Toronto –
Canadian singer-songwriter Shirley Eikhard dies after battling cancer, her sexy song ‘Something to Talk About’ brings Bonnie Raitt her biggest ever Success and Grammys.
Longtime friend Deborah Duggan said the musician died early Thursday at a hospital in Orangeville, Ont. Surrounded by those closest to her. She is 67 years old.
Born in Sackville, New Hampshire, Eikhard got her first taste of success as a teenager, when Anne Murray recorded her song “It Takes Time” in 1971, making it a Canadian chart hit .
A year later, Eikhard gave her another boost with her self-titled debut album, released when she was just 16 years old. She went on to win a Juno Award for Female Country Artist in 1973 and 1974.
Eikhard released several albums over the next few years, but Raitt’s “Something to Talk About” offered an unexpected twist.
Originally intended for Murray, the East Coast singer’s producers vetoed the tune in the mid-1980s, saying it wasn’t worth listening to. A few years later, it fell into the hands of Raitt, who recorded it on her 1991 album Luck of the Draw.
“Something to Talk About” peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year and earned Raitt a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Female Artist.
The Canadian Press report was first published on December 15, 2022.