Museum London will be concluding Black History Month with a feature screening of a documentary on Jackie Shane, an influential singer who would go on to inspire the Black and LGBTQIA2S+ communities.
Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story features the Black trans soul-singer who took the music scene in Toronto by storm in the 1960’s. Originally born in Nashville, Tennessee, Shane sought to escape racial segregation during what was known as the “Jim Crow South” and took her talents to Canada where she would later have top selling charts like Any Other Way, in Toronto and across Canada.
Shane would perform at venues across Canada and would often visit London, Ontario at the now defunct Brass Rail Tavern, which was located on 659 Dundas St. The building is now London InterCommunity Health Centre, which offers The Gender Care Program which provides gender-affirming medical and social supports.
Joey Hollingsworth Courtesy Joey Hollingsworth circa 1960
TD Curator of Collections, Zahra Mcdoom shared a story about how Jackie Shane would meet Joey Hollingsworth, who would later become an iconic tap dancer.
“His parents worked at the Brass Rail as washroom attendants, and they would bring him in to see Black performers coming up from the southern states. His mother heard Jackie sing one night and said to Joey you’ve gotta hear her sing, I don’t know if that’s a man or a woman but you have got to hear her sing,” said Mcdoom.
During her time at the Brass Rail, Shane would often “come into Joey’s mother’s washroom and would do her makeup,” said Mcdoom. In a time where sexual and gender identities were not understood, Shane would become an inspiration for people in similar situations.
“The trans community is very much still shy and nervous, mostly because of how society treats them. So when they see Jackie Shane’s performances, they’re like wow this woman did this in the 60’s and 70’s, and here we are in 2026 not as open,” said Naomi Nadea, leader of The Rainbow Community of Canada, and a proud Black trans woman.
“I feel like one of the biggest fears for me is being erased. I make it a huge point to always tell people that I am trans, a lot of people say you don’t have to tell them you’re trans, but it is part of my identity and I’m very proud about it,” said Nadea.
After years of performing alongside other influential artists such as Curly Bridges, and Frank Motley, Shane would step away from the spotlight in 1971. Nobody knew where she went or what she was doing until Michael Mabbott found out that she was alive in Tennessee and interviewed Shane over the phone in 2019. Shane passed away later that year, but Mabbott decided to tell her story and together with Lucah Rosenberg-Lee, created Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story.
The feature film will document Shane’s story while she was performing and her life after she stepped away. Museum London will feature opening remarks from Mcdoom and Nadea, doors will open at 5:30 p.m on Feb. 26.
Zahra Mcdoom (left), Naomi Nadea (middle), Sarah Munro (right) (Source: Joshua Chen/XFM)
