It would be easy consider the current surge of transgender performers to be a contemporary phenomenon, but Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story, from directors Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee and executive producer Elliot Page, tells a very different story. Weaving together striking archival footage, animation, and interviews, the filmmakers examine the remarkable life of soul singer Jackie Shane, constructing a rare and invaluable document of transgender history in the process. Told largely in her own remarkable voice through a series of phone recordings she made before her death, the filmmakers bring her stories to life with a series of dreamily rotoscoped re-enactments embodied by veteran trans actress Sandra Caldwell and contemporary Canadian drag performer Makayla Couture.
Brimming with charisma and in possession of some serious musical chops, Jackie first made her mark as a performer on the Nashville R&B scene as a teen, performing alongside better-known contemporaries like Little Richard and Joe Tex. Born in 1940 under modest circumstances in Jim Crow-era Tennessee, Jackie was remarkably self-possessed from a very young age. Demanding to be accepted on her own terms at a time when “transgender” wasn’t even part of the vocabulary, she quickly found herself wanting more than the conservative South seemed able to offer. In search of a place where she could really be accepted and realize her full potential, she headed north, landing in Montreal in 1959. It was in Canada that she really came into her own, touring the Northeast with the likes of Etta James, Marvin Gaye, and the Temptations. Eventually making the move to Toronto, she became a staple as the city’s famed Saphire Tavern, packing the audience with sellout gig after sellout gig and drawing crowds from as far away as legendary music city Detroit.
The world may not have been ready for a trans superstar in the 1960s, but there she was, with all the talent and charisma in the world. Even on the brink of serious stardom, Jackie never backed down from her principles, notably turning down the chance to appear on the star-making Ed Sullivan Show rather than tone down her hair and makeup. Jackie didn’t need anyone else to make her a star, and she refused to be tokenized. Instead, Jackie chose to appear on Night Train, the first black variety show on television. A Nashville R&B institution, the show featured a slate of legendary musicians from James Brown to Jimi Hendrix in its short 26 episode run. Luckily, some of the only surviving footage from the series features Jackie’s historic appearance.
Suddenly, at the height of her success, Jackie disappeared. Rumours abounded: killed in a knife fight, drowned in the ocean, deported. The truth was much more down to earth. Despite her success, Jackie was profoundly lonely. Adored by her fans, she longed for real love and connection. Seeking exactly that, she fled to California with her soon-to-be husband. Changing her name to Margaret Anne Dudley, she was able to fully embrace her feminine identity for the first time, and sank herself into a domestic life in Pasadena. Sadly, their happiness would not last, the marriage ended, and she moved back to Tennessee to care for her aging aunt, mother, and abusive stepfather. Sadly, after their deaths Jackie was all but a total recluse for decades, confining herself mainly to her home in Nashville.
In 2016, however, sensing the changing tide for trans performers, Jackie seemed ready to claim her well-deserved legacy, releasing a two-disc collection of previously unreleased music to great acclaim. With the collection nominated for a Grammy, she had enthusiastically begun preparing for a small tour to reintroduce herself to the world when she sadly passed away peacefully in her sleep. Never achieving the fame she deserved, Jackie has nevertheless become something of a proto-icon for many younger trans performers. What could Jackie have become if she’d been born a few decades later? In her own words, Jackie was never willing to accept the crumbs. She wanted the banquet, and I think that’s exactly what would have been waiting for her.
Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story premieres in the 24 Beats Per Second section of the 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival.
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