Nancy Shanks (–2019) was an American singer. Shanks was the vocalist for the earliest but short-lived lineup of the all-woman band

Vixen Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

after changing its name from Genesis (formerly Lemon Pepper), initially playing

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

. Vixen is known for featuring the band's founder

Jan Kuehnemund Janice Lynn Kuehnemund (; November 18, 1953 – October 10, 2013) was an American lead guitarist who founded the all-female hard rock/glam metal band Vixen. Life and career Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Kuehnemund formed an all-female band known ...

on lead guitar. Shanks sang backing vocals on several of

Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...

' albums, such as ''

Little Earthquakes ''Little Earthquakes'' is the debut solo album by the American singer-songwriter Tori Amos, featuring the singles "Silent All These Years", "China", "Winter" and "Crucify". After Atlantic Records rejected the first version of the album, Amos bega ...

'' and ''Y Kant Tori Read''. Shanks also performed the song "Trials of the Heart" on the soundtrack for the film '' About Last Night...'', and duetted with Danny Peck on the song "I Burn for You" on the soundtrack for the film '' The Secret of My Success''. Shanks died in May 2019 of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the age of 63.

References

1956 births 2019 deaths American women singers American rock singers American women rock singers American pop rock singers Neurological disease deaths in the United States Deaths from motor neuron disease Singers from Illinois Vixen (band) members 21st-century American women {{US-singer-stub