When Rita Coolidge went to Memphis in the late ‘60s to “try out” a career in singing, she carried a backup plan. She had a newly minted degree in art from Florida State University, and was just going to give music a shot before settling down to a career as an art teacher.

Some junior high school’s loss was the world’s gain, as Coolidge went on to become one of the best loved and most prolific pop singing stars of her generation.

Dec. 1 she brings her lengthy list of hit songs to Bremerton for a performance at the Admiral Theatre.

Coolidge has put out more than 50 albums over her 30-plus year career, including quite a few “best ofs,” collections and anthologies.

Her biggest hits came early on, and helped seal her place in the pop music legends category.

Her classic singles include “We’re All Alone,” “Higher and Higher,” and “The Way You Do The Things You Do.”

She began her career in Memphis singing commercial jingles, demos and backup for a number of local bands, including one which would make a name for itself, the husband and wife duo Delaney and Bonnie.

Their rise to the top carried Coolidge along with it and she became one of the most in-demand backup singers of the time. She toured with Joe Cocker and was a featured soloist on his classic “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” tour.

Her who’s who of touring and recording partners includes Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Leon Russell and Stephen Stills.

In 1973 she married singer/songwriter Kris Kristofferson, then at the peak of his singing career. They teamed up for the albums “Full Moon,” Breakaway” and “Natural Act.” They won two Country Duo of the Year Grammies, but divorced after eight years of marriage.

At a recent concert when a fan mentioned her ex-husband she commented, “He was cute wasn’t he.” She paused, then added, “He thought so, too.”

She is currently married to Tatsuya Suda, a professor in the department of computer science at the University of California at Irvine.

In the last few years she has branched out to cabaret and jazz, and just finished up a five show run of “Billie & Me,” a multi-media concert celebrating the life and music of Billie Holiday. Venues included Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center.

Her latest album “And So Is Love,” released this summer, is a collection of well-loved and oft-sung jazz classics, including “Cry Me a River” and “More Than You Know.” The cover shows Coolidge in a glamorous evening gown, looking more like Celine Dion than an Indian princess, as she used to.

Coolidge has focused more on her Cherokee heritage in the last decade, forming a group called Walela (Cherokee for hummingbird) with her sister and niece. The trio has released an album and performed at the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Her concert at the Admiral will include songs from her new album, but she’s sure to sing her crowd-pleasing hits as well.

Rita Coolidge appears 7:30 p.m. Dec. 1 at the Admiral Theatre, 515 Pacific Ave., Bremerton. Dinner begins at 6 p.m.

Tickets are $71 for the main floor dinner show, $40 main floor show only and loge and $30 balcony. All seats reserved, reservations required for the dinner show. Tickets are available at the box office, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or by phone at (360) 373-6743. wu