Jan Howard

Infobox musical artist
Name = Jan Howard


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Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Lula Grace Johnson
Alias = Jan Howard
Born = birth date and age|1930|3|13
Origin = West Plains, Missouri, U.S.
Instrument = Vocals
Genre = Country, Nashville Sound
Occupation = Singer, Songwriter, Actress
Years_active = 1960 – present
Label = Challenge Records
Decca Records
Con Brio Records
Associated_acts = Harlan Howard, Bill Anderson, Wynn Stewart, Jeannie Seely, Dottie West, Connie Smith, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn
URL = [http://www.janhoward.com/ Jan Howard Official Site]

Jan Howard (born Lula Grace Johnson on March 13, 1930 in West Plains, Missouri) is an American Country Music Singer and Grand Ole Opry star. She was one of Country music's trailblazing female vocalists during the height of her career in the mid-1960s. Her last name (Howard) comes from her ex-husband, legendary singer-songwriter, Harlan Howard.

Jan Howard's biggest hit and signature song is the 1966 classic Country hit, "Evil on Your Mind", which has been featured in the book, "Heartaches By the Number: The 500 Greatest Country Music Singles". In the late 60s and early 70s, she dueted with Bill Anderson, on a number of hits that hit the Top 10, including the No. 1 hit "For Loving You".

Early life & rise to fame

Jan Howard, one of country music's most successful female singers of the 1960s has had what she later called a difficult life, overcoming many obstacles throughout the years. She was born Lula Grace Johnson in West Plains, Missouri in 1930 and was one of eight children. Her family was poor, but was able to maintain a farm. She attended a one-room schoolhouse, wearing homeade clothing. At only age 15, she married, and soon had children. However, three of her children died before she turned twenty. After dealing with two unsuccessful marriages, Howard moved out to Los Angeles, California, where she met aspiring songwriter Harlan Howard. The result of their meeting led to a marriage in Las Vegas just one month later. One evening though, Jan was washing dishes in her kitchen. While she was washing dishes, she was singing and Harlan heard her sing for the very first time, and liked what he heard. He thought Jan had talent and wanted her to become a country music singer.

Harlan persuaded Jan to make a demo tape of one of the songs he wrote called "Mommy For a Day". The song would later be a big hit for Kitty Wells. She soon worked as a demo singer for her husband, singing demos for other Country artists, like Buck Owens and Tex Ritter. It was Jan Howard who originally sang the demo for the Patsy Cline hit "I Fall to Pieces".

In 1959, she made her debut as a recording artist backed by Wynn Stewart's band. She recorded her first song that year called "Yankee Go Home", along with the Harlan Howard composition, "Pick Me Up on Your Way Down" (which was once recorded by Charlie Walker).

The height of her career in the 1960s & early 70s

Success As a Solo Singer in the 60s & "Evil on Your Mind"

In 1959, under the name "Jan Howard" she released the single "Yankee Go Home" to the Country charts, where it failed to chart. In 1960, the Howards went to Nashvile, Tennessee where they appeared on "The Prince Albert Show", as well as a segment of the Grand Ole Opry. Howard then released her first single under her new record company, Challenge. Titled, "The One You Slip Around With", the song was Howard's first significant Country hit, hitting the Top 15, peaking at No. 13 on the Billboard Country music charts. Performing on the Grand Ole Opry led to friendships with several Country singers, including legendary singer, Patsy Cline, who she introduced herself to. According to Cline's 1980 biography book, "Honky Tonk Angel", Cline originally yelled at Howard after she did a performance on the Opry stage. Howard then fought back, and Cline was shocked by her reply. Cline then said to Howard, "Anybody who stands up to Cline is alright, we're gonna be good friends". The two were good friends on and off the Opry until Cline's death in a plane crash in 1963.

Meanwhile, painfully shy Jan was suffering from the psychological scars of her youth, as well as the anxiety of beginning a new adventure. When her weight dropped below ninety-seven pounds, Harlan hospitalized Jan and she went into therapy. [ [http://janhoward.com/bio.cfm Jan Howard biography at janhoward.com] ]

Howard appeared on "Jubilee USA" on February 6, 1960, the same year she won Billboard magazine's "Most Promising Female Country Award". In 1962, she charted successfully on the Country charts at No. 27 with, "I Wish I Was a Single Girl Again". However, none of Howard's other singles were successful, following that. Despite this problem early in her career, Howard did tour extensively. Howard however, felt a lack of self-confidence, which led her to fall out of expectations for the Opry's female acts.

In 1966, Howard's career finally took off as a solo artist. In 1965, her record of, "What Makes a Man Wander" hit the Top 25 on the Country charts. Her next single was released in 1966 titled, "Evil on Your Mind". The song was the biggest solo hit of Howard's career, hitting No. 5 on the Billboard Country charts. The song proved to be Howard's signature song, throughout her career. The song also helped to prove that female Country singers could speak of trouble in their marriages. An album of the same name was released that year. The follow-up to "Evil on Your Mind" was the song "Bad Seed". The song proved to be a solid follow-up, when it reached the Top 10 in 1966, peaking at No. 10 on the Billboard charts. That same year, Howard paired up with singer Bill Anderson on the Top 40 hit, "I Know You're Married (But I Love You Still)". This song set the trend of the future hits to be recorded by the pair. Between 1967 and 1968, Howard acquired a number of Top 40 hits, like "Roll Over and Play Dead" (1967), "Any Old Way You Do" (1967), and "I Still Believe in Love" (1968). In 1967, Howard paired up again with Anderson. Their single "For Loving You" hit No. 1 on the Billboard country charts, and spent four weeks at the top of the charts. The song was Howard's only chart-topper. Between 1968 and 1969, Howard's solo career continued to be successful, starting with the 1968 song, "Count Your Blessings Woman". The song reached the Country Top 20 at No. 16. Her other Top 20 hits from this time include "My Son" (1969) and "We Had All the Good Things Going" (1969).

"My Son" was Howard's favorite composition she ever wrote. She dreamed in 1968 that her son, who was fighting in the Vietnam War, would be killed in battle, which later came true. She pleaded that her son would return home, but he died that year. The song "My Son" was a Top 15 Country hit in 1969.

uccess Continues In the Early 70s

In the early 70s, Howard paired up again with Bill Anderson for a series of duet singles. In 1970, their song, "If It's All the Same to You" hit No. 2 on the Country charts that year, just missing the top spot. Their album of the same name was released that year also. Soon, Howard and Anderson were one of the biggest duet groups of the early 70s, racking up two other Top 10 Country hits between 1970 and 1971. Their 1970 album "Bill and Jan or Jan and Bill" spawned their other two Top 10 Country singles, "Someday We'll Be Together" (1970) and "Dis-Satisfied" (1971). In 1968 and 1970, the duet pair were nominated for "Vocal Duo of the Year" by the CMA Awards, but never won the award.

Shortly after the success Howard had with Anderson, she went back to recording as a solo artist again. However, this time she wasn't as successful as she was in the 60s. She had one other Top 40 hit, which was released in 1972 titled "Love is Like a Spinning Wheel", which only reached No. 36. Another single from the album of the same name of her Top 40 hit didn't even chart the Top 40. In 1973, Howard joined "The Johnny Cash Show", and continued to acquire minor hits up until 1978. Her last charting single, released in 1978 was "To Love a Rolling Stone".

Jan Howard was not just a singer, but also an experienced songwriter. In 1966, she wrote the Kitty Wells hit "It's All Over But the Crying", and in 1970 she wrote the Bill Anderson hit "Love Is a Sometimes Thing". Together, Bill and Jan wrote the 1970 Connie Smith hit "I Never Once Stopped Loving You". Jan also co-wrote "Dis-Satisfied" with her son Carter. Four years after her son's death (1973), Howard's other son David committed suicide. Throughout her career, Howard has been nominated for countless Grammy awards and CMA awards, but has yet to win either. Jan Howard placed 30 singles on Billboard's Country Music charts between 1960 and 1978. In 1979, Howard and Tammy Wynette went on a tour throughout the United States and Great Britain.

Later career & life today

Since March 27, 1971, Howard has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry. She has been a regular performer on the show for over thirty years. She has also opened many doors for other country music artists. She has toured every state in the United States, and has also toured in 21 foreign countries. She has also appeared on "The Today Show", "Family Feud", and "Hee Haw". In 1984, Howard released the album "Tainted Love", and that same year Howard published her best-selling autobiography titled "Sunshine and Shadow". In 1987, she released another album titled, "The Life of a Country Girl Singer", but by this time, her chart success was faded from view.

In 1990, Jan Howard re-married. In 2005, Howard was inducted into the Missouri Country Music Hall of Fame. Most recently, she has released a box set called "Through the Years". Her hometown of West Plains, Missouri pays homage to Howard, making a "Jan Howard Day" every year. In West Plains, the US 63 bypass is also named after her, known as the Jan Howard Expressway, in spite of it being originally built as only a two-lane road, with the portion south of US 160 still being two-lane. The portion north of US 160 was widened to four lanes in 2003.

In 2002, Howard made her acting debut in the feature film "Changing Hearts" starring Faye Dunaway, which also featured Howard's friend and Country singer, Jeannie Seely.

Discography

Charted Singles

References

External links

* [http://www.janhoward.com/ Jan Howard Official Website]
* [http://www.opry.com/MeetTheOpry/Members.aspx?id=75 Jan Howard at Opry.com]
* [http://www.countryworks.com/artist_full.asp?KEY=HOWARDJ Jan Howard Discography]