About Jan Howard

Jan Howard, actually named Lula Grace Johnson, is an American author, singer, and songwriter.

Born on March 13, 1929, Jan Howard became one of the greatest country singers to ever come out of America. Charting over 30 singles on the Billboard Country Songs Chart, Jan Howard has shown to the world over and over her raw talent and her dedication to singing and songwriting in general.

Not just that, but Jan Howard was also a Grand Ole Opry member. Her hit singles and incredible reputation gained her nomination for several major awards, and she even won some of them. Apart from being a very successful and talented singer and songwriter, Jan Howard is also an author and has published many well-known poems and an autobiography.

After her death in 2020, Dan Rogers, vice president of The Grand Ole Opry, stated that the present generation is better for having Jan Howard. Her song 'Evil On Your Mind' featured at number five on the Billboard Country Charts and marked the highlight of her music industry career.

She was married several times in her life, with the names of her husbands being Mearle Wood, Lowell 'Smitty' Smith, Harlan Howard, and Maurice Acree Jr. She teamed with Bill Anderson for his popular syndicated TV show.

Jan Howard Net Worth, Earnings & Spending Habits

What was Jan Howard’s net worth?

Jan Howard has a net worth of $19 million despite passing away in 2020.

How much did Jan Howard earn per year?

Unfortunately, there is no record of how much Jan Howard earned every year.

Height, Age & Physical Attributes

How tall was Jan Howard?

Jan Howard was around 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) tall during her prime years.

How old was Jan Howard?

Jan Howard was 91 years old when she passed away in Gallatin in Tennessee, on March 28, 2020.

Childhood And Education

Born in West Plains, Missouri, to parents Linnie and Rolla Johnson, Jan Howard's birth name was Lula Grace Johnson. Out of the 11 kids her parents had, she was the eighth. Her father was a brick mason, and their family struggled to make ends meet during the Great Depression. As her father found better work and housing, the family moved around a lot during Howard's childhood. They usually lived in the nearby towns of Oklahoma City, Birch Tree, and Kansas City. Howard developed an interest in listening to the Grand Ole Opry radio broadcasts with her father in her childhood.

Howard's mother separated from her father temporarily in 1943. Howard took up the job of a dishwasher at a local cafe to help sustain the family. The cafe owner gave Howard's family food for weekly meals as he could not afford to pay her. Howard took a new job at Model Drugs when she turned 16.

Howard dropped out of high school in 1945 and married Mearle Wood. He joined the military shortly after the marriage. The couple resettled in Waynesville, Missouri, in military housing with another couple. Howard temporarily went back to her parents when she found Wood was having an affair. Howard reunited with Wood in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Family, Romance, And Relationships

Who was Jan Howard’s partner?

Jan Howard married Mearle Wood at the age of 16 when she was still a teenager. They had three children together. However, the marriage did not last, and they divorced in 1953. She married Lowell Smitty Smith that same year but left him after finding out that he was a bigamist. It was after that that she met Harlan Howard, her third husband, who helped her establish herself as a successful country singer. Unfortunately, the marriage did not last either, and they split up sometime in the early ’70s.

Career And Professional Highlights

As we know, Jan Howard was a tremendously famous country music creator. Jan Howard didn't only sing those legendary songs but also wrote so many of her own songs. 'Bad Seed', 'For Loving You', 'My Son', and 'Remember The Good' are some of her most famous and notable songs. It will not be wrong if we consider Jan Howard as the most notable and famous country music creator of the twentieth-century music world.

But Jan Howard’s career was not only limited to the world of music and country songs. As we’ve mentioned before, she was a great songwriter. Besides that, Jan Howard was also a notable author. She even published her own autobiography 'Sunshine And Shadow: An Autobiography'. Her other notable literary works include 'Interior Drama: Aaron Siskind's Photographs Of The 1940s', 'Laurie Simmons: The Music of Regret', 'Catch the Bright Dawn: The Redemption Story, Genesis to Revelation', 'Willoughby Jackson And The Kazakyan Treasure', and 'Becoming A Do-It-Yourself Monastic: A Customized Journey'. She published her autobiography 'Sunshine And Shadow: An Autobiography' in 1987, which became a best-selling book. In this book, Jan talks about her life and portrays certain incidents in a very normal and raw way. That is why many people liked the book, and quickly it became the people’s favorite.

Though Jan Howard wrote so many good quality books which people really loved and still like until the date, we cannot deny the fact that the major and more important part of her career was music creation. That is why we will talk about her career as a country musician here. Jan Howard started her music career in 1959, and she continued to do music-related works until 2017. It means she almost had a six decades-long career in the field of country music, which is a really big thing and a great achievement as a musician. The name of her debut song was 'Yankee Go Home' which was released in 1959. She released another song that same year, and the name of that song was 'Pick Me Up on Your Way Down'. We should also mention that this song was composed by famous country songwriter Harlan Howard. For her debut song, Jan Howard got the help of Wynn Stewart’s band. We should also mention that Wynn Stewart was another notable and known face in the world of American country music. He was a famous country music performer. In later years, Jan Howard collaborated with famous country musician Bill Anderson. Without any doubt, we can say that this was the most legendary duo or collaboration in the world of American Country music. The collaboration lasted for eight long years. They collaborated from 1965-1973. 'I Know You’re Married', 'If It’s All The Same To You', and 'Someday We’ll Be Together' are some of their hit country music songs. In 1967, this duo launched a song that reached ultimate fame and became a super hit country music song. The name of that song was 'For Loving You'. Jan Howard wrote so many notable songs. 'It’s All Over But The Crying', 'Love Is A Sometimes Thing', 'Marriage Has Ruined More Good Love Affairs', 'The Life Of A Country Singer', are examples of some notable songs which were written by Jan Howard.

On March 27, 1971, Jan Howard started performing in the Grand Ole Opry, which gave her the ultimate fame in her career. She was also part of a Hollywood movie named 'Changing Hearts' (2003). In her long music career, Jan Howard had worked on more than twenty music albums. Jan has also appeared in many TV shows. 'Family Feud', 'Nashville Now', and 'Prime Time Country' are some of the notable shows among them. In recent years, Jan Howard has published a collection of eighty famous songs of her, including a collection of a photo album with the songs collection.

Throughout her long music career, Jan had received several music awards, including a few Grammy nominations, and this is pretty much it about the important events and details of Jan Howard’s versatile and long-famous career.

Best Known For…

Jan Howard is best known as a country singer and for being the author of her autobiography, 'Sunshine And Rainbows'.

Charity Work

Jan Howard participated in many charitable causes, donated to several charities, and spoke at numerous fundraising events throughout her lifetime.

What awards did Jan Howard win?

Jan Howard has won a number of awards like the Billboard Music Award For Most Promising Female Artist, Cashbox For Most Promising Female Artist, and Jukebox Operators For Most Promising Female Artist.

Jan Howard’s Hobbies And Interests

It was unknown what Jan Howard's hobbies and interests were.

Other Interesting Jan Howard Facts And Trivia

• The zodiac sign of Jan Howard is Pisces.
• She is best known for her song 'Evil on Your Mind'.
• She has appeared on TV shows like 'Music City Tonight' and 'Prime Time Country'.
• She was also featured in the motion picture 'Changing Hearts' released in 2003. It also starred her friends Rita Coolidge and Jeannie Seely.
• Her youngest child, Janet Louise Smith, died shortly after birth.

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