OKLAHOMA (CelebrityAccess) – 81-year-old rockabilly icon Wanda Jackson has announced her retirement from touring in a message posted to her Facebook.
“After over 60 years of touring, Wanda Jackson wishes to announce her retirement from performing. This retirement is solely based on health and safety,” read the post. “It has been a wild ride. Thank you all for all the years of continued fandom and support. This is not the end, just the beginning of a new chapter. Join us as we congratulate the Queen of Rockabilly on over six decades of rip roaring live performances, priceless stories and countless shimmies.”
Jackson’s daughter, Gina Simpson, confirmed to their hometown newspaper, the Oklahoman, that her mother had recently been dealing with health difficulties saying “It’s been tough, but she is strong.”
Jackson began her recording career as a country artist on Decca in 1954 at the age of 16. Throughout her decades-long career, she found a signature style through mixing rockabilly and country, and found fame on the back of songs like “I Gotta Know” and “Let’s Have a Party.”
Jackson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the category of “Early Influence” in 2009. Most recently, she toured extensively behind her Jack White-produced 2011 LP, The Party Ain’t Over, and its 2012 follow-up, Unfinished Business, which was helmed by Justin Townes Earle.
Jackson will be calling off all upcoming scheduled performances including the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend and the Nashville Boogie Vintage Weekender.
