Have you heard Judi Singh? New film highlights Edmonton jazz singer

Director of the film, "Have you heard Judi Singh?" Baljit Sangra joined CTV Your Morning Edmonton on why she wanted to explore her story.

A documentary is focusing on a trailblazing Edmonton jazz singer who many think never got the credit or attention she deserved. Baljit Sangra, the director of Have you heard Judi Singh? joined CTV Your Morning Edmonton’s Cory Edel on why she wanted to explore her story.

This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Cory Edel: Why did you want to explore the story of Judy Singh?

Baljit Sangra: I wanted to explore the story because I had never heard of her. I stumbled upon an article, “Why has Edmonton forgotten Judi Singh?” and in the article I saw some photos of her, of her parents and that she was a singer from the 60s. I love the backstory of her father being a Punjabi pioneer coming to Alberta in 1907 and her mom’s family immigrating from the States post-slavery and meeting in Amber Valley. I got hooked with the story, listened to her music, Googled her, read more articles and I was really interested why she wasn’t known more because her music was fantastic.

Cory: As you said, she was a Punjabi, Black artist who stepped on stage in the 50s. What would that have been like for her?

Baljit: I think those are challenging times. I listened to some audio recordings of her giving an interview and she spoke of being raised with music and coming from a musical family. Her older sister sang and her cousin, Ken Chaney, was one of the founders of The Yardbird Suite, which is probably one of the oldest jazz clubs in Canada. She speaks about always just wanting to jam with the boys as a teenager, so she got exposure to music at a young age.

Cory: Was it hard to retrace her life, as you did in the film?

Baljit: It was a bit challenging but we found some beautiful gems, some archives deep in the vaults of the CBC and we got them transferred to film. I had some audio recordings. I did some reenactments. I found some period archives from the 60s, 70s in Edmonton, Toronto, and I found some pictures. Her music really comes through as well. We have over 30 songs in the film, so she’s always centered in the film. Sadly, I never got to meet her. She passed during COVID, so I didn’t meet her but I was able to reconstruct her story through people that loved her and archives.

Cory: Speaking about people close to her, her father also has a reputation in the city. Tell us about him.

Baljit: There’s a park actually named after him in Mill Woods called Sohan Singh Bhullar Park. He’s an interesting character. He did a lot of different jobs. What we heard from family is that he was even a wrestler, he was an entrepreneur. I believe he may have worked in the Saw Mills. He moved around north of Edmonton, eventually settled in Edmonton and he really helped a lot of South Asians settle in Alberta, being that he came so early. He moved to Edmonton around the late 50s, 60s, so he really helped a lot of students and South Asians new to the city to settle in.

Cory: What do you want people to take from the movie after watching it?

Baljit: I think a rediscovery of a talent. It’s definitely an Edmonton story. I’m super excited that it’s playing at the Edmonton International Film Festival. It’s a bit of a homecoming, I would say. Lots of her friends, family, people that sang with her, collaborated with her, will be there. I think you’re going to be blown away by her talent. With all the gems, the archives, the interviews, it’s just a fascinating life. It’s a slice of Canadian history. I think people may feel nostalgic. Tommy Banks is featured in the film as well as his archive. So it’s a real Edmonton, a real strong Alberta story that I think people really will enjoy. Thank you so much for bringing this to us and your hard work on the project.

Cory: The movie is screening Saturday at Landmark Theaters downtown. You can find tickets at edmontonfilmfest.com.