Jackie Shane facts for kids

Jackie Shane (May 15, 1940 – February 21, 2019) was an American soul and rhythm and blues singer. She became very popular in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, during the 1960s. Jackie Shane was a pioneer transgender performer. She helped create the "Toronto Sound" in music. She is best known for her song "Any Other Way." This song was a big hit in Toronto in 1962. It also became a national hit across Canada in 1967.

Early Life and Moving to Canada

Jackie Shane was born in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 15, 1940. She started performing music in the 1950s. She often wore long hair, makeup, and jewelry on stage. She wanted to leave the "Jim Crow South." This was a time and place in the Southern United States where Black people faced unfair rules and segregation.

In the late 1950s, she joined a traveling carnival. She arrived in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada, in 1959. Jackie Shane said she felt truly free for the first time in Canada.

In 1960, Shane moved to Montreal, Quebec. There, a saxophonist named "King" Herbert Whitaker invited her to see a band. The band was Frank Motley and his Motley Crew. They were playing at the Esquire Show Bar.

Jackie Shane sat near the front. Frank Motley noticed her and asked her to come on stage. The band's pianist, Curley Bridges, invited her to perform. She sang songs by famous artists like Ray Charles and Bobby "Blue" Bland.

She soon became the main singer for the band. In late 1961, she moved to Toronto with them. She sometimes toured the United States with the Motley Crew. She also visited her family and performed on a TV show in Nashville. She even lived in Los Angeles for a while, playing drums in recording sessions.

Some people thought Jackie Shane was related to Little Richard. They even said she sang backup for him. However, there is no proof that these stories were true. Music experts believe these ideas came about because people in Toronto didn't know much about the music scene in the Southern U.S. Jackie Shane's style was unique to them.

Understanding Her Identity

For many years, people often described Jackie Shane as a man who dressed in feminine ways. Some even called her a drag queen. But when reporters actually asked her about her gender, her answers were often unclear. In some early interviews, she identified as male. However, she often avoided direct questions about her gender.

It wasn't until 2017 that her identity as a transgender woman was confirmed. Music journalist Elio Iannacci interviewed her for The Globe and Mail. In this interview, she openly shared her true identity.

Music Career and Hits

Jackie Shane released her first song in 1962. It was a cover of "Money (That's What I Want)" by Barrett Strong. The other side of the record was "I've Really Got the Blues." Later, a different version of the record came out. "Have You Ever Had the Blues?" became the main song.

Her biggest hit came later in 1962 with "Any Other Way." This song reached #2 on Toronto's CHUM Chart in 1963. The song was a cover of a track by William Bell. Jackie Shane's version was special because of a line: "Tell her that I'm happy/tell her that I'm gay." The word "gay" originally meant "happy." But Jackie Shane played on its newer meaning, which was just starting to be known.

Her next song, "In My Tenement," got some airplay in New York. But it didn't become a big hit in other places. After this, Jackie Shane didn't record new music for several years.

In 1962, Jackie Shane was performing at Toronto's Saphire Tavern. She was known for singing songs by Ray Charles and Bobby Bland. In 1965, she appeared on a TV show in Nashville called Night Train. She performed "Walking the Dog" by Rufus Thomas. Around that time, she was offered a spot on The Ed Sullivan Show. But she turned it down. The show wanted her to present herself as male, and she refused.

In 1967, "Any Other Way" was re-released. It became a hit across Canada, reaching #68 on the national RPM chart. Later that year, she released another song, "Stand Up Straight and Tall." She also put out a live album called Jackie Shane Live. Her final single, "Cruel Cruel World," came out in 1969.

Besides her own songs, Jackie Shane also appeared on Frank Motley's album Honkin' at Midnight. She sang live versions of some of her popular songs.

Life After Music

After 1970–71, Jackie Shane became less active in music. Even her bandmates lost touch with her. After returning to Los Angeles, she turned down an offer to join George Clinton's band Funkadelic. She began taking care of her mother, Jessie Shane, in Los Angeles. Around 1996, after her mother passed away, Jackie Shane moved back to Nashville.

Later Recognition

In 2010, CBC Radio's Inside the Music aired a documentary. It was called "I Got Mine: The Story of Jackie Shane." At first, no one involved in the documentary knew if Jackie Shane was still alive. But she was later found living in Nashville.

Footage of Jackie Shane performing also appeared in a 2011 TV series. It was called Yonge Street: Toronto Rock & Roll Stories.

Her album Jackie Shane Live was reissued in 2011. It was sometimes called Live at the Saphire Tavern. A collection of her studio songs, Soul Singles Classics, was also released that year.

In 2015, the Polaris Music Prize committee recognized Jackie Shane Live. It was nominated for a Heritage Award. This award honors classic Canadian albums. It didn't win that year but was nominated again later.

In 2017, a book of essays called Any Other Way: How Toronto Got Queer was published. The book's title came from Jackie Shane's 1962 song. It also included an essay specifically about her life.

Also in 2017, a record label called Numero Group released a new album. It was a collection of her music titled Any Other Way. This was the first time since 1969 that Jackie Shane was directly involved in releasing her music. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Historical Album. In an interview with The Globe and Mail, Jackie Shane said she planned to perform live in Toronto again. This would have been her first performance there in almost 50 years.

In 2019, Jackie Shane gave an interview to CBC Radio One's Q. This was her first broadcast interview since she stopped performing. She confirmed that she returned to the United States to care for her mother. She also said she wished she had brought her mother to Toronto instead.

Death

Jackie Shane passed away peacefully in her sleep. She died at her home in Nashville on February 21, 2019. News of her death was shared the next day.

In 2022, Jackie Shane was featured in a Heritage Minute commercial. In the commercial, transgender activist Ravyn Wngz played her.

Discography

Singles

• "Money (That's What I Want)" b/w "I've Really Got the Blues" (1962)
• "Have You Ever Had the Blues?" b/w "Money (That's What I Want)" (1962)
• "Any Other Way" b/w "Sticks and Stones" (1962)
• "In My Tenement" b/w "Comin' Down" (1963)
• "Stand Up Straight and Tall" b/w "You Are My Sunshine" (1967)
• "Cruel Cruel World" b/w "New Way of Lovin'" (1969)

Albums

• Jackie Shane Live (Caravan Records, 1967)
• Honkin' at Midnight (2000, bootleg, with Frank Motley and his Motley Crew)
• Live at the Saphire Tavern (2011, bootleg)
• Soul Singles Classics (2011, bootleg)
• Jackie Shane Live (2015, reissue)

Compilations

• "Slave for You Baby" and "Chickadee" on The Original Blues Sound of Charles Brown & Amos Milburn with Jackie Shane-Bob Marshall & The Crystals (Grand Prix/Pickwick, 1965)
• Any Other Way (Numero Group, 2017)