Grassroots Toronto campaign aims to memorialize transgender soul singer Jackie Shane
It’s been more than half a century since a Toronto audience heard the soulful sounds of Jackie Shane.
Now, a grassroots movement hopes to memorialize the trailblazing transgender musician with a plaque at the site of a former nightclub that hosted her often sold-out shows.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
“Jackie's personal story, on its own, is amazing. But the fact that she was Black and transfeminine, and just like such a powerhouse, makes it really that much more interesting for us,” said Amanda Burt, the driving force behind the push to create a Heritage Toronto designation for the late soul singer.
Born on May 15, 1940 in Nashville, Tennessee, Shane shared stages with Jimi Hendrix, Etta James, Little Richard, and Jackie Wilson before she moved to Boston, Montreal and eventually Toronto in 1959.
There, she secured what Burt describes as a “fabled run” at the Saphire Tavern and released the biggest hit of her career, “Any Other Way,” in 1962.
The song, and other live cuts from her 1967 sessions at the Saphire, would be turned into a boxset album in 2017 and nominated for a Grammy in 2019.
She died shortly after that nomination at the age of 78.
In 2022, Shane was honoured in one of Historica Canada’s iconic Heritage Minute videos, which detailed her contributions to "the Toronto sound" before she put the mic down suddenly in 1971 to care for her sick mother.
But aside from her more recent accolades, why is it that Shane, whose talents have been compared to that of James Brown, is so little known?
That’s a question that Burt poses in the upcoming release of the Crave Original documentary, “Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story.”
“When she stepped away from the stage, it's like, no one ever talked about her again. And we feel that one of the reasons for that is that people like her, at the time, weren't really comfortable celebrating those kinds of stories,” Burt explained.
Now, and in the context of cultural correction where success stories like Shane’s can be acknowledged, Burt is raising money to enshrine a plaque in her memory outside of the storied nightclub.
The plan is to raise $10,000 to cover the costs of the plaque itself, which would be unveiled by June 2023 during Pride, when Shane’s living relatives will be in attendance.
Burt hopes the monument will serve as an educational tool for those passing by the area of Richmond and Victoria streets while keeping Shane’s memory alive outside of the former venue where she became so beloved.
“People want to give her her flowers now. And if this is the way that we're going to honour her and honour stories like her, then that's awesome,” Burt said.
Crave is a subscription-based streaming service owned by Bell Media. CTV News is also a division of Bell Media.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.