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Sass Jordan

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Sass Jordan
Jordan performing in 2010
Jordan performing in 2010
Background information
Born
Sarah Jordan

23 December 1960[1]
Birmingham, England
OriginMontreal, Quebec, Canada
Died2 October 2026(2026-10-02) (aged 65)
GenreRock
Occupations
  • Singer
  • actress
  • television personality
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • bass guitar
Years active1982–2026
Labels
Spouse
Derek Sharp
Websitesassjordan.com

Sarah "Sass" Jordan (23 December 1960 – 2 October 2026) was a Canadian rock singer. Her first single, "Tell Somebody," from her debut album of the same title, won the Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist in 1989. Based on her 1992 album Racine she was Billboard's top female rock artist of the year for 1992. Subsequently, she was nominated three more times for Juno Awards. Her 2020 album Rebel Moon Blues hit number five on the Billboard Blues chart. Outside of the music industry, she also acted in television roles. For six seasons, she was a judge on the Canadian Idol television show, until she returned to her music career exclusively in 2009. Her 2023 live album, based upon her 1994 tour with Taylor Hawkins on drums, called Live in New York Ninety-Four, was her final release. She abruptly stopped touring in September 2026 due to undisclosed medical issues, less than a month before her death.

Early life

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Jordan was born in Birmingham, England on 23 December 1960,[2] to French literary professor Albert Jordan and English former ballerina Jean Lanceman.[3] When Jordan was three years old, her father moved the family from France to Canada, to take a position as a professor at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec.[4]

In her early teens, Jordan regularly sang and played guitar with a group of friends in Westmount Park.[5] By the age of 16, Sass Jordan began performing with bands at clubs in downtown Montreal, eventually becoming a vocalist/bassist for high-profile local band The Pinups.[6] In 1986, Jordan made her recording debut on the Bündock album Mauve as co-lead vocalist on the song "Come On (Baby Tonight)".[7] She soon began working as a session vocalist for other Montreal-based acts, notably for the Box, including on their breakthrough hit "L'Affaire Dumoutier (Say To Me...)".[8] Jordan appeared as a vocalist in the music video for The Box song "Closer Together", although the vocals were recorded by Martine St. Clair. Local acts began recording songs written by Jordan, including the Canadian hit single "Rain" by Michael Breen, which was featured on his 1987 self-titled album.[9]

Musical influences

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Jordan was first inspired to pursue music after hearing The Band's 1969 track "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" on the radio. Jordan's parents only had classical music in the house, and she described hearing The Band on the radio as a "revelation." She cited Rod Stewart, Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne, David Bowie, Tears For Fears, Anthrax, and American soul singer Al Green as among her musical influences.[10] She said that her biggest influences were males singers such as Steven Tyler, Robert Palmer and Paul Rodgers.[11]

Recording career

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Early career: 1988–1995

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Jordan's debut album, Tell Somebody, was released in 1988 on Atlantic Records, featuring the Canadian chart hit singles "Tell Somebody", "Double Trouble," "Stranger Than Paradise," and "So Hard." "They played the "Tell Somebody" video on Much Music a lot," said Jordan. "I remember going in two weeks from relative obscurity to being recognized as the girl in the video." During the 1988–89 chart run of "So Hard," Jordan was also represented on the Canadian charts with her remake of the 1965 R&B classic "Rescue Me," which had been recorded for the soundtrack of the film American Boyfriends.[8] As a result of her quick rise to fame, Jordan relocated from Montreal to Los Angeles in January 1990 to try breaking into the American music market.[12]

Jordan's second album, Racine, was released in 1992 on MCA Records. Recorded in Los Angeles, Racine is Jordan's highest-selling album, with global sales estimated at 450,000 copies,[13] and yielded the Canadian hit singles "Make You a Believer,"[14] "I Want to Believe," "You Don't Have to Remind Me," and "Goin' Back Again." "Make You a Believer" and "I Want to Believe" were ranked on Billboard magazine's Mainstream Rock chart.[8] Racine has sold 100,000 copies in Canada.[15]

In 1992, Jordan recorded the duet "Trust in Me" with Joe Cocker for the motion picture The Bodyguard, after star Kevin Costner heard Jordan on his car radio. The soundtrack album for The Bodyguard would sell in excess of 45 million copies worldwide.[13]

In 1994, Sass Jordan released Rats which she cited as her favourite album. Rats yielded Jordan's first song on the Billboard Hot 100 with the single "Sun's Gonna Rise." However, Rats failed to build on the momentum of Racine, and Jordan subsequently was dropped from the MCA Records roster.[8] Jordan then began recording for Aquarius Records, acquiescing to the label's request for a more mainstream sound for the albums Present (1997) and Hot Gossip (2000). "Those are probably my least favourite records," said Jordan. "I think there are some great songs, I just don't like the production at all."[16]

Later career: 2006–2026

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Jordan's success as a judge on Canadian Idol encouraged her to return to recording in 2006.[17] She recorded the Get What You Give album in the Nashville, with Colin Linden serving as the producer.[17] Guest artists on the album included bassist Garry Tallent (of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band), drummers Ken Coomer (Uncle Tupelo, Wilco) and Bryan Owings (Shelby Lynne), guitarist Audley Freed (The Black Crowes) and keyboardist Richard Bell (The Band, Janis Joplin).[18] In 2009, she released the album From Dusk 'til Dawn.[19]

During the early 2010s, Jordan formed the group S.U.N.(which stands for Something Unto Nothing) featuring Brian Tichy and Michael Devin of Whitesnake, and Tommy Stewart.[20] S.U.N. began when Jordan reunited with Tichy at his Santa Clarita home studio to write songs. Something Unto Nothing marked the first collaboration between Jordan and Tichy since Rats.[21] "Burned" was the first song that Jordan and Tichy wrote together for the project, which soon evolved into a full album S.U.N.: Something Unto Nothing.[20] The self-titled debut album was released on 12 February 2013.[20] It was remastered with bonus tracks in 2026.[21]

Racine turned 25 in 2017, and Jordan released Racine Revisited featuring reimagined versions of the songs from the original 1992 album.[22] In an interview with online magazine Riveting Riffs, Jordan stated she was not interested in making it sound like it was recorded in the contemporary style of 2017, but to reimagine it as if it were recorded in 1975.[11]

On 13 March 2020, Jordan released Rebel Moon Blues, her first blues album.[23] Released on the Stoney Plain Records label, the album features covers of blues classics, as well as the original "The Key."[24] It debuted at number five on the Billboard Blues Album Chart on 28 March 2020.[25] Rebel Moon Blues was critically acclaimed upon release, with American Blues Scene writing that her voice aged well , "Like fine wine, it's improved over the years."[23]

Her second blues album called Bitches Blues, featuring the song "Still Alive and Well", was released on 3 June 2022.[26]

In April 2023, Sass Jordan's live album, featuring Taylor Hawkins on drums in 1994, became available on streaming and vinyl pre-orders. The album was called Live in New York Ninety-Four.[3]

Other projects

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Jordan enjoyed a successful acting career in theatre and television. Jordan played the lead role of Janis Joplin in the off-Broadway hit Love, Janis in 2001,[8] and performed in the Toronto and Winnipeg productions of The Vagina Monologues.[8] Jordan guest starred in the 1990s family-drama Sisters.[15] She served as a judge on all six seasons of Canadian Idol, from 2003 to 2008.[15] In 2019, Jordan joined A Bowie Celebration: The David Bowie Alumni Tour. Led by Mike Garson, Bowie's keyboard player for forty years, the one-of-a-kind roving tribute to David Bowie features Bowie's past bandmates.[24]

She ventured into the world of alcohol and spirits in 2019 with Rebel Moon Whiskey.[27] It is a blended Canadian whisky by Dixon Distilleries and Kick Ass Sass Wine (from Vineland Estates Winery, in the Niagara Region).[28]

Personal life

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In the early 1990s, Sass Jordan toured with Taylor Hawkins, who later gained fame as the drummer for the Foo Fighters. Of Jordan, Hawkins said, "Sass taught me how to be in a rock and roll band and gave me my first rock and roll check." On 9 July 2015, Jordan was reunited with Hawkins when she joined Foo Fighters on stage in Toronto to cover "Stay with Me" by Faces. Before the performance, Dave Grohl said, "If it weren't for Sass Jordan, Taylor Hawkins wouldn't be in Foo Fighters."[29] Jordan was married to musician Derek Sharp; they had one daughter.[17]

Death

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In September 2026, she cancelled her remaining tour dates and stepped away from professional commitments due to an undisclosed medical condition.[3] Soon after, Jordan died on 2 October 2026, at the age of 65.[2]

Honours

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Jordan was the recipient of the Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year in 1989, and was nominated for Best Female Vocalist in 1990, 1993, and 1995.[30] Billboard magazine listed Jordan as the Top Female Rock Artist of the Year in 1992.[14] In 2012, Jordan was appointed honorary colonel of 417 Combat Support Squadron,[31] an appointment she held until Glen Suitor's appointment in August 2016.[32][33]

Discography

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Studio albums

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Title Details[26] Peak chart positions
US US
Heat		 Billboard Blues Albums
Tell Somebody — —
Racine
  • Release date: 31 March 1992
  • Label: MCA Records
  • Formats: CD
 174 2
Rats 158 5
Present — —
Hot Gossip
  • Release date: 12 December 2000
  • Label: Aquarius Records
  • Formats: CD
 — —
Get What You Give — —
From Dusk 'Til Dawn
  • Release date: 15 September 2009
  • Label: Kindling Music
  • Formats: CD
 — —
Racine Revisited — —
Rebel Moon Blues — — 5
Bitches Blues — — 15
Details sourced from Sass Jordan's official website.[26]
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

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Year Title Chart Positions Album
CAN CAN AC US US AC US
Main
1988 "Tell Somebody" 11 — — — — Tell Somebody
1989 "Double Trouble" 12[34] — — — —
"Stranger Than Paradise" 37[35] — — — —
"So Hard" 41[36] — — — —
"Rescue Me" 44[37] — — — — American Boyfriends (soundtrack)
1992 "Make You a Believer" 12[38] — — — 11 Racine
"I Want to Believe" 16[39] 20 — — —
"You Don't Have to Remind Me" 15[40] — — — 12
"Goin' Back Again" 14[41] — — — —
1993 "Who Do You Think You Are" 37 — — — —
1994 "High Road Easy" 9[42] — — — 6 Rats
"Sun's Gonna Rise" 7[43] — 86 36 —
"I'm Not" 47[44] — — — —
1997 "Do What I Can" 20 6 — — — Present
1998 "Desire" 12[45] — — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country.

References

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  1. ↑ "Sass Jordan Obituary | In Memoriam Funeral Services | Grand Valley, ON". Tribute Archive. Memoriam Funeral Services Inc. Archived from the original on 4 October 2026. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  2. 1 2 CP Staff (4 October 2026). "Montreal-raised Juno-award-winning singer Sass Jordan dies at 65". CityNews. Toronto: Rogers Communications. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 Pecar, Steve (3 October 2026). "Canadian rock icon Sass Jordan has reportedly died at age 63". Insauga. Mississauga, Ontario. Archived from the original on 4 October 2026. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  4. ↑ "INTERVIEW WITH SASS JORDAN". 2 November 2017. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  5. ↑ "Sass Jordan – The Queen of Canadian Rock – Montreal Times – Montreal's English Weekly Newspaper". mtltimes.ca. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  6. ↑ "Sass Jordan keeps the train rollin' [interview]". Thebluesalone.nl. 28 July 2016. Archived from the original on 3 February 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  7. ↑ Blabber Staff (4 October 2026). "Canadian rock singer Sass Jordan dies". Blabbermouth.net. Pasadena, California: Borivoj Krgin. Archived from the original on 4 October 2026. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Maclean, Steve (27 March 2014). "Sass Jordan". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Toronto: Historica Canada. Archived from the original on 28 May 2025. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  9. ↑ Abramovitch, Ingrid (25 January 1989). "Sassy singer finally a hit"". Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa: Southam Inc. p. D12. ISSN 0839-3222. Retrieved 4 October 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Sass Jordan Interview". Guitarhoo!. Guitarhoo.com. 2008. Archived from the original on 6 June 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  11. 1 2 Montague, Joe (17 December 2017). "Sass Jordan Racine Revisited". Riveting Riffs Magazine. Archived from the original on 18 August 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  12. ↑ Doole, Kerry (4 October 2020). "RIP Sass Jordan, Acclaimed Canadian Blues-Rock Singer and 'Canadian Idol' Judge". Billboard. New York: Penske Media Corporation. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on 4 October 2026. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  13. 1 2 Head, Bruce (7 August 2015). "Renaissance rocker Sass Jordan comes to Peterborough". kawarthaNOW. Peterborough, Ontario: A Quid Novis Production. Archived from the original on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  14. 1 2 Berry, David; Tucker, Rebecca (14 March 2015). "You oughta Juno: What happened to those artists voted most likely to succeed? Part 2 — 1986 — 1999". National Post. Toronto: Postmedia Network. ISSN 1486-8008. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  15. 1 2 3 Head, Bruce (4 October 2026). "Canadian rock singer Sass Jordan dies at 63, less than three months after Peterborough Musicfest performance". kawarthaNOW. Peterborough, Ontario: A Quid Novis Production. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  16. ↑ "Sass Jordan Makes No Bones About Career". Cambridgetimes.ca. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  17. 1 2 3 Rockingham, Graham (27 June 2007). "Sass Jordan Rewinds to Her Rock Roots". Hamilton Spectator. Hamilton, Ontario: Torstar. p. Go14. ISSN 1189-9417. Retrieved 4 October 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ Greenway, Kathryn (9 November 2006). "Jordan prefers judging Idols than being one". The Gazette. Montreal: CanWest. p. D6. ISSN 0384-1294. Retrieved 4 October 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ Kidd, Steve (13 November 2009). "Still rocking after all these years". Penticton Western News. Penticton, British Columbia. p. 10. Retrieved 4 October 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. 1 2 3 Derrough, Leslie Michele (17 February 2013). [ttps://glidemagazine.com/22708/sass-jordan/ "Sass Jordan Creates 'Something Unto Nothing' (INTERVIEW)"]. glide Magazine]. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
  21. 1 2 Barber, Jim (2 March 2026). "Something Unto Nothing reissue their debut album remastered, expanded and on vinyl for the first time". Music Life Magazine. Archived from the original on 5 October 2026. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
  22. ↑ Rellinger, Paul (24 October 2017). "Sass Jordan has plenty left in the tank and is revving to go". kawarthaNOW. Peterborough, Ontario: A Quid Novis Production. Archived from the original on 19 November 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  23. 1 2 Nash, JD (22 January 2020). "Sass Jordan Rocks the 'Rebel Moon Blues'". American Blues Scene. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  24. 1 2 3 PW Staff (5 March 2020). "Canadian rocker Sass Jordan celebrates her first-ever blues album; also singing in Bowie Celebration at the Rose Friday". Pasadena Weekly. South Pasadena, California: Southland Publishing. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  25. ↑ "Blues Albums Chart, Week of March 28, 2020". Billboard. New York: Penske Media Corporation. 28 March 2020. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  26. 1 2 3 "Discography". Sass Jordan Official Website. Archived from the original on 4 October 2026. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  27. ↑ Rubinoff, Joel (18 July 2023). "Sass Jordan heads 'Wayback' for Kitchener rock fest". Waterloo Region Record. Waterloo, Ontario: Torstar. ISSN 1917-7461. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  28. ↑ Brownstein, Bill (8 February 2019). "Rocker Sass Jordan enters rarified world of wine — not so subtly". Montreal Gazette. Postmedia Network. ISSN 0384-1294. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  29. ↑ "Sass Jordan/Foo Fighters – YouTube". YouTube. 12 October 2016. Archived from the original on 27 March 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  30. ↑ Juno Artist Profiles – Sass Jordan Archived 5 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved from JunoAwards.ca on 25 January 2016
  31. ↑ Guly, Christopher (31 August 2012). "Sass Jordan made honorary colonel along with host of celebrities welcomed into the ranks of the Canadian Forces". National Post. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  32. ↑ Ip, Célina (2 September 2015). "New batch of honorary colonels proud to represent squadrons". Cold Lake Sun. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  33. ↑ "Mr. Glen Suitor". Royal Canadian Air Force. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  34. ↑ "Top Singles – Volume 50, No. 6" (PDF). Library and Archives Canada. RPM. 5 June 1989. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  35. ↑ "Top Singles – Volume 50, No. 22" (PDF). Library and Archives Canada. RPM. 25 September 1989. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  36. ↑ "Top Singles – Volume 51, No. 11" (PDF). Library and Archives Canada. RPM. 27 January 1990. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  37. ↑ "Top Singles – Volume 51, No. 8" (PDF). Library and Archives Canada. RPM. 23 December 1989. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  38. ↑ "Top Singles – Volume 55, No. 16" (PDF). Library and Archives Canada. RPM. 18 April 1992. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  39. ↑ "Top Singles – Volume 56, No. 1" (PDF). Library and Archives Canada. RPM. 7 April 1992. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  40. ↑ "Top Singles – Volume 56, No. 15" (PDF). Library and Archives Canada. RPM. 10 October 1992. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  41. ↑ "Top Singles – Volume 57, No. 2" (PDF). Library and Archives Canada. RPM. 23 January 1993. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  42. ↑ "Top Singles – Volume 59, No. 10" (PDF). Library and Archives Canada. RPM. 28 March 1994. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  43. ↑ "Top Singles – Volume 60, No. 7" (PDF). Library and Archives Canada. RPM. 5 September 1994. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  44. ↑ "Top Singles – Volume 60, No. 25" (PDF). Library and Archives Canada. RPM. 23 January 1995. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  45. ↑ "Top Singles – Volume 67, No. 5 (4)" (PDF). Library and Archives Canada. RPM. 27 April 1998. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
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