A championship fiddler in the traditional bluegrass circuit, Jana Jae (nee Jana Margaret Meyer) found success in mainstream country music as a performer on the Hee Haw TV show, and later as member of the late-1970s edition of Buck Owens' band, The Buckaroos. Jae was born in Montana and grew up in the Rockies, later joining the Buckaroos and touring with the band. She briefly married Buck Owens, but they had a falling out and divorced, and he fired her from his band... In recent years she has concentrated on hosting fiddle camps for up and coming talent, having settled down in Tulsa, Oklahoma... Here's a quick look at her work...
Jana Jae "I Love Fiddlin' " (?)
Jana Jae "The Devil You Say" (Lark Records, 1979)
This album is a showcase for her considerable talents, with a mix of traditional and modern styles, including some trick tunes like the birdcall imitations of "Hot Canary" and the disco-fied "Orange Blossom Very Special," which was released as a single. The album is mostly all-instrumental, with a notable exception being "The Devil Went On to Tulsa," an answer song to Charlie Daniels' big hit of a few years earlier. Backing Jae on this album are the Nashville Superpickers all-star band, with pianist Hargus Robbins, steel players Lloyd Green and Buddy Emmons, and even a latter-day edition of the Harden Trio adding vocals.
Jana Jae "Live" (Lark, 1981)
Jana Jae "By Request" (Lark Records, 1981)
Jana Jae "Symphony Pops" (Lark Records, 1982)
A country-meets-classical outing recorded with the Tulsa Philharmonic Orchestra...
Jana Jae "Don't Rock The Bow" (Lark Records, 1999)
Jana Jae "Ashokan Farewell" (Lark Records, 2008)
