One of the greatest rock and roll songwriters, Jackie De Shannon has a way of marrying a catchy pop melody with a fresh lyrical insight that is unparalleled. During that shift from Rockabilly into the British Invasion, Jackie (often with partner Sharon Sheeley), kept the pop charts humming - amassing an impressive discography for anyone - let alone little Sharon Lee Myers from Hazel, Kentucky, a pert blonde girl singer with a husky alto, who was being marketed as cheese cake. But Jackie had far too much grit and ambition to have her career begin and end as a Brenda Lee knock-off. She drove through the 60s racking up 2 top ten hits along the way.
When You Walk in the Room is an excellent example of that magical melding of a great hook with an original turn of phrase. Starting as a B-Side in 1963, it was re-released a year later as an A side, and included in her album BREAKIN’ IT UP ON THE BEATLES TOUR! That’s right … She opened for the fucking Beatles.
What with all this, It might seem odd to say, but I believe that Jackie was underrated. Of her two biggest hits as a vocalist, one (What the World Needs Now) was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and the other one (Put a Little Love in Your Heart) was a bit of treacle co-written with her brother and two other folks. Neither of these tunes exhibit the wit, the grit, the sexiness, or the spark of her own tunes.
One of the greatest rock and roll songwriters, Jackie De Shannon has a way of marrying a catchy pop melody with a fresh lyrical insight that is unparalleled. During that shift from Rockabilly into the British Invasion, Jackie (often with partner Sharon Sheeley), kept the pop charts humming - amassing an impressive discography for anyone - let alone little Sharon Lee Myers from Hazel, Kentucky, a pert blonde girl singer with a husky alto, who was being marketed as cheese cake. But Jackie had far too much grit and ambition to have her career begin and end as a Brenda Lee knock-off. She drove through the 60s racking up 2 top ten hits along the way.
When You Walk in the Room is an excellent example of that magical melding of a great hook with an original turn of phrase. Starting as a B-Side in 1963, it was re-released a year later as an A side, and included in her album BREAKIN’ IT UP ON THE BEATLES TOUR! That’s right … She opened for the fucking Beatles.
What with all this, It might seem odd to say, but I believe that Jackie was underrated. Of her two biggest hits as a vocalist, one (What the World Needs Now) was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and the other one (Put a Little Love in Your Heart) was a bit of treacle co-written with her brother and two other folks. Neither of these tunes exhibit the wit, the grit, the sexiness, or the spark of her own tunes.