| Mary Lu Zahalan | |
| Background: | solo_singer |
| Birth Place: | Renfrew, Ontario, Canada |
| Genre: | Country, pop, rock |
| Occupation: | Singer, actress, author, professor |
Mary Lu Zahalan (25 October 1958 – 27 May 2023) was a Canadian rock singer and actress.[1]
Born in Renfrew, Ontario, and raised in Oakville, Zahalan was a Miss Canada finalist in 1975 before embarking on a career as an entertainer.[2] She had entered the contest as a class project while taking a personal improvement class at Sheridan College to overcome her shyness;[1] what she ultimately took away from the competition was an interest in the theatrical production aspects of the experience, so she then enrolled in the college's musical theatre program.[1]
She released her debut album, Think of Me, in 1982,[1] and received a Juno Award nomination for Most Promising Female Vocalist at the Juno Awards of 1983.[3]
In 1985 she performed vocals on Visible, the final album by rock band CANO, and toured with the band to promote the album.[4] In this era, she also had various acting roles in musical theatre.[5]
In 1990, she released the album Zahalan on MCA Records, and enjoyed moderate success with the single "I Can't Forget About You" on Canadian radio.[5]
She later returned to Sheridan College as a music teacher.[6] She also had supporting roles in film and television, including in the television films and Alley Cats Strike.
In January 2011, Zahalan graduated from Liverpool Hope University with a master's degree in a program that studied the Beatles. She was the first graduate of the program.[6] She subsequently directed Becoming the Beatles, a live musical documentary about the history of the Beatles.[7] [8]
On 27 May 2023, Zahalan passed away from cancer at the age of 66.[9]
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | CAN AC | |||
| 1982 | "Try a Little Love Sometime" | — | 29 | Think of Me |
| "Turn of the Wheel" | — | 25 | ||
| "If I Had One Wish" | — | 19 | ||
| 1985 | "Call Me" | — | 11 | Non-LP single |
| "A.M. Girl (In An F.M. World)" | — | — | ||
| 1990 | "I Can't Forget About You" | 66 | 24 | Zahalan |
| 1991 | "Fallen Angel" | 90 | — | |
| "While We're Still Young" | — | — | ||