Last Updated on September 14, 2023, 1:48 PM | Published: September 14, 2023
OKLAHOMA CITY — Rockabilly icon Wanda Jackson has joined the ranks of our state’s greatest cultural and artistic luminaries as her newly unveiled portrait took its place next to those of the other Oklahoma Cultural Treasures in a ceremony at the State Capitol on Wednesday.
Jackson herself was in attendance alongside Oklahoma County Commissioner Brian Maughan, Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell, and Amber Sharples, executive director of the Oklahoma Arts Council, which helps to select and oversee artworks for the Capitol Building.
But of course, all eyes were on Jackson – perfectly on-brand with a shiny gold-fringe jacket and her hair teased tall – and on the official portrait itself, created by award-winning painter and fellow Oklahoma native Tracey Harris.
“I think I could just step off the canvas and sing a song for you,” Jackson said to the crowd after seeing the unveiled artwork for the first time. “It’s so lifelike.”
Cultural treasure
When Jackson was added to the state’s roster of official Cultural Treasures in 2018, she became the very first figure in that lauded list from the world of popular music.
To Sharples, Jackson’s inclusion was a no-brainer.
“She’s bold,” Sharples told Free Press. “She was ahead of her time, and she made no apologies for it, with her authenticity and her super unique sound. And I also think that with her humility, she really carries a very ‘Oklahoma rural community’ sense of generosity.”
But being a Cultural Treasure is about much more than just being an important figure inside the state.
“To be a Cultural Treasure, not only do you have to have an impact on American society and culture, you really have to have had an imprint internationally,” Sharples explained. “And that is one of the reasons for Wanda to receive this recognition, because of her influence being so broad and so longstanding that it still continues today.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Oklahoma County Commissioner, and lifelong Wanda Jackson superfan, Brian Maughan, who extolled the singer’s many historic claims to musical fame.
“She has meant so much to so many,” Maughan told the crowd. “Before she was the ‘First Lady of Rock,’ she, at the mere age of sixteen, as a student of Capitol Hill High School, became one of the first five ladies to have had a charted hit on the country music charts. And it was a Top 10 hit to boot!”
Shared roots
Turning this honor into a reality meant finding the right painter to capture Jackson’s persona, and that meant searching for the perfect artist alongside Jackson herself.
“She really wanted to be instrumental and to be part of the decision-making process,” Sharples said. “Questions like how she was going to be portrayed, what period of her life, and things such as having her guitar in her portrait.”
The answer came in the form of acclaimed, Oklahoma-born painter Tracey Harris, whose stylized realism and sharp, dramatic lighting feel perfectly suited to match Jackson’s larger-than-life personality.
“I think she’s just the perfect artist that Wanda could have picked,” said Sharples. “Tracy, like Wanda, is bold, kind of a free spirit, very independent in her artistic practice. Wanda was really drawn to her style.”
One of the main threads that have connected Jackson and Harris is a shared experience of growing up in rural Oklahoma, as Harris was born and raised in Fort Gibson before pursuing the arts in Kansas City and eventually London.
“That is very reminiscent of Wanda’s story being from Maud and then leaving that small community, but always kind of being grounded in her roots and knowing where she’s from,” Sharples said. “And I think Tracy carries that same sense of connection to her roots.”
Permanent addition
Harris’ portrait of Wanda Jackson, showcasing the singer in her 1950s and 60s heyday, with trademark big-body acoustic guitar and silver microphone, now joins the permanent collection of publically displayed artwork at the State Capitol Building.
After the unveiling, Jackson reminisced about her early role in bringing a confident, uncompromising feminine look and attitude to the buttoned-up country music of the time, and reminded everyone in attendance that, even at 85 years old, she’s lost none of her humor and wit.
“I wanted to bring some glamor and some sex appeal into our country music,” she told the crowd. “Now I wonder if I did the right thing.”
Brett Fieldcamp has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly 15 years, writing for several local and state publications. He’s also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
