Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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HOWARD, Jan

(b Lula Grace Johnson, 13 March 1929, West Plains MO; d 28 March 2020, Gellatin TN) Country singer. She was one of 11 children; her third marriage was to Harlan Howard, one of the most successful songwriters of the era, in 1957, and she sang on his demo records. When she heard 'I Fall To Pieces' she said, 'That's my song,' and he agreed. But then he gave it to Patsy Cline, who had her first no. 1 country hit with it. Jan later said she should have divorced him then, but the rocky marriage lasted until 1968. Her own hits (13 in country top 40 in the '60s) began with 'The One You Slip Around With' '60 on Challenge, 'Evil On Your Mind' and 'Bad Seed', both '66, 'My Son' '68, all on Decca. She toured and recorded with the Carter (Family) sisters '64, and there were big duet hits with Bill Anderson; she was a popular member of his touring and TV show late '60s/ early '70s; with Johnny Cash '73-7, Tammy Wynette '79-81. LPs included Rock Me Back To Little Rock, Count Your Blessings and Woman on Decca, Bad Seed on Coral '72, Sincerely '78 on GRT.

She knew all about heartache. She was raped by a family friend when she was 8, and kept it a secret until she published an autobiography, Sunshine And Shadow, in 1987. one of her sons was killed in Vietnam, and another took his own life.