Jessi Colter (born Mirriam Johnson) on May 25, 1943, in Phoenix, Arizona) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and pianist. She stands out as one of the few prominent female artists to emerge from and define the mid-1970s "outlaw country" movement, intentionally steering away from the formulaic Nashville sound toward an authentic, artist-driven style.

Early in her career, she wrote music professionally under the pseudonyms Mirriam Eddy (during her marriage to rockabilly guitar pioneer Duane Eddy) and Miriam Johnson. After marrying country music legend Waylon Jennings in 1969, she launched her formal career in the genre with her debut studio album, A Country Star Is Born, in 1970. Colter achieved massive solo crossover success after signing with Capitol Records in 1975, and she spent the rest of the decade cementing her status as a pioneer alongside her husband until his death in 2002. Together, they had a son, music producer and artist Shooter Jennings.

Career Statistics and Commercial Milestones

• "I'm Not Lisa" (1975): Colter’s absolute commercial peak as a solo songwriter and performer. The breakout hit conquered the charts, peaking at #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and crossing over to reach #4 on the mainstream Billboard Hot 100 pop chart. The single earned a 2x Platinum certification from the RIAA, representing over 2 million individual copies sold.
• I'm Jessi Colter (1975): Driven heavily by the success of her signature crossover hit, her sophomore studio album crossed the 1 million copies sold milestone, earning an official RIAA Gold certification.
• Jessi & Diamond in the Rough (1976): Capitalizing on her immense mid-70s momentum, both follow-up studio albums were highly successful, both breaking deep into the mainstream Billboard 200 and peaking at #4 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.

• Wanted! The Outlaws (1976): A collaborative landmark compilation alongside Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Tompall Glaser. The release made music history as the first country album to ever be certified Platinum by the RIAA. To date, it has sold over 2.1 million copies.
• "Suspicious Minds" (1976): Originally tracked as a duet with Jennings in 1970, this track was repackaged for the Outlaws album. Propelled by the outlaw movement, the single plummeted up the charts to peak at #2 on both the United States and Canadian Country charts, driving massive physical single sales.
• Leather and Lace (1981): A dedicated collaborative duet album recorded with her husband, Waylon Jennings. The record achieved an RIAA Gold certification and went on to sell over 550,000 copies.

• "I'm Not Lisa" (Single): Over 2,000,000 copies sold (2x Platinum)
• Wanted! The Outlaws (Album): Over 2,100,000 copies sold (Platinum)
• I'm Jessi Colter (Album): Over 1,000,000 copies sold (Gold)
• Leather and Lace (Album): Over 550,000 copies sold (Gold)