Jessi Colter

Born on May 25, 1943, in Phoenix, Arizona, Mirriam Johnson, known professionally as Jessi Colter, is an American country singer. At age 11, Colter became the pianist at her church. After graduating high school, she began singing in local clubs. In 1961, still using her real name of Mirriam Johnson, she released two singles. In 1970, Johnson resumed her recording career, now billing herself as "Jessi Colter." That year, Waylon Jennings and Colter sang duet on two top 40 country chart hits. On March 25, 1970, she played keyboard for her husband during his appearance on "The Johnny Cash Show." Colter's debut album was "A Country Star is Born." In 1975, Colter signed with Capitol Records. In 1976, Colter released her second and third Capitol studio albums. In 1981, Colter and Waylon Jennings released a duet album. That same year, she released her final studio album on Capitol records. Colter released an album in 1984 on the Triad label. During the 1990s, she focused her attention on performing and released an album of children's music titled, "Jessi Colter Sings Just for Kids: Songs from Around the World." In 2000, Colter performed on Jennings's live album, "Never Say Die." In 2006, Colter returned to recording with a new studio album. In 2007, Colter recorded a duet version of her 1975 hit, "I'm Not Lisa," with Deana Carter. In 2017, Colter and Jan Howard provided guest vocals to a track on an album by Jeannie Seely. On April 11, 2017, Colter released a memoir titled, "An Outlaw and a Lady: A Memoir of Music, Life with Waylon, and the Faith That Brought Me Home." In 2023, Mirriam Johnson, better known as Jessi Colter, released her 12th solo album, "Edge of Forever."