Jessie Colter

Jessie Colter

Genres: country, outlaw country, female vocalists, Waylon Jennings, 70s

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About Jessie Colter

Mirriam Johnson (born May 25, 1943), known professionally as Jessi Colter, is an American country singer best known for her 1975 hit "I'm Not Lisa" and her collaborations with her second husband, Waylon Jennings. She was among the few female artists to emerge from the mid-1970s outlaw country movement. Colter was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and raised in a Pentecostal household. She became a church pianist at age 11 and began performing in local clubs after graduating from Mesa High School in 1961. She married guitarist Duane Eddy the same year and released two singles under her birth name, Mirriam Johnson, but neither achieved significant commercial success. Following her divorce in 1968, she met Waylon Jennings, who helped her secure a recording contract, and they married in 1969. Colter began recording professionally as Jessi Colter in 1970. Her debut album, "A Country Star Is Born," was co-produced by Jennings and Chet Atkins but had limited impact. In 1975, she signed with Capitol Records and released "I'm Not Lisa," which reached number one on the Billboard Country Chart and the top five on the Pop Chart. Her album "I'm Jessi Colter" produced additional hits, including "What's Happened to Blue Eyes" and "You Ain't Never Been Loved (Like I'm Gonna Love You)." She released further albums during the 1970s, including "Jessi," "Diamond in the Rough," "Mirriam," and "That's the Way a Cowboy Rocks and Rolls," establishing herself as a prominent albums-oriented artist and touring extensively with Jennings. In the 1980s, Colter released the duet album "Leather and Lace" with Jennings, which produced hits such as "Storms Never Last" and "The Wild Side of Life"/"It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" and was certified gold. She also released the album "Ridin' Shotgun" in 1981 and "Rock and Roll Lullaby" in 1984, before focusing on supporting Jennings through his health and substance issues. In the 1990s, she released the children’s music album "Jessi Colter Sings Just for Kids: Songs from Around the World" and performed on Jennings's live album "Never Say Die" in 2000. Colter returned to recording in 2006 with "Out of the Ashes," produced by Don Was, reflecting on Jennings' death. She released the albums "The Psalms" in 2017, featuring musical interpretations of biblical passages, and "Edge of Forever" in 2023, produced by Margo Price and mixed by her son, Shooter Jennings. She also published a memoir, "An Outlaw and a Lady," in 2017. Colter was married to Duane Eddy from 1961 to 1968, with whom she has a daughter, Jennifer. She married Waylon Jennings in 1969, and they had a son, Waylon Albright "Shooter" Jennings. Jennings and Colter remained married until his death in 2002. In 2023, Colter married Arlin Brower in Rio Verde, Arizona. Studio albums A Country Star is Born (1970) I'm Jessi Colter (1975) Jessi (1976) Diamond in the Rough (1976) Mirriam (1977) That's the Way a Cowboy Rocks and Rolls (1978) Ridin' Shotgun (1981) Rock and Roll Lullaby (1984) Jessi Colter Sings Just for Kids: Songs from Around the World (1996) Out of the Ashes (2006) The Psalms (2017) Edge of Forever (2023)

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