Jackie DeShannon
| Jackie DeShannon | |
|---|---|
DeShannon at the ASCAP Foundation's concert at the Library of Congress, 2011
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Sharon Lee Myers |
| Born | August 21, 1941 |
| Origin | Hazel, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop, Vocal |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, recording artist, lyricist, broadcasting |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1950–present |
| Associated acts | Hal David, Burt Bacharach, Ry Cooder, Jimmy Page |
Jackie DeShannon (born August 21, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter with a string of hit song credits from the 1960s onwards. She was one of the first female singer-songwriters of the rock 'n' roll period. DeShannon is currently an entertainment broadcast correspondent reporting historical anecdotes and current Beatles band members' news for Breakfast with the Beatles on Sirius XM Satellite Radio on the weekends.
DeShannon was born Sharon Lee Myers in Hazel, Kentucky, the daughter of musically inclined farming parents, Sandra Jean and James Erwin Myers. By age six, she was singing country tunes on a local radio show. By age 11, she was hosting her own radio program. When life on the farm became too difficult, the family moved to her mother's hometown, Aurora, Illinois, where her father resumed his other career as a barber.
After a year, they moved to nearby Batavia, Illinois, where she attended high school. In Batavia, the Myers family lived at 713 East Wilson Street. In May 1955, while in 8th grade, Sharon Lee Myers, then 13 years old, was featured in the local newspaper for her vocal talents and personal appearances at community gatherings, the local hospitals, and for assorted organizations. According to the Batavia Herald, she had her own Saturday morning radio show Breakfast Melodies on radio station WMRO. Further:
Though only 13, the youngster can boast almost 11 years of voice training and experience and in the past she has toured most of the south making personal appearances. Also she has sung on radio with a rhythm band for 2 years and has appeared on television 3 times.
In March 1956, "Sherry Lee Myers" made "another guest appearance on Pee Wee King's popular Country and Western Television Show" on Saturday evening, March 3, on Channel 2—the CBS network affiliate in Chicago, Illinois. According to the Batavia Herald:
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