What Is Jessi Colter's Net Worth?
Jessi Colter is an American country music artist who has a net worth of $5 million. Jessi Colter is best known for collaborating with her husband, Waylon Jennings, on the pop-country hit song "I'm Not Lisa" in 1975. Colter is one of the few female music artists who came out of the outlaw movement that her husband was a part of.
Early Life and Early Career
Mirriam Johnson, known professionally as Jessi Colter, was born on May 25, 1943, in Phoenix, Arizona. When Colter was 11 years old, she became the pianist at her church. After graduating from high school in 1961, she began singing in local clubs in Phoenix.
In 1961, Jessi married guitarist Duane Eddy. Colter became heavily influenced by Eddy and released two singles with the help of her new husband. Her stage name was Mirriam Eddy at that point. Unfortunately, both singles failed, causing Jessi to lose faith in her ability to have a successful music career. She did not record any music for nearly a decade. She spent her time touring with Eddy, following his lifestyle and playing music on the side until they divorced in 1968.
Later that year, Colter met country artist Waylon Jennings. He saw her potential and helped her secure a recording contract with RCA Victor. She married him soon after.
Music Career
In this new era of her career and love life, Mirriam Johnson adopted her new stage name: Jessi Colter. Colter resumed her recording career in 1970. Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter recorded many duets, two of which made it onto the Top 40 Country Chart hits. On March 25, 1970, Colter played the keyboard for Jennings during his appearance on "The Johnny Cash Show."
Also in 1970, Jessi released her debut album, "A Country Star is Born." Jennings and the notorious Chet Atkins co-produced her album. Unfortunately, the album did not reach market success.
In 1975, Colter signed with Capitol Records. On the label, she released her debut breakout single, "I'm Not Lisa." This song caused Jessi to rise to fame, reaching #1 on the "Billboard" Country Chart. It also hit #4 on the "Billboard" Pop Chart, making it a "crossover hit."
In 1975, Colter also released her second album, "I'm Jessi Colter." The new album reached #1 on the Cashbox Top Country Albums chart and #4 on the "Billboard" Country Albums Chart. The follow-up single from "I'm Jessi Colter," "What's Happened to Blue Eyes," was also very successful, reaching #5 on the "Billboard" Country Chart.
In 1976, Colter released her second and third Capitol studio albums, "Jessi" and "Diamond in the Rough." Both albums debuted at #4 on the Top Country Albums Chart.
At this point, Colter had established herself as a big-selling "albums artist." Her talents were now attributed to skills in soul-rock rather than basic "honky-tonk" country music. Until the 1980s, Jessi toured with her husband, Waylon Jennings.
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In 1981, Colter and Jennings released a duet album called "Leather and Lace." The album was certified Gold in sales by the RIAA. This was Colter's second RIAA-certified album to date. Stevie Nicks wrote the album's title track. As the decade progressed, Jessi took a break from putting out albums to help her husband through drug abuse issues and varying medical problems.
In 2006, Colter returned to recording with a new studio album named "Out of the Ashes." This was her first studio album in over 20 years. By this time, her husband, Waylon Jennings, had passed away. The album reflected on Jennings' death and featured unused vocals from Waylon on tracks such as "Out of the Rain."
Over a decade later, in 2017, Colter released "The Psalms," an album featuring her favorite passages from the Book of Psalms in song form. The album was produced by Lenny Kaye, who had been begging Colter to put out this album since the 1990s. He recalled an evening when he, Colter, Jennings, and Patti Smith had dinner together in 1995. At the dinner, Jessi sang passages from to Bible to her guests. Kaye was struck by the beauty of the passages and how Colter delivered the lyrics. It took two decades, but Jessi finally agreed.
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."
Her twelfth solo album, "Edge of Forever," was released on October 27, 2023. It was produced by Margo Price and mixed by Colter's son, Shooter.
Personal Life
Colter met her future husband, Duane Eddy, in Phoenix, Arizona. They married in 1961 in Las Vegas. Colter and Eddy have a daughter, Jennifer, who has a son named Will Harness. Will is also a musician and performs under the name Struggle Jennings. In 1968, Eddy and Colter divorced.
In 1968, Colter met Waylon Jennings, and they married on October 27, 1969. The couple had one son, Waylon Albright "Shooter" Jennings. Jennings and Colter were married until his death.
As of February 2023, Colter is married to Arlin Brower. She shared the news on social media in June 2023.
