Canary Conn (born 1949) is an American entertainer and author. Her memoir, ''Canary: The Story of a Transsexual'', was one of the early notable memoirs of a self-described

Transsexual A transsexual person is someone who experiences a gender identity that is inconsistent with their assigned sex, and desires to permanently transition to the sex or gender with which they identify, usually seeking medical assistance (incl ...

,Hausman, Bernice L. (1995). ''Changing Sex: Transsexualism, Technology, and the Idea of Gender.''

Duke University Press Duke University Press is an academic publisher and university press affiliated with Duke University. It was founded in 1921 by William T. Laprade as The Trinity College Press. (Duke University was initially called Trinity College). In 1926 ...

, and she made numerous talk show appearances to discuss her transition in the 1970s.

Life and career

Conn grew up in

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, Texas and was married with a baby by 18.

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

(July 17, 1977)
Sex change called 'social suicide.'
'' Tri City Herald'' In 1968, Conn was the entrant sponsored by KONO-FM in a national talent show hosted by

Ed Ames Edmund Dantes Urick (July 9, 1927 – May 21, 2023), known professionally as Ed Ames or Eddie Ames, was an American pop singer and actor. He was known for playing Mingo in the television series ''Daniel Boone (1964 TV series), Daniel Boone'', and ...

and

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

titled ''Super Teen: The Sounds of '68''. After winning best male vocalist, Conn was given a recording contract with

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

as the prize.Staff report (August 20, 1968)
Aretha To Help Launch Stars.
''

Hartford Courant The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is advertised as the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven and ...

'' In 1969, under the name Danny O'Connor, Conn recorded four songs for Capitol, including "Imaginary Worlds" and "Ridin' Red Hood." In March of that year, Capitol released a 45 with the singles "Can You Imagine" and "If I Am Not Free." Following a suicide attempt, Conn made her transition at age 23. She found it difficult to get subsequent work, and she only had one contact with her son in 1972 following the breakup of her marriage.Liddick, Betty (September 30, 1976)
Transsexuals: Fitting Physique to Psyche.
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' In 1974, she published ''Canary: The Story of a Transsexual''.Prosser, Jay (1998). ''Second Skins: The Body Narratives of Transsexuality.''

Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's la ...

, Shevy, Sandra (October 13, 1974)
'Story of a Transsexual'--The Feminine Mistake.
''

'' A paperback version of her memoir was released following an appearance on ''

The Merv Griffin Show ''The Merv Griffin Show'' is an American television talk show starring Merv Griffin. The series had runs on two different networks on NBC (1962–1963) and CBS (1969–1972) but is most known for its run on first-run syndication from 1965 to 1 ...

''.Liddick, Betty (July 2, 1978)
Transsexuals and a New Life.
''

''Liddick, Betty (July 2, 1978)
Transsexual's Texas Homecoming.
''

'' Conn also appeared on '' Tomorrow'' and ''

The Phil Donahue Show ''The Phil Donahue Show'' is an American talk show that was hosted by Phil Donahue. The show ran for twenty-nine seasons from November 6, 1967, to September 13, 1996, in which it broadcast 6,715 episodes. Before it was placed in syndication ...

''. She later discontinued her media appearances and founded a small business.

Publications

*O'Connor, Danny (1969). If I Am Not Free / Can You Imagine. 7-inch 45, Capitol 2441 *Conn, Canary (1974). ''Canary: The Story of a Transsexual''. Nash,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conn, Canary Living people 1949 births American transgender musicians Transgender women writers American women non-fiction writers LGBTQ people from Texas Transgender memoirists American women memoirists Writers from San Antonio 21st-century American LGBTQ people Transgender women musicians American transgender writers American transgender women