Janie Frickie
| Janie Fricke | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Janie Marie Fricke |
| Born | December 19, 1947 |
| Origin | South Whitley, Indiana, U.S. |
| Genres | Country pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Labels |
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| Associated acts | |
| Website | Official website |
Janie Marie Fricke (born December 19, 1947) is an American country music singer, best remembered for a series of country music hits in the early to mid-1980s.
Fricke was one of the most popular female country singers of the 1980s, producing a string of hits and proving herself a versatile vocalist with a particular flair for ballads. She won the Country Music Association's "Female Vocalist of the Year" awards in 1982 and 1983. Fricke has sold 14 million records worldwide. She has an estimated net worth of $11 million.
Fricke was born in South Whitley, Indiana, in 1947 to parents Phyllis (née Kyler) and Waldemar Fricke. She learned piano and guitar as a child; her first vocal influences were folk artists such as Joan Baez and Judy Collins. Despite growing up in a musical family and spending much of her childhood singing at home, school, and church, her parents encouraged her to continue her formal education for a "respectable" career.
While studying for her bachelor's degree in elementary education at Indiana University, she was a member of the Singing Hoosiers. Responding to an audition call posted on the bulletin board at practice, she was thrilled to get a job singing commercial jingles and station breaks (one of her most notable commercial jingles was for the Red Lobster seafood restaurant chain, in which she sang their famous slogan, "Red Lobster for the seafood lover in you"). Her parents insisted she return to school to finish her degree, which she did, and then headed to California to pursue a career. Returning to Nashville, she signed with the Lea Jane Singers, which marked the beginning of her commercial success.
In 1975, Fricke moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where she became an in-demand background vocalist. She sang background for numerous other artists at the time; including Dolly Parton, Barbara Mandrell, Crystal Gayle, Ronnie Milsap, Lynn Anderson, Tanya Tucker, Conway Twitty, and Eddie Rabbitt. However, Fricke's work as background vocalist on several recordings by Johnny Duncan first brought her to national attention. After supplying uncredited background vocals for such Duncan hits as "Jo and the Cowboy," "Thinkin' of a Rendezvous," "It Couldn't Have Been Any Better," and "Stranger," Fricke was finally rewarded when she was given equal billing with Duncan on his cover of Jay and the Americans' "Come a Little Bit Closer," in which she sang the song's chorus. However, Fricke's contribution to Duncan's number-one hit "Stranger" in 1977 likely generated the most interest. In that song's chorus, Fricke sang the line, "Shut out the light and lead me....". Listeners wondered who the mystery lady was singing those words in Duncan's song. Because of this, Fricke was able to gain a recording contract of her own from Columbia Records, where she remained over 10 years, beginning in 1977.
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