Sass Jordan has been on her own since she was fourteen. If her fifteen year old daughter tries the same thing – God help her …
” The world is a different place than the 1970’s.” Says Sass. ” I moved out, wanted to be a singer and I never thought about asking my parents if they agreed on my decision. We all had our own plans and just went about them. Today, it is much more dangerous and I would be very upset if my daughter did what I did.”
Jordan would not be upset if her daughter wanted to sing ( she is currently enrolled in theatre at school), she just would not want her to make the same mistakes as she did. Sass believes that being naive is something which only disappears with age and experience. Jordan’s own lack of knowledge – certainly did not help her plight at a young age.
“I signed the worst record deal in the history of music …!” Laughs Jordan. “It was following my first record and I had just moved to L.A. Without going into details, let’s just say a lot more money was supposed to come my way. It didn’t!” Says the former denizen of Westmount,Qc.
Sass would be very calm and happy if her daughter became a physicist. It is a subject which interests the singer from S.U.N immensely and Jordan would love to see her only child immersed in the subject as profoundly as she is. If that were to happen and Sass’ child remained an actress as well, the younger Jordan would be an educated apple who has not fallen far from the family tree.
“I never thought of that …” Replies Sass. “My Mom was an actress and my Dad was a professor. I guess my daughter would become a perfect mixture of the two … That’s pretty cool !”
Sass’ parents split up around the same time she struck out on her own. Something Jordan’s daughter does not have to worry about …
“I met my husband Derek ( singer for the current formation of the Guess Who ) in 1995. “Says Jordan. “He was playing guitar in my band. We got married and had a baby right away. Both of us, being musicians – means we are always travelling at a moment’s notice. My daughter is used to it and Derek and I spend enough quality time together. We write songs and throw ideas back and forth.”
Jordan says she never brought her daughter on tour since it is an expensive option. Instead – her offspring was left with Derek or a family member and according to Sass; she is so blessed to have such a beautiful – well rounded kid.
“Sheryl Crow and people like her are big enough to be able to afford nannies and trailers when they are touring.” Says Jordan. ” I’m nowhere near their status. Most musicians struggle to get by – much the same as most people.”
Never have the husband and wife duo been together artistically more then on Jordan’s last solo project in 2009. The album; ‘From Dusk ’til Dawn’ included Derek Sharp ( aka Mr. Jordan), as a co -writer, guitar player and producer. It was a disc which did not chart high and Jordan maintains a simple explanation.
“Everything is digital these days and it’s easy to get lost out there. The internet makes things more accessIble and at the same time gives people a shorter attention span … I’m not making excuses, it is reality. There is good and bad in everything. The internet is no different.”
‘Different’ is something Sass experienced while living in L.A when she received a phone call from a fairly well known group of musicians …
It was 1997 and Alex Van Halen called. His brother Eddy, one of the greatest guitarists of all time, lived five minutes away and the pair of rockers invited Jordan over to ‘hang out ‘.
“I felt at first as if I was in a Salvador Dali painting.”Admits Jordan reflectively. “Van Halen were my childhood heroes and suddenly I was singing in their studio! It was surreal …” Sass knew Van Halen’s soundman and the brothers had heard her sing. They wanted to meet her and it was around the time they were trying to find a replacement for Sammy Hagar.
” We were playing all sorts of songs and just fooling around musically.”Says Sass. ” I started to think I was there only to get them beer and cigarettes. They would always send me because they couldn’t go out without being mobbed.”
Then – Jordan started to piece things together …
“I wondered to myself … Are these guys thinking of having a female singer to front their band? The idea seemed completely ridiculous in concept but feasible … So I asked them straight out – are you guys auctioning me for Van Halen …?”
The brothers’ non – verbal response was enough to complete Jordan’s query …
“It was funny …” Laughs Sass. ” They were behind the mixing board and all I could see was their eyes and the top of their heads. When I asked the question, both their eyebrows shot up a couple of inches and then they looked at each other with shock in their eyes. I knew I was right!”
Although extremely flattered, Jordan was not shy in offering her opinion on the matter …
” You gotta be fucking joking …?!’ I asked them. ‘Are you outta your minds? What are you thinking?!
The Van Halens would not admit to their master plan so Sass – later on, called up their manager and asked him what was going on …
“He says of course that’s what they are up to. They want a female singer!” Says Jordan. ” What did you tell them …? I asked. The manager agreed they were out of their fucking minds! We both thought they were nuts …” Laughs Sass.
One thing Sass remembers fondly from those ‘sessions’ is the tenderness Eddy displayed when the ‘light brown – turned blonde’ – haired singer sang the song ‘Do What I Can’ from her album Present. That song reached number twenty on the Canadian charts in 1997.
” Every time without fail – he would start to cry. He did not try to hide it and he would ask me to sing it all the time … It was very touching for me.”
Alex Van Halen is also the person who has helped Sass out the most as far as career advice goes. The drummer informing Sass to stand up for what she wants and making her realize she had more power than she thought.
All these years later, Jordan’s opinion of the subject has changed. She now thinks a female vocalist in the band responsible for the hit songs ‘Running with the Devil’ and ‘Jump’, may have been an interesting and potentially good idea. Regardless if the vocalist had been her or not …
The funniest and somewhat odd thing which has happened so far in Jordan’s career is her duet with Joe Cocker. Something which came about because Kevin Costner was listening to the radio.
“Costner co- starred with Whitney Houston in the movie; The Bodyguard.” Explains Sass. ” They already picked Cocker as one singer for the song ‘Trust in Me’ and they were on the lookout for someone to do the duet with him. Costner was driving in his car one day and he heard me on the radio. ‘That’s the voice I want’ he apparently said and boom ! Next thing – I’m in the studio singing my part …”
“Wait …! It gets better …!” Says Jordan.
“I do my part over a tape of his voice. I never met him but the song goes on to sell 27 million copies worldwide.” Sass continues.
“A couple of years later and I end up as his opening act on tour. We go around the country without meeting the man until – one day I decide enough is enough!” She laughs …
“We finally meet and I remind him of our duet. I told him what a big fan I was and continue to be. Do you know – he had no idea who I was!?” Says Jordan. “Twenty – seven million copies and he didn’t have a clue …”
That’s the music business for you …
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Please stay tuned for part three.
Discover Sass’ thoughts behind her new band S.U.N and much more ….!
Rick Keene Music Scene 