A plan
Miss Teen Manitoba had a plan. In her heart and soul Sherisse Laurence was a born performer. So, she took the musical skills she had been developing since the tender age of three and hit the Winnipeg nightclub circuit.
While touring the prairies, she appeared regularly on CBC variety shows. Then came her greatest fame, starring in the international hit show Circus. The show played in 42 countries and Sherisse happily sang her heart out for the world. You can still catch her third place 1986 Eurovision Song Contest performance of “L’amour de ma vie” on Youtube.
In her thirties, however, she decided to live a different sort of life; away from the spotlight. She got married, settled down and devoted herself to home, family and those things she imagined the world considered “normal”. While this life had its own sort of richness, it was quiet. Too quiet.
Sherisse’s spark, her need to perform, was smouldering inside. She was playing at being someone incompatible to her true self; a shrinking violet rather than a riot of roses. The slow burn finally ignited and at 51 she re-launched her career. A diva returned to the stage.
She long ago relocated to Muskoka, in Ontario’s cottage country, and has no intention of trading the land of lakes for big city style, so this time around she’s not looking for television stardom or fame of any kind. She’s in it for herself and for the satisfaction she can only get on stage. And the live audience that is her muse can be found in abundance at the many theatres and venues nearby.
Yes, she sings the blues, but for the joy in it. Working with a number of local musicians she is front and centre at concerts and resorts and has headlined at the sold out Northern Blues Review six years running.
