Shirley Eikhard, the prolific Canadian songwriter behind Bonnie Raitt’s classic cut “Something to Talk About,” is dead at 67.
The news was announced in a statement from her representatives. No cause of death or further information has been publicly disclosed.
Born in 1955 in Sackville, New Brunswick, Eikhard began her music career at the age of 12 while supporting her mother, the great violinist June Eikhard, in Canadian fiddle competitions. She broke out as a solo artist at a songwriters’ venue at the Mariposa Folk Festival, and at the age of 14 signed a deal with Capitol Records.
In 1970, famed country singer Chet Atkins recorded her song “Pickin’ My Way” and used it as the title track for his 41st studio album. Eikhard released her self-titled debut album in 1972, and in ’73 and ’74 she won consecutive Juno awards for Best Country Female.
During her long career Eikhard wrote more than 500 songs, many of which she saved for her 17 studio albums, while others were performed by artists such as Cher, Emmylou Harris, Rita Coolidge, The Pointer Sisters, Kim Carnes, and Anne Murray. Her biggest hit remains Raitt’s “Something to Talk About,” which appeared on the 1991 album Luck of the Draw. Raitt won a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and the song was also nominated for Record the Year. In 2020, “Something to Talk About” was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Eikhard also recorded theme songs for films such as The Domino Principle, starring Gene Hackman, and The Passion of Ayn Rand, starring Helen Mirren. Revisit some of her classic tunes below.
