Rattlesnake Annie (born Rosan Gallimore, December 26, 1941) is an American country singer and songwriter. She earned her nickname as a child from her respect of snakes. Rattlesnake began recording music in 1959 and achieved success in Europe. She became the first female country blues musician to tour the Eastern Bloc countries in Europe and released an album with a country singer Michal Tučný from Czechoslovakia. In 1989, she became the first American country performer to sign a recording contract with Sony Music Japan.
Early years
She was born and raised near Puryear, Tennessee, United States, on a cotton and tobacco farm.
Rattlesnake's father had been a country and blues musician, singer, guitar and fiddle and she learned to play guitar at an early age. At the time, it was also rare for a woman to produce her own songs. Rattlesnake reminisced of those early days: "I was breaking down barriers. If I could work like a man in the fields, why couldn't I play a guitar and produce my own records?"
Personal life
In the early 1960s she moved to Texas, where she met and married Max McGowan.
Music
Rattlesnake has recorded music and performed live on every continent except Oceania In her career, she has recorded in over ten languages, including Czech, Russian, Spanish, Japanese, Maya, German, Chinese, Arabic and English.