Jackie Shane: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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In the late 1940s into the 1950s, the American South was not only unaccepting of African Americans, but also of queerness. It was easier for Shane to associate with her femininity and receive support from close family, but there was still judgment from peers and adults. While Shane describes that there were very few conflicts at a young age, she does recall another young boy verbally accosting her while also throwing things at her. Shane was not one to cower away from conflict, so to solve this act of discrimination, she took a jump rope and whipped him.<ref name=":0" /> Jackie Shane’s ability to effectively defend herself from discrimination at a young age demonstrates not only her confidence, but resilience.

While Jackie Shane’s trans identity was a distinguishing aspect of herselfher persona, she was primarily known for her contribution to the music industry, specifically for [[Rhythm and blues|Rhythm and Blues]]. Early exposure to music was vital for Shane’s later music career. Her grandmother’s beautiful melodies that she sang around the house had an influence on Shane’s vocal development. Further encouragement from her grandmother allowed her to display her vocal talents as she progressed in age.<ref name=":1" />

== Music in early life ==

Jackie Shane began her music career as a young teen. Along with her remarkable vocal ability, she also had incredible rhythm. This was particularly noticed by Louis Lavelle, observing her rhythm as she tapped on chairs.<ref name=":1" /> Lavelle recruited Shane, as well as Les Monday, to form a musical trio. Shane and her band performed at a variety of small gigs, including at local fair grounds and on radio stations. Initially a drummer as well as a vocalist, Shane would play drums standing up while singing. Shane's drumming talent led to studio session work as a drummer, including on [[Lillian Offitt]]'s "Miss You So", a track which hit #66 pop and #8 R&B on Billboard's US charts in the summer of 1957.{{sfn|Bowman|2017|p=15}} Working in Nashville regularly as a stage performer during the late 1950s, Shane also worked in the studio as a drummer on tracks by [[Larry Williams]], [[Big Maybelle]], [[Gatemouth Brown]], [[Little Willie John]], [[Joe Tex]], and numerous other R&B performers.{{sfn|Bowman|2017|p=17}} After gaining some recognition, Jackie Shane began to work with record labels, including Excello Records, while also drawing attention from Motown and Atlantic Records.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Farber |first=Jim |date=2017-10-23 |title=Trans pioneer Jackie Shane: 'I don’t bow down. I do not get down on my knees' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/oct/23/trans-pioneer-jackie-shane-i-dont-bow-down-i-do-not-get-down-on-my-knees |access-date=2024-04-14 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> She was not attractedsigned toby big record label companieslabels, however.

Vowing to escape the "[[Jim Crow]] [[American South|South]]",<ref name="NPR">{{cite news |title=Jackie Shane, A Force Of Nature Who Disappeared, Has A Story All Her Own |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2017/10/25/559775225/jackie-shane-a-force-of-nature-who-disappeared-has-a-story-all-her-own |accessdate=March 2, 2019 |work=NPR |date=October 25, 2017}}</ref> in the late 1950s, Shane joined a traveling carnival and arrived in [[Cornwall, Ontario|Cornwall]], [[Ontario]], in 1959, where she said she felt free for the first time.<ref name="rabble">{{cite news |title=Toronto soul musician Jackie Shane returns to spotlight with Grammy nomination |url=http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/other-hand/2019/01/toronto-soul-musician-jackie-shane-returns-spotlight-grammy |accessdate=March 2, 2019 |work=rabble.ca |date=January 3, 2019}}</ref>

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She was soon the band's lead vocalist, and relocated to [[Toronto]] with them in late 1961. She returned several times to the United States, on tour with the Motley Crew (to Boston, for example, where they recorded), to New York to record, to visit her family and old friends and perform on a TV show in Nashville, or to live and work in [[Los Angeles]] where she played drums in recording sessions.<ref name="cbc"/><ref name="rabble"/> A fan mythology linked her to [[Little Richard]], including claims that she had been Richard's backing vocalist before moving to Canada or even that she was Richard's cousin, although no verification of either claim has ever been found and no evidence exists that Shane ever made either claim herself.<ref name="hazlitt">Carl Wilson, [http://hazlitt.net/longreads/i-bet-your-mama-was-tent-show-queen "I Bet Your Mama Was a Tent Show Queen"]. ''[[Hazlitt (magazine)|Hazlitt]]'', April 22, 2013.</ref> Music critic [[Carl Wilson (critic)|Carl Wilson]] has speculated that, while Shane had deep and identifiable roots in the traditions of the Southern US [[Chitlin Circuit]], the mythology about a connection to Little Richard emerged because that scene's traditions were not known to Torontonians in the 1960s, and thus Little Richard was the only antecedent for Shane's performing style that most of her local fan base could identify.<ref name="hazlitt"/>

Throughout her active musical career and for many years thereafter, Shane was written about by nearly all sources as a man who performed in ambiguous clothing that strongly suggested femininity, with some sources even directly labeling her as a [[drag queen]].<ref>[https://torontoist.com/2014/01/toronto-historical-jukebox-plays-the-sounds-of-our-past/ "Toronto Historical Jukebox Plays the Sounds of Our Past"]. ''[[Torontoist]]'', January 29, 2014.</ref> The few sources that actually sought out her own words on the matter of her own gender identification were more ambiguous, however;. sheShe identified herself as male in two early quotes to the ''[[Toronto Star]]'', but more often appeared to simply dodge questions about her gender altogether.<ref name=maynard>Steven Maynard, "A New Way of Lovin': Queer Toronto Gets Schooled by Jackie Shane". ''Any Other Way: How Toronto Got Queer''. [[Coach House Books]], 2017. {{ISBN|9781552453483}}. pp. 11–20.</ref> Her identity as a [[trans woman]] was not confirmed on the record by a media outlet until music journalist Elio Iannacci interviewed her for ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' in 2017.<ref name=transgender>[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/searching-for-jackie-shane-rbs-lost-transgender-superstar/article35057998/ "Searching for Jackie Shane, R&B’s lost transgender superstar"]. ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', May 19, 2017.</ref>

According to filmmaker Lucah Rosenberg-Lee, who co-directed a documentary on Shane, “She identified as 'she' behind closed doors and to her mother and herself, but in the public eye there was no opportunity to do that, and no one would have understood.”<ref name="THR"/>

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=== '''Shane’s sexuality''' ===

While today Jackie Shane can be labeled as a trans woman, throughout her early life, language surrounding transgender people was not commonly discussed. From the young age of thirteen, Shane identified herself as a girl, even though she was constantly being misgendered.<ref>Stack, Liam. "Jackie Shane, Transgender Pioneer of 1960s Soul Music, Dies at 78." ''New York Times'', February 23, 2019, NA(L). ''Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints'' (accessed April 14, 2024). <nowiki>https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A575318481/OVIC?u=colu27235&sid=ebsco&xid=2da2b2d7</nowiki></ref> The question of whether she was a transgender woman, a drag queen, a masculine lesbian, or a gay man was consistently discussed, but Shane never directlypublicly addressed her sexual identity until the last years beforeof her deathlife. The confusion ofover Shane’s identity more than likely stemmed from the fact that while she wore very feminine clothing, during her performances, her clothes were considered more androgynous. Many claim this is where Shane resembled a mascmasculine or [[butch]] lesbian, as she wore glittering suits on stage and wore her hair up.<ref name=":0" /> Shane never crumbled to public scrutiny about her sexuality and physical appearance, avoiding conformity to choose either masculine or feminine societal norms and choosing how she presents herself to the public in her own way. Her ability to ignore labels about her sexuality allowed her to be considered ahead of her time.{{citation-needed}}

=== '''Fleeing Jim Crow''' ===

Jackie Shane was born in Nashville, which was considered a part of the [[Jim Crow South]]. This region of the United States was not safe for either a Black American, or any queer individual. In the beginning of her career, Shane explains that very little acts of harassment or violence occurred with her. The absence of racial and transphobic conflict did not mean that she was unaware of the dangers of her home state.{{citation-needed}}

There were probably several horrific stories that could have scared Shane out of Nashville, but one incident that stuck with her was when she witnessed a group of white men chase a black man down near the bus stop that she and a friend were waiting at. She witnessed this man violently beaten and then carelessly thrown into a dumpster nearby.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nast |first=Condé |date=2022-03-03 |title=As a Trans Singer in the ‘50s, Jackie Shane Changed R&B Forever |url=https://www.them.us/story/jackie-shane-story-trans-soul-singer-womens-history |access-date=2024-04-14 |website=Them |language=en-US}}</ref> Escaping the horrific dangers of Jim Crow, while also leaving her mother behind, was a decision that was difficult for her to make, but her best chance at survival. Jackie Shane left the Jim Crow South, migrating north out of the United States to Canada, with the belief that the racial tensions would be left within the States and that Canada would bring on a new environment.{{citation-needed}}

=== '''Encounters Withwith Violenceviolence and Harassmentharassment''' ===

Jackie Shane constantly reiterated the fact that her experience as a black, trans woman was not as most expected, not filled with violence and verbal threats. This, however, did not protect her from harassment in her early childhood, sexual harassment from her band members, and avoiding local gangs.{{citation-needed}}

One of the first encounters with verbal and physical harassment was when she was just a young school girl. While playing on the playground, she was being verbally attacked by a boy, who was screaming directly at Shane regarding her gender appearance, and eventually began to throw objects at her as well. Shane was not an individual to shy away from conflict, so to put an end to the harassment, she found a jump rope and whipped it in his direction.<ref name=":0" /> Shane's drumming ability to handle conflict and actively protect herself carried on throughout her life, helping her survive.{{citation-needed}}

When Jackie Shane became involved within bands, she found sexual harassment to be one of the obstacles she had to face. She was known to be overly an flirtatious individual, which could have possibly led her band members to make sexual advances.<ref name=":2" /> She expressed to many of them that she had no personal interest in having any sexual relationships, yet they persisted. In one specific incident, a band member threatened Shane after refusing any type of sexual advancement, pulling a knife to her.<ref name=":2" /> Just as when she was a child, Shane was able to successfully handle the situation by making a snarky joke and maturely walking away.{{citation-needed}}

After her relocation to Canada, Shane could not entirely escape endangerment, finding herself in conflict with the local mob. The mob was not welcoming to Shane and her bandmates, kidnapping them.<ref>"TRANSGENDER SOUL SINGER THRILLED CROWDS; The American-born artist moved to Canada in the early 1960s and became a star before mysteriously disappearing for 40 years, until recent reissues of her music received Grammy and Polaris nominations." ''Globe & Mail'' [Toronto, Canada], March 2, 2019, B24. ''Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints'' (accessed April 14, 2024). <nowiki>https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A576522399/OVIC?u=colu27235&sid=ebsco&xid=3d9eb1ba</nowiki></ref> This was not the only near death kidnapping that she had experienced, but this particular instance forced her bandmates to be sent back to the United States.<ref name=":1" /> Jackie Shane continued with her career, not letting the violent acts determine her career within the music industry. This mentality eventually changed within her, as years later she would disappear from entertainment because she was tired of the transgender discrimination throughout the entire industry.▼

▲After her relocation to Canada, Shane could not entirely escape endangerment, finding herself in conflict with the local mob. The mob was not welcoming to Shane and her bandmates, kidnapping them.<ref>"TRANSGENDER SOUL SINGER THRILLED CROWDS; The American-born artist moved to Canada in the early 1960s and became a star before mysteriously disappearing for 40 years, until recent reissues of her music received Grammy and Polaris nominations." ''Globe & Mail'' [Toronto, Canada], March 2, 2019, B24. ''Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints'' (accessed April 14, 2024). <nowiki>https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A576522399/OVIC?u=colu27235&sid=ebsco&xid=3d9eb1ba</nowiki></ref> This was not the only near death kidnapping that she had experienced, but this particular instance forced her bandmates to be sent back to the United States.<ref name=":1" /> Jackie Shane continued with her career, not letting the violent acts determine her career within the music industry. This mentality eventually changed within her, as years later she would disappear from entertainment because she was tired of the transgender discrimination throughout the entire industry.{{citation-needed}}

==Recording career==

Shane recorded several tracks in 1960, including a cover of [[Barrett Strong]]'s "[[Money (That's What I Want)]]" and a version of [[Lloyd Price]]'s "I've Really Got the Blues". However, none of the tracks were issued at the time; they eventually came out in 1965. {{sfn|Bowman|2017|p=34}}

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Shane's first issued recording was "Any Other Way" (b/w "Sticks and Stones"), recorded and issued in the fall of 1962; the song became her biggest chart hit, reaching #2 on Toronto's [[CHUM Chart]] in 1963.<ref name=maynard/> It was also a hit in several US markets (including St. Louis, and Washington, D.C.), allowing it to place at #124 on Billboard's "[[Bubbling Under]]" charts in the U.S. A cover of a song previously recorded and released by [[William Bell (singer)|William Bell]] in summer 1962, Shane's version of "Any Other Way" was noted for adding a different spin to the lyric "Tell her that I'm happy/tell her that I'm gay"; while the original lyric intended the word "gay" in its older meaning as a synonym of "happy", Shane played on the word's double meaning, which was not yet in mainstream usage.<ref name="cbc" />

The follow-up single to "Any Other Way" was "In My Tenement" b/w "Comin' Down". It received some airplay in upstate New York, but did not chart elsewhere in the US or Canada, and Shane did not record again for several years.{{citation-needed}}

In 1962, Shane was performing at Toronto's Saphire Tavern, specializing in covers of songs by [[Ray Charles]] and [[Bobby Bland]].<ref name="Aston2016">{{cite book|author=Martin Aston|title=Breaking Down the Walls of Heartache: How Music Came Out|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4ziXCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT104|date=October 13, 2016|publisher=Little, Brown Book Group|isbn=978-1-4721-2245-2|page=104}}</ref> In 1965, she made a television appearance in Nashville on [[WLAC-TV]]'s ''Night Train'', performing [[Rufus Thomas]]' "[[Walking the Dog]]".<ref name=maynard/> Around the same time, she was offered an appearance on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'', but refused as the booking was made conditional on her presenting as male.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/feb/25/jackie-shane-groundbreaking-trans-soul-singer "Jackie Shane: remembering the groundbreaking trans soul singer"]. ''[[The Guardian]]'', February 25, 2019.</ref> Also in 1965, the tracks from Shane's 1960 recording session were issued -- without Shane's prior knowledge. Two tracks popped up on a 1965 compilation LP entitled ''The Original Blues Sound Of Charles Brown & Amos Milburn With Jackie Shane - Bob Marshall & The Crystals'', while two others (billed to "Little Jackie Shane") were issued as a single. Neither the single nor the album (both issued on very small, obscure labels) received much attention.{{citation-needed}}

In 1967, "Any Other Way" was reissued and became a modest hit across Canada, peaking at #68 on the national RPM chart in March.<ref name=hazlitt/> Shane subsequently returned to recording later that year, issuing the studio single "Stand Up Straight and Tall" b/w "You Are My Sunshine" (which peaked at #87 on RPM), and the live album ''Jackie Shane Live''.<ref name=canadianbands>[http://www.canadianbands.com/Jackie%20Shane.html Jackie Shane] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923200142/http://www.canadianbands.com/Jackie%20Shane.html |date=2015-09-23 }} at CanadianBands.com.</ref>{{better source needed|date=August 2017}} Two singles were also pulled from the live album (covers of "Knock On Wood" and "Don't Play That Song"), but none of the live material charted. A final studio single ("Cruel Cruel World" b/w "New Way of Lovin'") was released in 1970, which also failed to chart.<ref name=cbc/>

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== Transgender Influence ==

=== '''Transgender Representationrepresentation Inin Therhe Entertainmententertainment Industryindustry''' ===

With the [[Gay Liberation Movement]]'s emergingemergence withinin the 1960s, transgender individuals, as well gender non-conforming people, created a sense of voice that provided strength and unification. While trans visibility was becoming more common, many transgender people were difficult to identify within society, due to active discrimination that could endanger their lives.<ref name=":3">Ellis, Nick. “Historical Perspectives: Santa Clara University Undergraduate Journal of History, Series II.” ''Power and Community: The Queer Liberation Movement of the 1960sand 1970s'' 25 (2020): 1–19. <nowiki>https://doi.org/https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/historical-perspectives/vol25/iss1/8?utm_source=scholarcommons.scu.edu%2Fhistorical-perspectives%2Fvol25%2Fiss1%2F8&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages</nowiki>.</ref> Isolation in the early years of the [[Gay liberation|Gay Liberation Movement]] for transgender individuals was the result of not only discrimination from people outside of the movement, but from inside the movement as well. Following the [[Stonewall riots]] in the 1970s, several popular queer movements, such as the [[Gay Liberation Front]] and the [[Gay Activists Alliance|Gay Activist Alliance]] excluded transgender individuals, which led to the creation of trans inclusive organizations, such as [[Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries]], Transvestite and Transsexual Activist Organization, and [[Queens Liberation Front|Queens’ Liberation Front]].<ref name=":3" />

These organizations emerged in the 1970s, however, which was before Jackie Shane’s presence in the entertainment industry was recognized. Shane was never one to hide, nor label her sexuality, freely expressing herself throughout the 1950s and 60s. Her ability and confidence to place herself within the public eye while openly expressing femininity, emphasizes Shane’s overall importance in transgender visibility. Shane was not directly a part of the [[Gay liberation|Gay Liberation Movement]], or any transgender movements, but her presence and silent activism prior to the emergence of these movements paved the way for many transgender individuals.{{citation-needed}}

There were little to no transgender musicians throughout this era of queer history. Significant trans women in this industry, such as [[Wendy Carlos]] and [[Jayne County]], were pioneers for the transgender community in this career field, but they were not openly transgender within the media until the mid 1970s.<ref>Schoonhoven, Sarah Marie. “Gender, Timbre, and Metaphor In The Music of Wendy Carlos.” Texas Scholar Works, May 1, 2017. <nowiki>https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/items/b20e95c0-7776-4f33-8ec9-bcdb4af678d8</nowiki>.</ref><ref>Bos, Nancy (2017). "Forging a New Path: Transgender Singers in Popular Music" (PDF). ''Journal of Singing''. '''73'''(4): 421–424.</ref> Shane’s impact on the transgender music industry, combined with the various movements that included transgender visibility and expression, guided several artists to break societal barriers regarding their sexual and gender identity.{{citation-needed}}

==Post-career attention==