Outlaw Country - Female Outlaws

Female Outlaws

Although Outlaw country was mainly the domain of men, there were some women that pursued musical careers in Country Music that considered themselves "Outlaws" as well. There are really only four women that became major outlaw stars in country music: Tanya Tucker, Jessi Colter, Sammi Smith & Emmylou Harris.

Jessi Colter was the wife of the Outlaw pioneer Waylon Jennings. She married Jennings in 1968. In the mid-70s, she pursued a solo career, and immediately achieved Outlaw status after she scored a #1 country hit, that also reached #4 on the pop charts, titled "I'm Not Lisa", which was penned by Colter herself. Her 1975 album I'm Jessi Colter showed more of Colter's Outlaw side showing Colter in a saloon-like setting, resting her arm on a piano. Colter officially gained full-on Outlaw status when she was featured on the compilation album, along with her husband, called Wanted! The Outlaws. The album was a huge commercial and critical success and won many awards.

Another woman who achieved the Outlaw success of her male counterparts was Sammi Smith, a singer from California. Smith was unafraid to sing songs that were considered too "risky" or spoke of the realities of the modern life. Her voice was husky from singing in smoky bars before she achieved fame. Smith made it big in 1971, when she recorded Kris Kristofferson's song "Help Me Make It Through the Night." The song brought Smith to the #1 spot on the country charts, and even made her a crossover star, at #8 on the pop charts. The song won her a Grammy award in 1972 for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. She officially became an Outlaw when she moved down to Texas and became fast friends with Willie Nelson. She regularly attended his Fourth of July picnics every year.