By Cece M. Scott
Amy Sky has a knack for being where the action is. Her talent for singing and songwriting was recognized early and she has collaborated with some of music’s biggest names, including international artists such as Olivia Newton-John and Ann Wilson of Heart, and fellow Canadians Anne Murray and Ronnie Hawkins. She is also a dramatic actress with a flair for difficult roles.
Amy Sky is also a humanitarian whose success has been matched by her fair share of tough times. She has experienced grief and depression and is a passionate advocate for mental health and continues to champion that cause in everyday lives. It’s a combination we can all learn from.
“Music is the portal to spirituality for me,” she says.
The next episode of Creative Aging Books & Ideas hosts Amy Sky on February 23, at 2 p.m. EST.
During the show, Amy will discuss her new album He Sang She Sang, which she collaborated on with her husband, singer/songwriter Marc Jordan. The album is nominated for a 2023 Juno award. She will share personal anecdotes around her collaborations with musical artists.
Amy collaborated on several projects with her friend the late Olivia Newton-John, and will talk about the LIV ON project that the two worked on alongside Nashville-based singer Beth Nielsen Chapman. The project, built on the experiences that the three believed were the most important values in life – love, loss and healing, focused on healing practices after the many challenges the three endured.
According to Sky’s website, “All three had endured profound, life-altering losses and yet each remained committed to one thing: a desire to transform individual grief into healing via music… for all.”
She is also working on a Broadway musical, which she will talk about at the Creative Aging Books & Ideas event.
Amy Sky is 62, and her husband Marc Jordon 74. Individually, they have written chart-topper songs for rock and pop royalty. They tune their own relationship with love, laughter, and creativity. “We like to be each other’s cheerleaders,” she says.
Their new album, He Sang She Sang was nominated for a 2023 Juno award for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year. It is an album rich with the sounds of 1970 chart toppers and includes songs written by Tom Petty, the Beach Boys, Motown, and Bonnie Raitt.
Married for 34 years, this is Sky and Jordan’s first musical collaboration. They met in Los Angeles at composer and songwriter John Capek’s house. “We were instantly drawn to each other,” Sky says. “I thought Marc was handsome, charismatic and extremely funny. We just never seemed to run out of things to talk about.”
“Amy was wearing a ‘50s dress, and I thought she looked like a movie star,” Jordan adds.
Many of Sky’s hit songs including “I Will Take Care of You” and “Ordinary Miracles” explore the complexity of relationships and everyday life experiences.
A talented lyricist, Sky wrote her first songs at the age of 13. Reba McEntire recorded Sky’s If Only on her Just a Little Love album. Melissa Manchester, Diana Ross, and Cyndi Lauper all performed Sky’s songs, as did Heart, with whom Sky wrote Voodoo Doll and Cherry Blossom Road.
A backup singer for Newton-John, Anne Murray, and rockabilly legend Ronnie Hawkins, Sky’s trajectory began in Nashville. “When I played with Ronnie in Nashville, a lot of music business people came out,” Sky says. “After a write-up in the Tennessean newspaper, I was approached by several songwriters to write for them.
Throughout the years, Sky has produced several of her 12 solo albums which also feature artists like Barry Manilow, David Foster, Nelly Furtado, and, of course, Marc Jordan.
Sky has won three SOCAN awards, an American Songwriting Award, a Canadian Smooth Jazz Award for best composition, as well as three Juno nominations.
Along with her music, Sky has had a successful live theatre run. The lead in the Broadway play, Blood Brothers (1996 and 1998) at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Sky played the role of Mrs. Johnstone, the mother of seven children.
“The story was about a working class woman, whose husband left her when she got pregnant with her sixth kid, which were twin boys. A poor cleaning woman, she gave up one of the brothers to a wealthy woman. The twins, played by the (late) David Cassidy and (late) Michael Burgess, grew up on different sides of the tracks before actually meeting. It was what really launched my career,” Sky says.
Committed to giving back to personal causes, Sky has been an advocate for CAMH and the Mood Disorders Association. “I have been vocal about living with mood disorders, most notably postpartum depression, following the birth of both my kids,” Sky says.
THE BASICS
Creative Aging Books & Ideas hosts Amy Sky on February 23, 2 p.m. EST
Register in advance for this must attend magical event:
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwude-tpjosHdcNk26lLUIPa1nnZRbY6ywJ
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Check upcoming Book Club virtual events at: Book Club Events (cecescott.com)
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Canadian musicians, Juno Awards 2023, Amy Sky, Canadian singer-songwriter, mental health, mood disorders, depression, LIV ON, creative aging books and ideas
