Carole Pope | |
|---|---|
 Carole Pope performing in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Carole Ann Pope |
| Born | 6 August 1950 Manchester, England |
| Origin | Scarborough, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Rock, Electronic |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Singing |
| Website | carolepope |
Carole Ann Pope (born 6 August 1950)[1] is a British-born Canadian rock singer-songwriter, whose provocative blend of hard-edged new wave rock with explicit homoerotic and BDSM-themed lyrics made her one of the first openly lesbian entertainers to achieve mainstream fame.
Pope was born on 6 August 1950[2] in the rural outskirts of Manchester in England. She was the oldest of four children born to Jack Pope, a salesperson, a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain,[3] and a circus stilt walker, and to Celia, a music hall performer. Pope grew up with two sisters, Diane and Elaine, and a brother, Howard.[4] At the age of five, Pope emigrated with her parents to Montreal.[5] After a couple of years there, the family moved to the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, Ontario.[6] She studied at Cedarbrae Collegiate Institute.[7]
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Main article: Rough Trade (band) |
Pope met her longtime musical partner Kevan Staples at a band audition in Scarborough. In 1968, they began performing together as a duo in Yorkville, which was Toronto's live music and arts district at the time.[8] In 1970, they adopted the name O, changing it to The Bullwhip Brothers the following year.
In 1975, Pope and Staples recruited several backup musicians and formed the band Rough Trade. Pope often performed in black leather pants and bondage attire.[9] The band's first album, Rough Trade Live, was produced by Jack Richardson.[9]
Whilst with Rough Trade, Pope sang backup vocals on Murray McLauchlan's album Into a Mystery,[10] in 1980, and would go on to win the Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist in 1981 and subsequently the Juno Award for Best Female Vocalist in 1982 and 1983.[11]
Rough Trade released their first studio album, Avoid Freud, and also made an appearance in the Canadian horror film, Deadline, in 1980. They would win a Genie Award[11] and four gold and two platinum records as the decade progressed. She and Kevan Staples co-wrote the 1983 single "Transformation" along with the track "Design for Living", for singer/songwriter Nona Hendryx's second studio album, Nona.[12] Pope also appeared as a guest vocalist on the Payola$ single "Never Said I Loved You," which was a top 10 hit in 1983. She would team up again with Payola$ founder Paul Hyde to sing the duet "My Brilliant Career" on his album Living Off the Radar in 2000. She also sang the role of Primavera Nicholson in the COC production of R. Murray Schafer's Patria I in November 1987.[13]
Although Rough Trade did not record or perform extensively after its final Deep Six in '86 tour, they did not officially break up until 1988. Since breaking up, the band has had numerous reunions, and in 2022, Rough Trade - The Musical, a musical based on the band's music (and the life of Pope's late brother, Howard), debuted at Joe's Pub, in Manhattan.[14]
After Rough Trade disbanded, Pope released her debut solo single in 1988, which was a cover of The Flirtations' 1968 soul hit, Nothing but a Heartache. The B-side was her self-penned song, I'm Not Blind. She relocated to Los Angeles in 1989 to pursue opportunities in soundtrack work and acting, and produced the soundtrack for The Silencer, a thriller movie directed by Amy Goldstein, which was released in 1992.
In 1995, Pope announced she was no longer living in Los Angeles. That same year, she released her debut EP, Radiate, featuring drummer Jack Irons. A music video was produced to promote the EP's third track, Kiss The Ground.[15] Pope also starred in the cabaret, Quiet Please, There's a Bitter, Petulant Diva on Stage, at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre.[16] In 1997, Pope provided the voice for the schoolteacher in the animated version of Pippi Longstocking, and in 1999 playwright Bryden MacDonald staged Shaking the Foundations, a musical revue based on the music of Rough Trade.
In 2000, Random House published Pope's autobiography, Anti Diva.[17][6] The book included Pope's first public acknowledgement that she had been in a relationship with British singer Dusty Springfield in the early 1980s.[18][19][20] That year she and Staples contributed a track to the Dusty Springfield tribute album Forever Dusty: Homage to an Icon.[21][22] Anti Diva also revealed fleeting 1970s dalliances with comic actress Andrea Martin and music producer Bob Ezrin. Years later, Pope discussed attending Dusty Springfield's funeral where she spent time with the Pet Shop Boys, amongst other notables.[23]
Soon afterwards, Pope re-recorded the Rough Trade single "High School Confidential" for the Queer as Folk season 1 soundtrack and appeared in the Toronto production of The Vagina Monologues in 2001. She would then move to New York City to continue writing and recording.[5] In 2005, 21 years after her last EP, Pope returned to Los Angeles and released Transcend, her debut full-length solo album.[24]
In 2011, Pope released Landfall, her second full-length album, featuring a duet with Rufus Wainwright.[24] That year she also was a guest vocalist on the album The Hills Are Alive by the Brooklyn Rundfunk Orkestrata.[25]
Pope is an ambassador for the Harvey Milk School in New York City[26] and a board director for the Songwriters Association of Canada. In 2015, Pope signed with Squirtgun Records (distributed by eOne Entertainment) to re-release the Music for Lesbians EP on 23 June 2015.[27]
On 22 September 2017, Pope released the single, This Is Not A Test.[28] An accompanying music video, directed by Jasun Mark, was released on 8 May 2018.[29] Later that same year, Pope collaborated with keyboardist Kevin Hearn to release the single, Resist It, on 22 October 2018.,[30] which was later accompanied by a music video directed by Phillip Harder.[31] A third single, I'm There, produced in collaboration with Spoons' keyboardist Rob Preuss, was released the following year.
In 2021, Pope released a song in collaboration with Ottawa band, Church of Trees, World's A Bitch, and later that year released Speaking In Code, a single produced alongside Canadian performer, Clara Venice. Venice had previously contributed Theremin to Pope's 2017 single, This Is Not A Test.[32]
Pope was a guest judge on the third season of Canada's Drag Race.[33]
On 21 July 2023, it was announced that a documentary based on Pope's autobiography is in development. The documentary is titled Anti Diva: The Carole Pope Confessions and is being funded by The Canada Media Fund. The Gay Agenda production company is responsible for producing the documentary.[34]
Pope resided in New York as of 2020[update].[35]
In March 2018, Pope was forced to cancel a Toronto performance after suffering a fractured ankle.[36] She later cancelled all Summer performances that same year after she experienced mobility issues whilst touring, and was diagnosed with spinal stenosis. She underwent surgery[37] and a fundraiser was created via GoFundMe to cover her living expenses.[38]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Dangerous Offender: The Marlene Moore Story | Bar Patron | TV movie |
| 1997 | Pippi Longstocking | Teacher | Film |
| 1998 | Elimination Dance | Partner of woman whose urine sample is lost in the mail | Short |
| 2009 | Suck | Club Bouncer | Film |
