Birth name William Amesbury Years active 1970s–present | Name Barbra Amesbury Role Singer-songwriter | |
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Occupation(s) Philanthropist, singer-songwriter, composer, filmmaker Albums Jus' a Taste of the Kid, Can You Feel It Nominations Jack Richardson Producer of the Year Award Similar People James Collins, Ken Tobias, Gary and Dave, Dr Music, Joey Gregorash | ||
James Collins - Do You Mind If We Talk About Bill? (STEREO VERSION)
Barbra Amesbury (born 1948 in Kirkland Lake, Ontario) is a Canadian philanthropist, singer-songwriter, composer and filmmaker, who had several Top 40 hits in Canada in the 1970s as Bill Amesbury before coming out as transsexual. Amesbury is the long-time partner of Canadian philanthropist Joan Chalmers.
Contents
- James Collins Do You Mind If We Talk About Bill STEREO VERSION
- All Tracks Barbra Amesbury
- Music
- Filmmaking and art
- Discography
- References
All Tracks - Barbra Amesbury
Music
Amesbury's biggest hit was "Virginia (Touch Me Like You Do)", which was also the first single (1974) to be released on the Casablanca Records label. The song was written by Amesbury.
"Can You Feel It" was also a minor hit in 1976. Amesbury's "Nothin' But a Fool" has been covered by Natalie Cole, and "A Thrill's a Thrill" was recorded in 1979 by Long John Baldry and covered by Mitch Ryder with Marianne Faithfull and John Cougar.
In 1976 and 1977, Amesbury produced "No Charge" by J.J. Barrie, which became a number one hit in England. In 1999, "Virginia" was given an award by SOCAN to mark 100,000 spins on Canadian radio stations.
In 2002, James Collins and Dave Pickell released the single "Do You Mind If We Talk About Bill?", which was written about Amesbury.
Filmmaking and art
In 1994, Amesbury and her partner Joan Chalmers organized an art exhibition called Survivors, In Search of a Voice: The Art of Courage, using the stories of breast cancer survivors to inspire 24 women artists to create works of art aimed at raising awareness of breast cancer. The exhibition toured throughout North America from 1995 to 1998, accompanied by a companion book. Amesbury also shot a documentary film of the tour.
In 2006 and 2007, her documentary film The G8 is Coming...The G8 is Coming was an official selection of the Rome International Film Festival, the Ashville Film Festival, the Atlanta Film Festival, the Southern Winds Film Festival, and the Dixie Film Festival.
Amesbury and Chalmers have provided support and donations to a variety of charities and organizations through their Woodlawn Arts Foundation.