Ace’s first volume of Jackie DeShannon’s Liberty and Imperial singles left her at the end of 1963. The same girl who performed a blistering set of folk and blues at LA’s Ash Grove venue had, a few weeks later, effortlessly climbed the Wall of Sound with Jack Nitzsche to produce one of the generation’s great pop records, ‘When You Walk In The Room’.
1964 saw Jackie composing more quality pop with new writing partner Randy Newman, then touring the States as specially requested support act to the Beatles hollering out ‘Shout’ to the screaming fans, and finishing the year in England exploring the boundaries of rock and folk with Jimmy Page.
1965 started gloriously with Jackie’s breathtaking recording of Bacharach and David’s homage to world peace ‘What The World Needs Now Is Love’. She co-starred with Bobby Vee in the teen movie C’mon Let’s Live A Little, laid down a riveting and still unreleased demo album of her own songs in the folk style, toured on the Caravan of Stars with the Drifters and Peter and Gordon, and took a break to study at the renowned Chouinard Art Institute.
In 1966 she recorded with the Byrds, released the sophisticated album “Are You Ready For This?” and signed a new recording and songwriting contract with Liberty.
This second volume of Jackie’s collected 45s leaves her at the start of 1967, when she laid down two ultra smooth and classy recordings of major film themes.
I’ve had the enormous pleasure of meeting Jackie a couple of times. Always excited, always enthusiastic, her conversation moves from spot-on analysis of the latest singers and bands, to recollections of every aspect of her life, to the thrill and tension of live performance.
Jackie DeShannon’s unwillingness to be typecast or pinned down to a single style has been the backbone of her splendid career and the reason why her loyal band of admirers – and all of those who have caught up with her over the years – find her performances, her songwriting and her recordings, a constant source of pleasure. Explore “Come And Get Me” at your leisure, you won’t be let down, you’ll smile with recognition and open your eyes wide at the unexpected, but most of all you’ll spend an hour and a bit with a young woman fully engaged in her career of making music of the highest quality.
By Peter Lerner
