She later moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where she was hired as part of a background vocal group called The Lea Jane Singers.

On one occasion, Fricke was asked to sing a solo part on a song by Johnny Duncan called "Stranger".

During the early 1990s, the label released three albums of her material including a collection of gospel songs called Crossroads: Hymns of Faith (1992).

At the end of the decade, Fricke formed her own record label and released several albums of material beginning with Bouncin' Back (2000).

[7] Inspired by folk artists Joan Baez and Judy Collins, Fricke also performed at local coffeehouses with her guitar.

Fricke eventually took the position and later performed commercial jingles for national advertisement campaigns including Red Lobster.

[6] In 1972, Fricke moved to Los Angeles, California, in hopes of finding work as a background singer for recording studios.

[6] Watching the contest that day was a country music producer who offered Fricke a secretarial job if she moved to Nashville, Tennessee.

While working as a secretary, she auditioned for The Lea Jane Singers, a singing quartet that added background vocals to Nashville recording sessions.

[11] During the mid-1970s, Fricke appeared on more than 5,000 records as part of The Lea Jane Singers, making an estimated one hundred thousand dollars per year.

[12][13] The quartet added backing vocals to the sessions of artists like Lynn Anderson,[11] Elvis Presley and Tanya Tucker.

[7] It only reached number 21 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart[4] but led to Fricke's first nomination from the Grammy Awards.

[4][17] The track was released on her fifth studio record titled I'll Need Someone to Hold Me When I Cry (1980),[24] which became her first to chart the Billboard country albums survey.

[3] Her 1981 album Sleeping with Your Memory offered a similar musical style[22] and featured her first number one Billboard hit "Don't Worry 'bout Me Baby".

[14] Writers Mary A. Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann described her new approach as a "tougher, huskier style"[26] while author Kurt Wolff called it "bouncy" and "clean cut".

[12][3] Fricke reflected on the success brought on by her stylistic changes: "I guess ballads are my favorites, too, although I can handle medium-tempo things pretty good, too.

[12] She was given credit on the release of Haggard's single "A Place to Fall Apart", which climbed to the number one spot on American and Canadian country charts.

[12][30] In describing the project's material, Fricke told the Chicago Tribune, "They have more of a medium beat and basic country feel.

[12] James Crispell of AllMusic praised its musical approach: "[a] typically fine collection of tunes from one of the finest contemporary country singers of the '80s.

[32] Kurt Wolff of Country Music: The Rough Guide noticed a "bluesier and almost gutsier vocal sound" on the disc.

[25] Her final album with Columbia Records was 1989's Labor of Love, which also reached the number 64 position on the country LP's chart.

[14] Following her departure, she worked theaters in Branson, Missouri, a city that drew audiences that had an appreciation for veteran country performers.

[49] In 2008, Fricke returned to her own music label to release a studio album of new country recordings titled Roses & Lace.

Authors Mary A. Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann explained in 2003, "Janie was the sweet, smiley-voiced singer of likeable radio hits who tried to vamp up her image with flashy costumes and bouncy choreography.

Mark Deming wrote, "Fricke had a high, clear voice that showed surprising strength and dramatic power, and she enjoyed success as a duet partner with Charlie Rich, Merle Haggard, and Johnny Duncan as well as her own long run of singles.

"[7] Bufwack and Oermann explained that in the early 1980s, her vocals strengthened as she cut "hard-edged material" that demonstrated the "finest" performances of her career.

She played the role of Ginny, a jewel thief who hid money in the dashboard of a getaway car that was later to become the General Lee.

[41] She has also participated in the Country Music Hall of Fame Fundraising Campaign with other artists such as Naomi Judd and Gretchen Wilson.

Hours after their wedding, Fricke gave a free concert to seven thousand fans at a local Indiana festival.

[59] For many years the pair lived on a historic farm located in Lancaster, Texas, that was home to a variety of animals including buffalo.