Stunning!

I had never heard of this performer before. His name is Jackie Shane. Yes folks, this is a MAN! This is what my good friend Jason Stone wrote on his blog Get On Down With The Stepfather Of Soul:

[Along with performers like Little Richard and Sylvester], the R&B singer Jackie Shane fits within this pantheon with his androgynous performances, but unfortunately his story is not as well-known as some of the others. I haven't been able to find out much about the Toronto-based Shane, except that he had only one R&B hit, "Any Other Way," released in 1963 on Sue. Fortunately for us all, there is performance footage of Shane on YouTube, appearing on WLAC-TV's "Night Train," doing "Walking The Dog." The appearance probably came from 1964 or 1965. Johnny Jones & The King Casuals ("Soul Poppin'") are the backing band and I think that's the Hytones on background vocals and choreography. Check out this soulful performance!

All I know is that I was stunned watching this performance. One, because of the sheer soulfulness of it and two, because someone this androgynous was actually accepted enough to appear on a major television show in the friggin' 60's! Also the pairing of the strangely stiff Hytones choreography and the funky Johnny Jones band makes it all the more intriguing. (Sur)really awesome!

Julian Curry Droppin' The Knowledge