FULL BIO

THE FAMILY MADE THEIR HOME IN CALIFORNIA UNTIL EARLY 1942 WHEN THE PARENTS, WHO WERE FROM NEW ENGLAND, PUT THE FAMILY INTO A 1935 FORD, ALONG WITH ALL THEY OWNED, AND DROVE TO CHELSEA, MAINE, WHERE THEY LIVED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS.

THE FAMILY SETTLED IN NORTH WHITEFIELD, MAINE WHERE THEY REMAINED UNTIL NEW YEARS EVE, 1945. THE FAMILY WAS AGAIN PACKED INTO AN AUTOMOBILE, AND RETURNED TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.

BEFORE MOVING TO MAINE IN 1942, THE LISTER QUARTET STARTED SINGING AT LOCAL CHURCHES. THEY WERE FOUR CHILDREN SINGING HARMONY, AND WERE IN GREAT DEMAND. THE AGES OF THE QUARTET RANGED FROM 14 TO 11 AT THAT TIME.

WHILE IN MAINE THE QUARTET SANG IN MANY CHURCHES, BUT THE COUNTRY MUSIC BUG HAD BITTEN THE GROUP, AND THEY STARTED LISTENING TO THE EARLY COWBOY-COUNTRY SHOWS.

IT WAS ON THESE SHOWS THAT JANET REMEMBERS HEARING THE YODELING SONGS AND SOUNDS THAT WERE TO CHANGE HER LIFE FOREVER. JANET WAS THE ONE OF THE GROUP WHO WAS OBSESSED WITH YODELING. SHE LEARNED ALL OF THE SONGS THAT HAD A YODEL IN THEM, AND HAD THE QUARTET YODELING ALONG IN HARMONY WITH HER.

THEY WERE PRETTY GOOD. JANET TOOK HER YODELING TO A HIGHER LEVEL THAN THE REST, BUT THEY ALL YODELED REALLY GOOD.

WHILE IN MAINE THE QUARTET SANG ON THE WRDO RADIO STATION, IN AUGUSTA, ON A SHOW CALLED "MEET THE MIKE," WHICH WAS OPEN TO  AMATEURS.

AFTER THE TRIP BACK TO CALIFORNIA, THE QUARTET STILL SANG WHEN ANY OPPORTUNITY AROSE, BUT THEY WERE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN.

JANET REMEMBERS SINGING AT SCHOOL WHEN SHE WAS IN THE EIGHTH GRADE. THEY CALLED HER "THE LITTLE GIRL WITH THE BIG VOICE" AND PROMPTLY REMOVED THE MIC FROM THE STAGE. THERE WAS A SNICKER FROM THE AUDIENCE, BUT JANET STOOD ALONE AND SANG "THE STREETS OF LAREDO."  IT WAS AN EXPERIENCE SHE NEVER HAS FORGOTTEN.

IT KIND OF GAVE HER A LITTLE MORE AMBITION TO OVERCOME THE SNICKERS. SHE PRACTICED HER YODELING EVERY DAY, MUCH TO THE DISCOMFORT OF THE PEOPLE LIVING NEXT DOOR TO HER IN THE TRAILER COURT.

THE FAMILY LIVED IN THEIR 18 FOOT TRAILER FROM 1946 UNTIL 1953. THEY WERE ABLE TO MOVE INTO A LARGER TRAILER WHERE JANET WAS LIVING WITH HER MOTHER AT THE TIME SHE MET AND MARRIED.

THE QUARTET HAD BECOME A TRIO BY THIS TIME, AND AFTER 1953 THE SINGING WAS MOSTLY DANNY AND JANET AS A DUET. AFTER JOAN MARRIED AND STOPPED SINGING, JANET AND DAN SANG IN THE HARBOR CITY AREA OF SO. CALIFORNIA, BUT SOON IT WAS JUST JANET.

JANET MET AND MARRIED A YOUNG SAILOR FROM LAKE VILLAGE, ARKANSAS, NAMED CLAUDE MCBRIDE, WHO THOUGHT SHE WAS AS GOOD AS KITTY WELLS. AFTER HIS DISCHARGE FROM THE NAVY, HE STARTED LOOKING FOR PLACES FOR JANET TO SING. THERE WERE SOME LOCAL CLUBS, WHERE JANET WAS THE FEATURED SINGER WITH THE HARBOR PLAYBOYS BAND, BUT CLAUDE HAD BIGGER PLANS THAN THAT.

CLAUDE MET JOHNNY AND JOANIE MOSBY WHO WERE PRETTY WELL KNOWN IN THE SO. CALIFORNIA AREA, AND TALKED THEM INTO GETTING JANET UP TO SING A SONG ONE FRIDAY NIGHT. JOHNNY INVITED JANET TO BE HIS "GIRL SINGER" AT A DANCE HE WAS STARTING IN EL MONTE, BUT THAT DIDN'T LAST LONG.

CLAUDE KEPT LOOKING FOR PLACES FOR JANET TO SING, AND TALKED WYNN STEWART INTO LETTING HER SING ON HIS BANDSTAND AT 'GEORGE'S ROUNDUP,' WHICH WAS ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL NIGHT SPOTS IN SOUTHERN CALIF.

WYNN WAS VERY IMPRESSED WITH JANET'S SINGING, AND ALONG WITH CLAUDE, PLANNED A RECORDING SESSION USING HIS BAND. WYNN'S BAND INCLUDED THE GREAT STEEL PLAYER RALPH MOONEY, AND WHEN THE SESSION TOOK PLACE, RALPH KICKED OFF THE FIRST SONG AND JANET WAS HOOKED.

RALPH MOONEY IS NOW, AND WAS THEN, THE GREATEST STEEL GUITAR PLAYER EVER. WITH THE MASTERS OF THAT SESSION IN HAND, CLAUDE AND JANET DROPPED THE KIDS OFF IN LOUISIANA, WITH HIS MOM, AND HEADED FOR NASHVILLE.

THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE READY NOW. THEY WERE ABLE TO GET INTO CEDARWOOD PUBLISHING, AND THE MASTERS WERE LISTENED TO BY WEBB PIERCE. BUT NOTHING HAPPENED THERE.

THE MOST INTERESTING INCIDENT OF THAT TRIP WAS AN AUDIENCE WITH CHET ATKINS. CLAUDE HAD WRITTEN LETTERS TO NASHVILLE MAKING THEM AWARE THAT THEY WOULD BE IN THE AREA, AND CHET HAD WRITTEN A LETTER STATING THAT "WHEN YOU ARE IN THE AREA COME ON BY, I WILL LISTEN TO YOUR SONGS."

CHET ATKINS IS A MAN OF HIS WORD. HIS SECRETARY TOOK THE LETTER IN TO CHET, AND HE CAME OUT, SHOOK CLAUDE'S HAND AND USHERED HIM INTO THE OFFICE. CHET PERSONALLY TOLD JANET HE LIKED THE SONGS AND TAPE, BUT WASN'T LOOKING FOR A GIRL SINGER AT THE TIME.

THEY HAD ARRIVED IN NASHVILLE ABOUT 3AM, AND SLEPT SEVERAL HOURS IN THE CAR, SO IT WAS EASY TO START HOME AFTER SUCH A DISAPPOINTING DAY. THERE WERE MORE TRIPS TO NASHVILLE, BUT NONE LEFT THEM MORE READY TO QUIT THAN THAT ONE DID.

CLAUDE TOOK THE MASTERS TO JACK MORRIS, A LOCAL DJ WHOSE LOCAL "TOPPA" LABEL WAS GETTING AIR PLAY. THE MASTERS WERE SOON ON TOPPA, AND FIVE RECORDINGS FOLLOWED. THINGS WERE PICKING UP.

JANET WAS SINGING AT LOCAL CLUBS, AND ALSO MAKING APPEARANCES ON THE "CAL WORTHINGTON TV SHOWS," WHERE SHE WAS A FEATURED SINGER UNTIL 1965, WHEN SHE MOVED TO DALLAS, TEXAS. JANET DID ALL OF THIS WHILE STILL WORKING AT NORTHROP AIRCRAFT COMPANY.

JANET'S JOB OF 13 YEARS WASN'T EASY TO GIVE UP, BUT AFTER FIVE TOPPA RECORDS, ONE GALAHAD RECORD, TWO SIMS RECORDS OUT OF NASHVILLE, SEVERAL BROOKHURST RELEASES, AND ONE LONGHORN RECORD, JANET WAS READY TO TRY THE MUSIC BUSINESS FULL TIME.

JANET WON MANY AWARDS WHILE IN SO. CALIFORNIA. SHE WON "FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR" AWARDS, IN 1963 AND 1964, IN WHAT IS NOW KNOWN AS THE "ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC."

THE ORIGINAL AWARDS WERE FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TALENT. WHAT STARTED OUT TO BE A LOCAL EVENT WAS TURNED INTO A NATIONAL EVENT IN 1963 WHEN THE ACADEMY WAS FORMED.

FOR THE FIRST TWO YEARS, THE AWARDS WERE HANDED OUT AT THE RED BARREL NIGHT CLUB, AND SOME OF THE FIRST TO BE HONORED WERE GLEN CAMPBELL, PHIL BAUGH, AND VERN STOVALL.

THE NEXT TIME YOU WATCH THE MOVIE "HUD," LISTEN FOR JANET AND SKEETS MCDONALD SINGING "DRIFTWOOD ON THE RIVER," AND OTHER SONGS, EVERY TIME YOU HEAR MUSIC. WATCH FOR THE SCENES IN THE TOWN CAFE. PAY ATTENTION TO THE JUKEBOX. JANET DIDN'T REALIZE AT THE TIME JUST HOW BIG THAT MOVIE WOULD BE.

THE MOVE TO DALLAS WAS TO INCLUDE CURTIS LEACH, VERN STOVALL, PHIL BAUGH AND JANET AND FAMILY. THE PLAN WAS FOR THEM TO ALL TOUR THE COUNTRY AS "THE LONGHORN RECORDS SHOW." AT THAT TIME PHIL BAUGH AND VERN STOVALL HAD A TOP TEN RECORD OF "COUNTRY GUITAR," AND CURTIS LEACH WAS MAKING NOISE WITH HIS GREAT RECITATIONS.

EVERYONE HAD CURRENT RELEASES ON LONGHORN, AND DEWEY GROOM WAS PROMOTING THEM NATIONALLY. THINGS WERE LOOKING UP WITH BOOKINGS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. JANET WAS TO BE EMPLOYED BY DEWEY GROOM AT THE RECORD COMPANY WHEN NOT ON THE ROAD, AND EVERYONE ELSE WOULD BE EMPLOYED BY DEWEY AT THE LONGHORN BALLROOM.

THE FIRST THING THAT DIDN'T WORK OUT WAS PHIL BAUGH. HE DIDN'T MOVE TO TEXAS AS PLANNED. CURTIS LEACH WAS KILLED ABOUT SIX WEEKS AFTER WE ARRIVED IN DALLAS, AND VERN STOVALL SHOT HIMSELF IN THE LEG WHILE PRACTICING HIS QUICK-DRAW. IT WAS AN ALL-TIME LOW.

THERE WERE BOOKINGS LINED UP, SO A BAND WAS HIRED. VERN CRAWLED INTO THE STATION WAGON, BULLET AND ALL, AND THEY STARTED OUT ON THEIR FIRST LONG TOUR.

THEY PLAYED A WEEK IN SILVER CITY, NEW MEXICO, AND THEN TOOK OFF TO MEET JIMMY DICKENS IN TUCSON FOR A BIG NEW YEARS EVE BASH. EVIDENTLY, NO ONE KNEW THEY WERE COMING BECAUSE NO ONE WAS THERE. THIS WAS A NIGHTCLUB WITHOUT ENOUGH PEOPLE THERE TO NOTICE.

NOT A SOUL WAS PAID THAT NIGHT, BUT THEY PACKED LITTLE JIMMY IN THE BACK OF THAT STATION WAGON, AND OFF THEY TOOK FOR PHOENIX, AND A BIG NEW YEARS DAY GRAND OLE OPRY SHOW. THAT WAS A SUCCESS, AND LITTLE JIMMY WAS A TREAT TO MEET.

THERE WERE MANY FUN GIGS WHILE WITH LONGHORN. THERE WAS A WEEK IN LAS VEGAS AT THE GOLDEN NUGGET WITH THE COMPTON BROTHERS, THE FLAME IN MINNEAPOLIS, AND THE NIGHT CLUB THAT WAS IN THE EDISON HOTEL IN TORONTO. THERE WERE TOURS OF THE MIDWEST WITH THE GRAND OLD OPRY TALENT, AND SEVERAL SHOWS IN TEXAS, WITH SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES OF THE DAY.

ALL OF THIS WAS IN 1965·66. THE NASHVILLE SESSIONS WERE RECORDED IN 1966 AND 67, WITH SOME OF THE BEST MUSICIANS OF THE DAY. THESE TAPES WERE RELEASED ON LONGHORN AND METROMEDIA.

THERE WAS A SHORT MOVE TO NASHVILE IN LATE 1969, BUT THINGS WERE NOT GOING WELL, SO JANET AND CLAUDE RETURNED TO THE DALLAS AREA. THERE THEY BOUGHT A HOUSE, AND JANET QUIT THE BUSINESS.

AFTER NINE MONTHS SCHOOLING, JANET BECAME A LICENSED BEAUTICIAN AND WORKED AT THE PROFESSION ABOUT A YEAR. CLAUDE MCBRIDE SUFFERED A MASSIVE HEART ATTACK IN FEBRUARY, 1973, AND JANET QUIT BEAUTY WORK.

IN 1976, AFTER A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT DAY JOBS, AND A FEW SINGING JOBS, JANET WAS INTRODUCED TO JOHN INGRAM, AND AFTER A SHORT COURTSHIP, THEY WERE MARRIED.

JOHN WAS A DEPUTY FOR THE DALLAS COUNTY SHERIFF, AND AFTER THREE YEARS OF MARRIAGE, SO WAS JANET. JOHN IS RETIRED NOW, BUT JANET IS ON HER 17TH YEAR AS A DEPUTY AND HOPES TO RETIRE IN APRIL 1997.*

IN 1979, JOHN TALKED JANET INTO SINGING AGAIN BY TRYING THE TEXAS OPRY SHOWS. THERE WOULD BE NO DRINKING OR SMOKING, AND IT SOUNDED PERFECT FOR WHAT THEY WANTED TO DO.

JANET TRIED OUT AT THE GRAPEVINE OPRY, AND WAS ADDED TO THE SHOW IN JUNE, 1979. IN 1981, JOHN AND JANET BECAME PART OWNERS OF THE NEW MESQUITE OPRY SHOW, AND BY 1982 HAD TOTAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT.

JANET STARTED RECORDING AGAIN 1N 1981, AND DUE TO THAT FIRST RECORD BEING MAILED TO DJ's, SHE WAS CONTACTED BY CATTLE RECORDS IN GERMANY.

THE DEAL WAS MADE FOR ALL OF JANET'S OLD MASTERS TO BE RELEASED WORLD WIDE ON BINGE RECORDS, AND TWO NEW ALL YODELING ALBUMS WOULD BE RELEASED ON CATTLE RECORDS. JANET ALSO STARTED WRITING SONGS AGAIN, AND HAS RELEASED EIGHT CASSETTES ON BROOKHURST RECORDS, WHICH IS HER OWN LABEL.

JANET ALWAYS WANTED TO HAVE THE TITLE OF THE "WORLD'S CHAMPION YODELER," AND THAT FINALLY HAPPENED IN 1991, AT THE WESTERN MUSIC FESTIVAL IN TUCSON, ARIZONA.

THE DALLAS-FT. WORTH METROPLEX COUNTRY MUSIC ASSN. HAS AWARDED JANET THE "MC OF THE YEAR AWARD" THREE TIMES. THEY GAVE HER THE "HALL OF FAME" AND A "SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT" AWARD FOR THE HELP SHE, AND HUSBAND JOHN, GAVE THE YOUNG TALENT WHO APPEARED ON THE MESQUITE OPRY SHOW OVER THE FOURTEEN-AND-A-HALF YEARS THEY WERE IN BUSINESS.

JANET WAS A FEATURED YODELER AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MESQUITE RODEO FOR THREE YEARS, WHERE SHE ENTERTAINED THE AUDIENCE AS THEY WERE WAITING FOR THE GRAND ENTRY.

JANET HAS SPENT MANY HOURS ENTERTAINING THE OLD FOLKS AT THE REST HOMES IN MESQUITE AND DALLAS. MANY CHURCHES IN THE NORTH TEXAS AREA HAVE HEARD THE GOSPEL SONGS OF JANET MCBRIDE. JANET SINGS EVERY SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE "COUNTRY CHURCH" IN MESQUITE.*

MANY YOUNG ARTISTS OWE THEIR CAREERS TO JANET AND JOHN, AND THE MESQUITE OPRY SHOW. THERE WAS NO LOCAL SHOW MORE FUN TO BE ON THAN THE MESQUITE OPRY SHOW. NO ONE ENJOYED IT MORE THAN JANET DID.

JANET DID NOT RETIRE FROM SINGING WHEN THE MESQUITE OPRY SHOW CLOSED ITS DOORS ON DEC. 30, 1995. THERE ARE MANY SHOWS LINED UP FOR 1996,* INCLUDING THE EVER POPULAR COUNTRY MUSIC OPRY SHOWS IN NORTH TEXAS.

ON JULY 5^TH, JANET WILL TRAVEL TO THE HOUSTON AREA FOR TAPING OF SEVERAL SHOWS THAT WILL BE SHOWN IN EUROPE UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF THE EUROPEAN COUNTRY MUSIC ASSN. JANET'S FIRST EUROPEAN TOUR WILL START ON JULY 30, AND END ON AUG. 13, WHEN SHE AND JOHN WILL FLY HOME TO TEXAS.*

AT THIS TIME THERE ARE PLANS FOR JANET'S FIRST APPEARANCE AT LUBBOCK'S 8TH ANNUAL NATIONAL COWBOY SYMPOSIUM AND CELEBRATION. SHE IS ALSO SCHEDULED TO APPEAR IN NOVEMBER AT THE WESTERN MUSIC ASSN. FESTIVAL IN TUCSON, ARIZONA, WHERE JANET HAS BEEN ONE OF THE FEATURED PERFORMERS SINCE 1991.*

UPDATED NOVEMBER 1996.

JANET'S TRIP TO THE NATIONAL COWBOY SYMPOSIUM CELEBRATION WAS SUCCESSFUL AND EXCITING FOR JANET. FROM THAT SHOW, SHE WAS ASKED TO PERFORM AT THE TEXAS STATE FAIR POETRY GATHERING, TRAVELED TO GENE AUTRY OKLAHOMA TO MEET WITH OLD FRIEND JOHNNY WESTERN, AND DID A SHOW WITH THE COWBOY POETRY GROUP AT THE TEXAS STATE FAIR.

THE WMA, IN TUCSON, WAS A SPECIAL TIME FOR JANET, WHO WAS FEATURED EACH DAY WITH A 30-MINUTE SHOWCASE, AND ALSO ON SUNDAY SHE WAS ASKED TO SING AT THE COWBOY CHURCH SERVICE.

THE MESQUITE OPRY HAS RE-OPENED UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP, AND JANET HAS BEEN ASKED TO BE A REGULAR PERFORMER ON THE SATURDAY NIGHTS THAT SHE IS IN THE DALLAS AREA.*

THERE ARE SHOWS NOW LINED UP FOR 1997 IN SAN DIEGO, WYOMING AND NOVA SCOTIA. JANET WILL RETIRE FROM THE DALLAS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE IN APRIL AFTER 17 YEARS OF ACTIVE DUTY.

JANET'S SINGING CAREER WILL NOT STOP ON APRIL 3O, JUST HER "DAY" JOB. LOOK FOR JANET IN ANY PART OF THE WORLD WHERE THEY ASK HER TO PERFORM.

LE ANN RIMES GIVES JANET CREDIT FOR TEACHING HER TO YODEL, AND FORMER "PIONEER" DAVID BRADLEY WILL TELL YOU IN A MINUTE WHERE HE GOT HIS EARLY STAGE EXPERIENCE.

THERE ARE SO MANY MESQUITE OPRY GRADUATES IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS TODAY. MANY ARE IN BRANSON AND NASHVILLE, AND ALL ARE QUICK TO GIVE A BIG "THANK YOU" TO JANET AND JOHN FOR THEIR HELP OVER THE YEARS.

This biography was written by Janet McBride herself, and we are forever grateful for such labor of love.