Born Priscilla Royster in Detroit in the 1920s, Jodie Drake is remembered as one of Canada’s foremost women of the blues. While growing up in the west side of the city during the depression; her mother would make her and her sister dresses from scraps.

Stumbling into her career almost by accident, Jodie began singing for the band Spirits of Swing when her younger sister was not allowed to perform by her mother until she finished school. The band began singing for proms and other small venues, barely making ends meet, and always on the move. The band would eventually make their way up to Canada, starting in Montreal, and moving down to Toronto. Audiences had never heard this form of raw blues before; she began to make herself known as one of Canada’s most popular performers.

Drake brought her formidable stage presence to the screen and went on to act in several productions and films. Throughout her career, Drake would sing alongside talents like Billie Holiday, Joe Williams, and Don Redmond; Duke Ellington and his band even gave her a direct bow in recognition and respect after one of their performances, while she watched from the audience.

As a performer during a time of distinct racial inequality, Drake experienced her share of harassment and made it a point to speak out against it. In the documentary Blues in My Bread by Christene Browne, she reflects on her career, remarking that she believed there was a reason she was able to keep performing, and she planned to do so into her old age