Information/Write-up
In 1965, Lynda Layne released âI Donât Want to Goâ backed with âIâm Your Pussycatâ on RCA Victor International. The single was produced in Toronto by Jim Darra and featured The Charmaines and The Regents on backing vocals. It marked her move to a major label and showcased her continued development as a performer, with a richer pop-soul production style than her earlier Tartan material.
The single received enthusiastic support in RPM Weekly, including regional DJ endorsement:
âLynda Layne's newie âI Donât Want To Goâ gets the nod from local teeners.â
â RPM Weekly, Nov. 15, 1965
âLynda Layne SAYS âI DONâT WANT TO GOâ / âIâM YOUR PUSSYCATâ MEANING THANKS DJâs FOR GETTING MY NEW RECORD OFF TO A GREAT START.â
â RPM Weekly, Nov. 22, 1965
The label also issued a bilingual promotional sleeve, presenting Layne as âCanadaâs Little Miss Dynamiteâ and highlighting her early start in show business, TV appearances on Music Hop, Jamboree, and even claims of performances on the Grand Ole Opry and Jimmy Dean Show. While some of this promotional copy may be embellished, it reflects how RCA aimed to position Layne nationally in 1965.
âSheâs a polished seasoned performer that has something to sayâand says it! Itâs a real mover and very well done. The flip, âIâm Your Pussycat,â is a delightful teen-aged up-tempo number that Lynda flies away with.â
â RCA Victor promo copy (1965)
With this release, Layne was no longer just a regional voiceâshe was now poised among the leading female pop acts in Canada, with national television exposure, major-label backing, and critical recognition including RPMâs âMost Promising Female Vocalistâ award earlier that same year.
Born Hazel McKirdy in 1949 in Kitchener, Ontario, Lynda Layne emerged in the early 1960s as one of Canadaâs most promising teen pop vocalists. At just 14 years old, she released her debut single in 1963 on Arc Records under her birth nameâa cover of Skeeter Davisâs âEnd of the Worldâ backed with âMama Didnât Lie.â These recordings, though modest in reach, hinted at a budding star with poise well beyond her years.
Soon adopting the stage name Lynda Layne, she quickly found her footing in the Canadian music scene through television. She became a regular on CBCâs Music Hop beginning in 1964 and appeared on programs like Juliette, Teen â67, and CHCH-TVâs Jamboree. That same year, she was named âMost Promising Female Vocalistâ by RPM WeeklyâCanadaâs premier music industry journal.
Her early recordings with labels like Tartan and RCA Victor International helped define her sound: bright, emotionally honest, and perfectly suited to the melodic contours of early-â60s pop. As she matured, Layne took on more soulful and dramatic material, including the Tamarac-produced single âHang On to Me Now Babyâ, released in 1966 on Red Leaf Records. The track earned rave reviews from DJs and critics across the country and entered RPMâs national chart that December.
In 1967, Layne was once again recognized by RPM, winning âMost Promising Female Vocalistâ a second timeâoutpacing other rising stars like Debbie Lori Kaye. She remained a fixture in the Canadian teen scene, touring with the Bigland Agency, performing at teen dances and exhibitions from Edmonton to the Maritimes, and receiving consistent airplay from stations like Torontoâs CKFH, which listed her among the core of their Canadian talent programming.
In 1969, she briefly teamed up with singer Larry Lee to record the quirky and theatrical duet âMost Peculiar Girlâ b/w âMagnificent Out-Pouringâ, issued by Nugget Records in Canada and later by Beacon Records in the UK. Though the collaboration was a one-off, it demonstrated Layneâs versatility and willingness to step outside of conventional pop formulas.
She returned in 1971 with a brassy, orchestrated version of the Rolling Stonesâ âOut of Time,â released on Tuesday Records. The track stands as a bold reinterpretationâbringing a rich pop-soul sensibility to the Jagger-Richards original and further solidifying Layneâs vocal strength and stylistic range.
In 1979, Layne released one final single: âLove Is Suppose to Beâ backed with âThe Best I Canâ, issued on Sound Path Records (SP-015). The single was produced at Zaza Sound in Toronto and was co-written by Nancy Ryan and Louie Innis.
After stepping away from music, she resumed life under her birth name and established a successful career in real estate in the PickeringâAjax region of Ontario. Though she never released a full-length LP, her run of singlesâfrom early teen ballads to soul-pop maturityâremains preserved through digitized archives and original 45s.
Today, Lynda Layneâs music can be heard and explored in depth at CitizenFreak.com, the Museum of Canadian Music, where her full catalog, scans, and credits are maintained. Her legacy is that of a trailblazer in Canadian popârepresenting a generation of homegrown talent that flourished in the first great wave of national music broadcasting and teenage stardom.
-Robert Williston
Petite and lovely Lynda Layne at fifteen is one of Canadaâs youngest recording artists. At three years old, she won her first talent contest⊠and thatâs the way itâs been going ever since. When she turned 13, she cut three records, two of which reached Top Ten charts in many parts of Canada. She has appeared on Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and on the Jimmy Dean Show. In the same year, she was asked by CBC-TV to be in a pilot show for a new series, which became the first show of the highly successful âMusic Hopâ. The response to her appearance led to her being a regular visitor on âMusic Hopâ. Lynaâs preference to Rhythm & Blues and pop have taken her to many teen hops throughout Canada where her warm personality and magnetic projection have rightly earned her the nickname of Canadaâs âLittle Miss Dynamiteâ. Lynda is kept busy with TV work and is featured on weekly show (CHCH-TV âJamboreeâ). She was rated by the Music Industry as âCanadaâs Most Promising Female Singer for 1964â (RPM Awards). On her new single I DONâT WANT TO GO Lynda really shows her stuff. Sheâs a polished season performer that has something to say and says it! Itâs a real mover and very well done. The flip, IâM YOUR PUSSYCAT is a delightful teen-aged up-tempo number that Lynda flies away with. How about giving a listen to lovely Lynda Layne. Record will ship in a special sleeve.
Elle est petite, elle est jolie et elle a quinze ans. Lynda Layne est lâune des plus jeunes artistes Ă se produire sur disques, au Canada. Elle remporta les honneurs, Ă lâĂąge de trois ans dĂ©jĂ Ă un premier concours de talent et cela se continue. Ă lâĂąge de 13 ans, elle gravait 3 disques dont 2 ont atteint le palmarĂšs des 10 plus grande succĂšs au Canada. Elle a paru au âJimmy Dean Showâ et au âGrand Ole Opryâ de Nashville. La mĂȘme annĂ©e, elle fut sollicitĂ©e par les postes de radio et de tĂ©lĂ©vision canadiens pour prendre part Ă une nouvelle sĂ©rie qui devint par la suite, le spectacle tĂ©lĂ©visĂ© 1 au trĂšs populaire âMusic Hopâ. Ă la suite de lâexcellente rĂ©ception lors de sa reprĂ©sentation, elle devint une habituĂ©e du âMusic Hopâ, un programme de TV pour les jeunes. La prĂ©fĂ©rence que Lynda professe pour le ârhythm and bluesâ ainsi que pour le populaire lâon menĂ©e Ă remplir de nombreux engagements aux programmes pour la jeunesse par tout le Canada. La puissance dâexpression, la chaleur et la fraĂźcheur qui se dĂ©gagent de sa personnalitĂ©, lui ont valu le titre bien mĂ©ritĂ© de la petite âMademoiselle Dynamiteâ canadienne. Lynda a beaucoup affaire dans le domaine tĂ©lĂ©visĂ©, elle est en vedette au spectacle hebdomadaire âJamboreeâ au canal CHCH-TV. Elle fut considĂ©rĂ©e comme âLa chanteuse plus apte Ă rĂ©ussir au Canada en 1964â (Hommage dĂ©cernĂ© par RPM). Lynda est Ă son meilleur dans le numĂ©ro I DONâT WANT TO GO, elle a de lâassurance et de la classe. Un disque Ă©mouvant et trĂšs bien fait. Ă lâendos, IâM YOUR PUSSYCAT est une sĂ©lection dans le goĂ»t de la jeunesse que Lynda interprĂšte avec entrain. Ăcoutez attentivement la jolie Lynda Layne. Le disque vous parviendra dans une pochette spĂ©ciale.
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