eleven years.
The country queen released a tell-all memoir on April 11, 2017, titled An Outlaw and a Lady: A Memoir of Music, Life with Waylon, and the Faith that Brought Me Home.
2. Colter wanted to divorce Jennings when his drug addiction worsened
Despite the fact that Colter and Jenning’s marriage was seen as a perfect one, the couple had some challenges that almost ruined their marriage. The outlaw couple almost divorced in the early 1980s due to Jennings’ severe cocaine and alcohol addiction.
It is said that Jennings was able to overcome his addiction because of his son, Shooter. Thankfully, the married lasted till Jenning drew his last breath in 2002.
3. How tall is the country singer?
Jessi Colter is currently 81 years old and she is supposedly 1.61m tall with a bodyweight of about 60kg.
4. Her son, Shooter Jennings is also a country musician
Jessi Colter’s only son with her late husband, Jennings also decided to follow in their footsteps. Shooter Jennings is a country singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has released seven albums and numerous EPs.
Just like his parents, he is active mainly in outlaw country and southern rock genres.
5. Jessi Colter has been nominated for numerous awards
Jessi Colter has received several nominations for awards like the Grammy Awards and Academy of Country-Music Awards. She received an award in 1976 for the album of the Year Award with the Academy of Country-Music Awards. She won a Grammy Award in 2007 in the Grammy Hall of Fame category.
