S7E365 - Rickie Lee Jones 'Debut' with Pamela McNeill
When Rickie Lee Jones burst onto the music scene in 1979, she was an immediate sensation. There was no one remotely like her. When week's guest - Minneapolis singer/songwriter Pamela McNeill - picked up Jones' debut on cassette at a truck stop, she...
When Rickie Lee Jones burst onto the music scene in 1979, she was an immediate sensation. There was no one remotely like her. When week's guest - Minneapolis singer/songwriter Pamela McNeill - picked up Jones' debut on cassette at a truck stop, she was looking for some cool female-fronted music to pop into her Walkman for the long drives to gigs sitting shotgun. She got that, and more. Welcome to Coolsville...
Songs discussed in this episode: Only Love Can Break Your Heart - Rickie Lee Jones; The Ocean, Give Back My Love - Pamela McNeill; Chuck E's In Love - Rickie Lee Jones; Jitterbug Boy - Tom Waits; 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon; Saturday Afternoons In 1963, Night Train, Young Blood, Easy Money - Rickie Lee Jones; Such A Night - Dr. John; The Last Chance Texaco, It Must Be Love, Danny's All-Star Joint, Coolsville - Rickie Lee Jones; When I'm Alone - Lissie; Dixie Chicken - Little Feat; Weasel and the White Boys Cool, Company, After Hours (Twelve Bars Past Midnight) - Rickie Lee Jones; Marie - Randy Newman; The Ocean - Pamela McNeill
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Pamela McNeill
Singer/Songwriter/Musician
Pamela McNeill knew from an early age that music would be her life. She joined her first rock band at 16 and learned quickly how to connect with her audience. A native of Winona, Minnesota, Pamela now resides in Minneapolis. Her career has taken her all over the world including four years in the UK as a backing singer for Rick Astley, performing with him at Royal Albert Hall and The London Palladium for the Royal Family and appearing on many television shows such as BBC’s “Top of the Pops”. As a prolific songwriter, she wrote her first song at 15 and has written for and with a wide range of other artists, including Wynonna Judd, Jim Peterik (“Eye of the Tiger”), and Instrumental icon Yanni, co-writing his first “lyric” song “Love is All” from the double platinum selling album “Tribute”. She has also co-written tracks with fellow songwriters such as Pam Tillis and Bobby E. Boyd. Pamela began releasing original albums in 1999. She has performed “in the round” at the legendary Bluebird Café in Nashville, TN twice and has headlined theaters and festivals across the country in support of her music opening for artists including Etta James, Little River Band, Atlanta Rhythm Section and BTO, to name a few. Her new EP "Wave After Wave," is her eighth studio album and was released on Farm to Label Record on color vinyl and digitally in July 2024. In April of 2024, she was honored to be inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame, joining the likes of Prince, Bob Dylan, Judy Garland, Soul Asylum, and The Replacements to name a few.