Jessi Colter

Country Music’s Lady Outlaw Comes Home

When most people think of Arizona, images of towering cacti, breathtaking sunsets and heat waves may come to mind. But the real heart of our Grand Canyon State lies in the spirit of the West, complete with cowboys, outlaws and everything country. Few embody this spirit more than Jessi Colter, a Phoenix native with an outlaw soul.

Her distinct and soulful voice has been a driving force in the music industry for over 30 years, encompassing country, blues, gospel and rock. While she is widely associated with her late husband, Waylon Jennings, Colter has been a powerhouse performer on her own accord. From her unforgettable 1970s hit, “I’m Not Lisa,” to the legendary collaboration on Wanted: The Outlaws album, her talent and likeability have transcended generations.

On a hot sunny day at Colter’s home on the outskirts of north Scottsdale, she sat down with a glass of homemade sweet tea to talk with Phoenix Woman about her past journey and her newest projects. Amidst the Billboard success, concert tours, gold records and well-deserved time in the limelight, Colter is as down-to-earth as in her days at Mesa High School with her embroidered western shirt, blue jeans and languid drawl. A pretty buckskin Quarter Horse nickers in the corral and Colter’s Labrador retriever, “Cowgirl,” romps in the desert while we learn how this country music icon keeps her feet on the ground and her values in check.

ARIZONA ROOTS

Born Mirriam Johnson, Colter grew up in Mesa and remembers a wonderful but sheltered upbringing. She was raised under the watchful eye of her mother, a prominent Pentecostal minister, and she learned at an early age the importance of being an individual rather than striving to belong to a particular group.

“My mother was an incredible woman,” Colter says. “She hailed from Kentucky, overcame tuberculosis and became a minister at 27. She was just so cool, and she taught me to have the strength not to belong to a hierarchy and to just be who you are.”

Indeed, Colter has forever marched to the beat of her own drum, and her western spirit has set her music apart. She fell in love with country music listening to George Jones but admits she never felt a connection with any popular entertainers. “I didn’t want to be like anyone in particular,” Colter explains. “I just wanted to do my thing—like the southwestern cowboys. That’s cool country.”

Colter wasn’t permitted to go many places where the other kids hung out, with the exception of an occasional western dance or school assembly. She spent her time writing songs and playing the piano at church. With her special gifts, however, she was appearing in local talent shows by age 12. It was at one of these events that she was “discovered” by rock ‘n’ roll guitarist Duane Eddy. He instantly recognized her talent and helped produce Colter’s first single, “Lonesome Road,” in 1961.

“I immediately went from Mesa High to American Bandstand,” Colter says, “right out of the crib, so to speak.” She and Eddy began traveling and recording together. A romance bloomed and they eventually married and had a daughter, Jennifer. Under the name Mirriam Eddy, Colter was also writing country songs recorded by Dottie West, Don Gibson, Nancy Sinatra and others.

Although she had a great appreciation for her husband, her marriage to Eddy became troubled. Unhappy in Los Angeles where the couple resided, Colter separated from Eddy and returned to Arizona. It was then that she met Waylon Jennings, who was performing at JD’s in Tempe and wanted Colter to sing with him. The connection between the two was immediate and intense.

“I sang with him, and he asked if I would run away with him,” Colter recalls. “I said, ‘Call me in six months.’” Colter and Eddy divorced in 1968, and she married Jennings the next year.

“Duane was always good to me,” she says, “but with Waylon … it’s hard to explain but I had a very strong suspicion that he was really ‘the one.’ It was actually very scary for me because he was from another planet compared with all the people I had known.”

It was a long shot—a match between a sheltered and somewhat shy girl from Mesa and the dark horse of the country music scene—but it turned out to be a match made in heaven. Jennings’ artistry and charm won her heart, and they began traveling and singing together.

“Yes, he was a wild child, but all the while I sensed this gentle, generous heart and I was drawn to him,” Colter says. “That’s the key thing with love—you have to be very drawn to someone. And it couldn’t be helped with Waylon.”

THE OUTLAW REVOLUTION

Working closely with Jennings and Chet Akins, Colter released her debut album, A Country Star is Born. Although the album wasn’t successful, it paved the way for her breakthrough single, “I’m Not Lisa,” in 1975. The song reached #1 on the Billboard Country Chart and peaked at #4 on the Billboard Pop Chart. It ultimately became Colter’s signature song, and was one of the earliest crossover country hits.

She was touring with Jennings when the groundbreaking collaboration between Colter, Jennings, Willie Nelson and Tompall Glaser brought about the Wanted: The Outlaws album. It became the first Nashville album to sell a million copies, securing Colter’s place in country music history. Although Jennings and Nelson went on to reach super-stardom, the “lady outlaw” was the only one of the four with a previous gold record when the landmark recording was produced.

“The Outlaws album was Waylon’s brainchild,” explains Colter. “He was the first at that time to take different artists and put them on each other’s records. It was illegal back then [because of record company contracts] but Waylon wanted to break that old Southern hierarchy of the studios. So we ended up sneaking into the vault at midnight and virtually putting the tapes together that night!”

With the release and ultimate success of the album, the four truly were “outlaws” in the country music industry. Their partnership marked the beginning of the end for Nashville producers, who controlled every aspect of recording at that time. Colter was at the cusp of a new age in country music. Following the Outlaws success, she continued to tour with Jennings as he cut one hit record after another.

Then, in 1977, she and Jennings released her spiritual album, Mirriam. Her first attempt to record in the religious music genre, the album was not a big success. By then, she was already known by the world as Jessi. “I came up with the name ‘Jessi Colter’ because Mirriam Johnson didn’t sound like a name anyone would want to record with,” Colter says. The stage name was chosen in honor of her great-great-great uncle, who was in Jesse James’ notorious outlaw gang.

The following years became a blur of tours and concerts with the Outlaws crew. “It was a wild time,” Colter says. “In the ‘70s, we had two Hell’s Angels—Deacon Proudfoot and ‘Boomer’—as our head security. Boomer would have stepped in front of a bullet for me.” Nevertheless, she says Jennings never allowed security personnel to be rough with anyone, and he asked the bike gang members not to wear their colors while on duty.

In the mid-‘80s, Jennings teamed up with fellow musicians Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Johnny Cash for the legendary Highwaymen tour. The four country icons formed a super-group that toured worldwide until the mid-‘90s. Not only were the four close friends, their wives shared a special bond as well. Colter recalls traveling through Europe, Asia and Australia with the men, June Carter Cash, Annie Nelson, Lisa Kristofferson and seven children.

“We went to all of the great museums and zoos,” she says. “Kris and Willie were still in their hot-footing days, and they would play golf all day while the women did laundry and took care of the kids.”

Although Colter lived on the road 300 days of the year, she was able to fuse her family life and stage life with grace. “Even though I was exposed to all the glamour of the industry, I never bought into it,” Colter says. “I never bought into headlining concerts because I preferred to be featured. In fact, I was scared to death when I had to play to a big audience as a solo artist. It was easier for me to stay in the shadows in some way.”

Colter’s sensible and unaffected approach to the industry allowed her to fly under the radar and focus on what was most important to her: family. She wanted to pull herself off of concerts and contracts so that she could spend more time with her son, Waylon Albright, who was nicknamed “Shooter.”

“Family became more important than hit songs,” she says. “I wanted to retreat away from everything, which is probably why I love the wide openness of a ranch and the simple freedom of space. Entertainers are always quarantined to buses and dressing rooms.”

Letting her recording career fade, Colter focused on helping Jennings through his drug addiction and taking care of Shooter—who eventually launched his own successful music career. Jennings became terminally ill in the late 1990s and passed away in 2002. Colter took a personal hiatus to grieve and to reflect on what was needed in her life. During this time, she was able to regain a faith she had lost along the way, and in it, found new strength.

NEW HORIZONS

Finding her footing, Colter released her first studio album in 20 years with Out of the Ashes in 2006. After spending decades as the woman behind Waylon Jennings, she has reemerged as a standalone performer who isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. With her recording career on the rise again, Colter has been able to dip her hand into a variety of projects, including her own recordings and a new Waylon Jennings tribute CD that will feature top artists singing songs Jennings wrote or recorded. This much-anticipated collection will be in major outlets this winter as well as on ScatterTunes.

Another new project, a cookbook titled, Waylon’s Way: Entertaining at Southern Comfort, has recently been acquired by Amazon Books. The book includes never published photographs of celebrations with family and friends at Southern Comfort—the couple’s Nashville estate.

Included are some of Colter’s favorite photos taken at a sobriety celebration she hosted for Johnny Cash. “June had given Waylon a nice, intimate sobriety party,” she says, recalling that Willie Nelson cut off his braids and gave them to Waylon as a gesture at this special gathering. “When Johnny got sober, he came to me and said, ‘Jessi, will you give me a party?’

“We had a 1950s theme and I wore my yellow knit prom dress and June wore her green taffeta,” she laughs. “It was really fun.” Colter served fried chicken on the lawn and recalls that Robert Duvall and his wife, Gail, came dressed as Johnny and June, and Nelson wore sunglasses with windshield wipers.

The photos in the newly released book bring back fond memories for Colter. “I wanted to show another way to remember Waylon, because people are hurting for him,” she says.

With various projects and live performances at special events, Colter relishes most the time she can spend with her family. Shooter and actress Drea de Matteo have given her a new granddaughter, Alabama, who is already an expert on her grandmother’s music.

“When she was one year old, she would fast forward a tape just to get to my voice,” she says. “I have so much fun running around with her and with all of Shooter’s 20-something friends. They keep me young and looking for the next big thing!”

Indeed, few women have had as many exciting, rewarding and trying experiences as Colter. Even as she looks out of her “window on creation” from her secluded ranch home, she seems somewhat amazed at the road she’s traveled thus far, and she can’t help contemplating the next pinnacle.

“It’s hard when you have a past like I’ve had with so many rewarding experiences, but I’m hoping that what I accomplish in the next few years will be greater than what I’ve done earlier,” Colter says. No matter what’s on the horizon for our homegrown country music star, in Arizona, Jessi Colter will always remain a touchstone of gentle strength, spiritual courage and resilient western spirit.

Danielle D’Adamo is a contributing writer for Phoenix Woman magazine.