Pioneering Transgender Soul Singer Jackie Shane Celebrated In New Compilation, From Chicago Reissue Label
By Mae Rice in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 3, 2017 3:25PM
Chicago-based label Numero Group—known for spotlighting under-appreciated artists from the past, like this killer disco band—will release a compilation from '60s soul icon and transgender pioneer Jackie Shane on October 20.
Titled Any Other Way, the compilation will feature all of Shane's singles, highlights of a live show at Toronto's Saphire Tavern, and previously-unreleased material. It's her first-ever artist-approved collection, so there will be extensive liner notes from her, and archival photos tracking her life and career.
With transgender rights under attack in the US today, it feels like a good time to revisit Shane's work. She was performing primarily in Toronto during the '60s, which wasn't a decade of great LGBT empowerment there; Canada didn't even decriminalize homosexuality until 1969. Shane nevertheless performed in makeup and overtly feminine outfits, paving the way for transgender and genderfluid artists to come.
Numero's compilation won't be the first time Shane's legacy has been revisited. Back in 2014, Toronto artists put out a shadow-puppet-animated short film, Whatever Happened to Jackie Shane? With the new album on its way, though, Shane is officially experiencing a resurgence.
"She could be the Betty White of soul music," Canadian R&B singer Jully Black told the Globe and Mail.
Here's the album trailer from Numero Group:
And here's Jackie Shane singing the tiltle track, "Any Other Way."
[H/T Pitchfork]