Jackie shane biography
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Jackie Shane
American singer (–)
Jackie Shane | |
|---|---|
Depiction of Jackie Shane cropped from a reproduction of the History of Music on Yonge Street mural. | |
| Born | ()May 15, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | February 21, () (aged&#;78) Nashville, stat i usa, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B, soul |
| Occupation | Singer |
Musical artist
Jackie Shane (May 15, – February 21, ) was an American soul and rhythm and blues singer, who was most prominent in the jazz music scen of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in the s. Considered to be a pionjär transgender performer,[1] she was a contributor to the Toronto Sound and fryst vatten best known for the single "Any Other Way", which was a regional Top 10 hit in Toronto in and a modest national chart hit across Canada in , reaching number [2][3]
Background
[edit]Originally from Nashville, Tennessee,[4] she was born on May 15, She began performing locally in the s wearing long hair, make-up, and jewelry.
Child
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No Other Way: The Story of Jackie Shane
Jackie Shane’s cover of the Ben E. King hit ‘Don’t Play That Song’
Shane and a Changing Toronto
But for all the similarities to the Canadian pop culture icons we know today, Jackie Shane’s impact is rarely included among them. While most performers hoped to get their big break in Toronto’s nightclubs, Shane’s success only extended beyond Toronto for a brief moment, even as her collaborations with local R&B musicians brought her to the cusp of stardom. Partnering with fellow American musician Frank Motley, known for playing two trumpets at once, Shane recorded a series of singles, including her most famous hit, “Any Other Way.” At its peak, the single hit position #2 on the local CHUM radio charts.
For all the original hits and covers she made her own, Jackie’s “Any Other Way” is perhaps the song that represents her story the best. The cover of the William Bell hit peaked at #2 on the CHUM countdown and hit # on Billboard’s heatseeker
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It was not always perfect for Jackie. She would remember at least one man from every band she worked with propositioning her, something she was strongly against. In one case after her rejection, a bandmate pulled out a knife. Jackie was then forced to deescalate the situation and was luckily able to escape.
Like many trans women of color today, she was regularly harassed by the police. She remembered her experiences with the Toronto police force saying:
"Those creatures on the force, they were gay but will never come out. They feel they’ve got to hide, so you should too. They would see me in a motor car with these fine boys and, of course, they’re drooling. They would stop us and try to get these boys to say that I was soliciting. The boys would say you’re wrong. We’re with Jackie because we want to be.”
On stage, while she was able to be remarkably open, her music would usually allude to the topic through references and wordplay. Even with this, she gained quite a large queer f