Information/Write-up
In 1965, Lynda Layne released “I Don’t Want to Go” backed with “I’m Your Pussycat” 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:
“Lynda Layne's newie ‘I Don’t Want To Go’ gets the nod from local teeners.”
— RPM Weekly, Nov. 15, 1965
“Lynda Layne SAYS ‘I DON’T WANT TO GO’ / ‘I’M YOUR PUSSYCAT’ MEANING THANKS DJ’s FOR GETTING MY NEW RECORD OFF TO A GREAT START.”
— RPM Weekly, Nov. 22, 1965
The label also issued a bilingual promotional sleeve, presenting Layne as “Canada’s Little Miss Dynamite” 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.
“She’s a polished seasoned performer that has something to say—and says it! It’s a real mover and very well done. The flip, ‘I’m Your Pussycat,’ is a delightful teen-aged up-tempo number that Lynda flies away with.”
— RCA Victor promo copy (1965)
With this release, Layne was no longer just a regional voice—she was now poised among the leading female pop acts in Canada, with national television exposure, major-label backing, and critical recognition including RPM’s “Most Promising Female Vocalist” award earlier that same year.
Born Hazel McKirdy in 1949 in Kitchener, Ontario, Lynda Layne emerged in the early 1960s as one of Canada’s most promising teen pop vocalists. At just 14 years old, she released her debut single in 1963 on Arc Records under her birth name—a cover of Skeeter Davis’s “End of the World” backed with “Mama Didn’t Lie.” 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 CBC’s Music Hop beginning in 1964 and appeared on programs like Juliette, Teen ’67, and CHCH-TV’s Jamboree. That same year, she was named “Most Promising Female Vocalist” by RPM Weekly—Canada’s 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-‘60s pop. As she matured, Layne took on more soulful and dramatic material, including the Tamarac-produced single “Hang On to Me Now Baby”, released in 1966 on Red Leaf Records. The track earned rave reviews from DJs and critics across the country and entered RPM’s national chart that December.
In 1967, Layne was once again recognized by RPM, winning “Most Promising Female Vocalist” a second time—outpacing 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 Toronto’s 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 “Most Peculiar Girl” b/w “Magnificent Out-Pouring”, issued by Nugget Records in Canada and later by Beacon Records in the UK. Though the collaboration was a one-off, it demonstrated Layne’s versatility and willingness to step outside of conventional pop formulas.
She returned in 1971 with a brassy, orchestrated version of the Rolling Stones’ “Out of Time,” released on Tuesday Records. The track stands as a bold reinterpretation—bringing a rich pop-soul sensibility to the Jagger-Richards original and further solidifying Layne’s vocal strength and stylistic range.
In 1979, Layne released one final single: “Love Is Suppose to Be” backed with “The Best I Can”, 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 Pickering–Ajax region of Ontario. Though she never released a full-length LP, her run of singles—from early teen ballads to soul-pop maturity—remains preserved through digitized archives and original 45s.
Today, Lynda Layne’s 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 pop—representing 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 Canada’s youngest recording artists. At three years old, she won her first talent contest… and that’s the way it’s 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 “Music Hop”. The response to her appearance led to her being a regular visitor on “Music Hop”. Lyna’s 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 Canada’s “Little Miss Dynamite”. Lynda is kept busy with TV work and is featured on weekly show (CHCH-TV “Jamboree”). She was rated by the Music Industry as “Canada’s Most Promising Female Singer for 1964” (RPM Awards). On her new single I DON’T WANT TO GO Lynda really shows her stuff. She’s a polished season performer that has something to say and says it! It’s a real mover and very well done. The flip, I’M 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 l’une des plus jeunes artistes à se produire sur disques, au Canada. Elle remporta les honneurs, à l’âge de trois ans déjà à un premier concours de talent et cela se continue. À l’âge de 13 ans, elle gravait 3 disques dont 2 ont atteint le palmarès des 10 plus grande succès au Canada. Elle a paru au “Jimmy Dean Show” et au “Grand Ole Opry” de Nashville. La même année, elle fut sollicitée par les postes de radio et de télévision canadiens pour prendre part à une nouvelle série qui devint par la suite, le spectacle télévisé 1 au très populaire “Music Hop”. À la suite de l’excellente réception lors de sa représentation, elle devint une habituée du “Music Hop”, un programme de TV pour les jeunes. La préférence que Lynda professe pour le “rhythm and blues” ainsi que pour le populaire l’on menée à remplir de nombreux engagements aux programmes pour la jeunesse par tout le Canada. La puissance d’expression, la chaleur et la fraîcheur qui se dégagent de sa personnalité, lui ont valu le titre bien mérité de la petite “Mademoiselle Dynamite” canadienne. Lynda a beaucoup affaire dans le domaine télévisé, elle est en vedette au spectacle hebdomadaire “Jamboree” au canal CHCH-TV. Elle fut considérée comme “La chanteuse plus apte à réussir au Canada en 1964” (Hommage décerné par RPM). Lynda est à son meilleur dans le numéro I DON’T WANT TO GO, elle a de l’assurance et de la classe. Un disque émouvant et très bien fait. À l’endos, I’M YOUR PUSSYCAT est une sélection dans le goût de la jeunesse que Lynda interprète avec entrain. Écoutez attentivement la jolie Lynda Layne. Le disque vous parviendra dans une pochette spéciale.
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