Janie Fricke reached the country and western music scene in the 1970s and was very well known and extremely popular, especially in the 1980s. Now at age 73, she continues to carry her torch of singing and share her musical talent with people across the country.
Janie says defiantly, “I am certainly not retired. I still tour and enjoy sharing my music wherever the road takes me. “
Grew up in Indiana, her schooling and her first years of singing
That Janie Fricke should become a singer was probably inevitable, but she took a somewhat unusual route to get there. Although she grew up in a musical family and sang much of her childhood at home, at school and in a “little church nearby,” it never occurred to Janie that music could be a profession. She remained musically active during her bachelor’s degree in elementary education at Indiana University. However, it remained more of a hobby and not a serious career choice at the time. It wasn’t until she started making extra money singing commercial jingles that she realized that music could actually make her a living.
This naturally gifted singer was born Jane Marie Fricke in South Whitley, Indiana, on December 19, 1947, to a guitar-playing father and mother who taught piano and organ in her local church. Growing up on her family’s 400 acre farm in northern Indiana, she was surrounded by music from almost birth. At a young age she learned the guitar from her father and the piano from her mother. When she was 10 years old, Janie sang regularly in church and school.
Janie recalls, “Music has been in our family since I was a little girl, so I’ve enjoyed music and the arts of making music since I was seven or eight. I didn’t think I would make a career out of it. ”. I just enjoyed it and it was fun. It didn’t even occur to me that it could become a career for me down the line. “
Although she grew up in rural Indiana and later rose to her greatest fame as a country singer, Janie showed little interest in country music as a child. She says, “My family always encouraged me to sing all the pop songs of the time, so we bought sheet music and I sang Dusty Springfield and Rita Coolidge – anything that was a strong pop song at the time wasn’t your average country singer going on grew up on the farm singing only country music. Musically, I was technically trained to read notes and play the piano. “
After graduating from high school, Fricke went to Indiana University in Bloomington to do her bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She had long had a career as an elementary school teacher in her sights. Given her musical childhood, it wasn’t particularly surprising that she hooked up with the school’s famous Singing Hoosiers, a choral ensemble that toured the United States and abroad. But music remained just a pleasant way of spending some free time for Janie. It wasn’t until she started making money singing commercials that she began to see music in a whole new light. Realizing that her music could actually make a living, she was so excited by the opportunity that she was seriously tempted to quit college and devote all of her time to singing jingles.
However, her mother insisted that she continue her studies in Indiana, so Janie put her dreams on hold while she finished her bachelor’s degree. She managed to stay musically active throughout the rest of her college career by “singing in small clubs and singing for every event I could because I loved to sing …” recalls Janie. In fact, Janie says, “I dropped out of college twice – all in the name of music. So it took me six years to complete my studies. Music came and saved me, so I never really had to take up my degree, but I’m so happy that I took my mother’s advice and completed my college education. “
Janie becomes a studio singer
After her college years ended in 1972, Janie also developed an interest in studio work and some of the behind-the-scenes elements to consider when recording. She traveled to Los Angeles, California to see if she could make a living as a studio singer. Having a hard time getting into the West Coast business, she didn’t stay long. In 1975 she moved to Memphis, Tennessee for the first time, where she appeared for advertising agents and their various products that they were pedaling. She had some good success there, but then moved on to Nashville, Tennessee, where she joined the Lea Jane Singers, a group specializing in background singing. The group often recorded up to three sessions a day, five days a week. During several years of studio work, both with the group and solo, she sang background on hundreds of albums. She continued to work as a jingle singer, recording commercials for corporate giants such as United Airlines, Coca-Cola, 7-Up and Red Lobster. She also worked as a studio singer in Dallas, Texas for some time.
After a few years in Nashville, however, Fricke became one of the city’s most sought-after studio singers, providing background vocals for stars like Elvis Presley (on his last album), Crystal Gayle, Ronnie Milsap, Conway Twitty, Tanya Tucker, Al Green, Eddie Rabbit and Barbara Mandrell .
Some of the better-known singles she sang in the background include Presley’s “My Way,” Conway Twitty’s “I’d Love to Lay You Down,” Crystal Gayle’s “I’ll Get Over You,” and Tanya Tucker’s “Here’s Some Love.” . “
However, it was her work as a backing vocalist on several recordings of Johnny Duncan that first brought Janie nationwide. After providing uncredited backing vocals for Duncan hits like “Jo and the Cowboy”, “Thinkin ‘of a Rendezvous”, “It Couldn’t Have Been Any Better” and “Stranger”, she was finally rewarded when she got the same Settling in with Duncan on a single called “Come a Little Bit Closer”. It was probably her contribution to Duncan’s number one hit “Stranger” in 1977 that aroused the most interest. In this song Janie sang the line “Shut out the light and lead me ….” Thousands of listeners wanted to know the identity of the “mystery singer”.
Janie recalls how she got around to singing the line that should put her in the spotlight: Janie says, “I was a backing vocalist in the studio back then, and during one session they needed a girl to sing a few lines “Well, I happened to get the job of singing the line on this record. Again, fate set it up for me.”
A solo career of his own
The country music industry finally took notice when Janie’s voice was heard in duets with notable artists such as Merle Haggard and Moe Bandy, which led her to her first major recording deal. It wasn’t long before she had recorded duets with some of the other top country music singers, including Charlie Rich, George Jones, Ray Charles and Larry Gatlin, and The Gatlin Brothers. According to Janie Fricke’s website, Fricke soon dominated the country charts with smash hits like Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me Baby, He’s a Heartache, and You’re Heart’s Not In It. It was only a matter of time before she started making awards wins like: Country Music Association Singer of the Year (for 1982 and 1983), Music City News Singer of the Year, Billboard Top Country Female Vocalist, Cash Bed ‘Top Country Female Vocalist, Academy of Country Music Female Vocalist of the Year, Country Music Round Up Most Popular International Female Solo Act from Great Britain, and she was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame Walkway of Stars. She was nominated twice for the coveted Grammy Award (once for her It ain’t Easy Being Easy). In her recording career, Janie has released 23 albums and 36 hit singles – and she has had 18 # 1 hit singles in her lifetime.
Janie admits, “One of her greatest honors for me was being able to sing for four different presidents: # 38 – Gerald Ford; # 40 – Ronald Reagan; # 41 George HW Bush; and # 43 – George W. Bush. “
Personal information about their private life
When she has time to relax, she loves spending time at home with husband Jeff Steele and their animals. She has lived on a small ranch in southern Dallas County for 40 years. You and Jeff have been married for 26 years. She often attends church near her home as she has recognized her Christian roots since childhood in Indiana. Grateful for her many blessings, Janie feels that these values have helped her become the woman she is today. From an Indiana farm girl to an internationally recognized artist, she has never lost the pure heart and love for music that began her career so many years ago. And today Janie Fricke still loves music and enjoys traveling around the country to share her craft.
Some of their upcoming concerts are listed as: Hiawassee, Georgia on September 4th; New Braunfels, Texas September 17; Mountain Home, Texas September 18; Centerville, Texas September 25th (private event); and Huntsville, Alabama on October 12th.
Janie says, “I’m really looking forward to a major private event that I’ll be headlining at the American History Museum in New York City in December. It should be great fun and what a wonderful time to be in NYC on vacation. “
Some of Janie’s favorite pastimes are working with different fabrics and trimmings, and she loves designing home accessories as well as womenswear. For more information on some of her homemade goods that she sells to the public, see women’s fashion items such as handbags, ponchos / long scarves, and long dusters. She also makes home accessories such as pillows, decorative throws, table runners and also sells all kinds of fabrics. Just find them on her website: www.janiefricke.com and search for the “collections” category on the bottom page. On the same website, you can also (1) find their music available for purchase; (2) find their tour schedule; (3) review key dates and facts about Janie in her “About” section; Enjoy special news and photo categories; and do not hesitate to contact them through the website.
Janie confides: “I’ve really enjoyed my singing career. It was a wonderful experience and it was very worth it, but the hardest part is the sacrifices that had to be made along the way. “
Her last CD release was last September, a 2020 Christmas collection of songs entitled “A Cowgirl Country Christmas”. She also recommends her August 2019 release entitled “Janie Fricke’s It Ain’t Easy – The Complete Hits” – a collection of 40 award-winning songs, including several memorable duets.
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