Jackie Shane was a big star in Toronto nightclubs of the 1960s. Born in Nashville on May 15, 1940, she moved to Canada after seeing a black man being attacked by a group of white men.
One cannot choose where one is born, but you can choose your home. --Shane
Here she is performing on Night Train:
Her biggest hit reached #2 and is credited with helping shape the Toronto Sound.
Shane disappeared from music in 1971, moving to live with her mother in Los Angeles after the death of her stepfather.
I have never felt that I had to change or do anything that wasn't natural to me. I will never, ever be some kind of wishy-washy creature that pretends or lets others guide me. I guide my life. It is mine. No matter what anyone says, I'm going to be Jackie. That's all I can be. That's all I know. It's what I feel from my heart and my soul. I was a phony person. If I was not doing what makes me live the way I do, makes me think, makes me feel, makes me be the person I am, then there's no point in me being at all. I've got to be who I am. Most people are planted in someone else's soil, which means they're a carbon copy. I say to them, uproot yourself. Get into your own soil. You may be surprised who you really are. --Shane
Shane's body was discovered at her home in Nashville on Thursday. The cause of death has not been shared. She was 78. This song includes a monologue:
She was nominated for a Grammy for Best Historical Album last year.