Jackie DeShannon

The extremely talented, prolific and versatile Jackie DeShannon was one of the first successful female singer/songwriters to hit the rock and pop music scene back in the '60s. DeShannon has done music in such diverse genres as folk, orchestral pop, gospel, country, and rock 'n' roll. Jackie was born Sharon Lee Myers on August 21, 1941, in Hazel, Kentucky to Sandra Jean and James Erwin Myers. Her father was a barber in Batavia, Illinois, where she attended high school for two years. By age six, DeShannon was singing country music on the radio and, at age eleven, she was hosting her own radio show. In 1957, Jackie recorded a rollicking tribute to her musical idol, Buddy Holly, called "Buddy." Jackie befriended rockabilly singer Eddie Cochran, who convinced her to move to California. DeShannon formed a songwriting partnership with Cochran's girlfriend, Sharon Sheeley; they wrote "Dum Dum" for Brenda Lee and "Breakaway" for Irma Thomas. The British rock group, The Searchers, scored big hit