Nancy Shanks

{{Short description|American singer (c. 1956–2019)}}

{{notability|Music|date=March 2019}}

Nancy Shanks ({{circa|1956}}–2019) was an American singer.

Shanks was the vocalist for the earliest but short-lived lineup of the all-woman band Vixen after changing its name from Genesis{{cite web|url=http://ivaxen.com/vixen/history.html |title=A Brief Background of Vixen |publisher=Ivaxen.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303232753/http://ivaxen.com/vixen/history.html |archive-date=March 3, 2016}}{{cite news|last=Knight|first=Bill|url=https://www.pjstar.com/opinion/20190516/knight-remembering-friend-and-our-need-to-belong|title=Knight: Remembering a friend and our need to belong|newspaper=Journal Star|location=Peoria, Illinois|date=May 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517053757/https://www.pjstar.com/opinion/20190516/knight-remembering-friend-and-our-need-to-belong|archive-date=May 17, 2019}} (formerly Lemon Pepper), initially playing pop rock. Vixen is known for featuring the band's founder Jan Kuehnemund on lead guitar.

Shanks sang backing vocals on several of Tori Amos' albums, such as Little Earthquakes{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r78770|pure_url=yes}}|title=Credits: Little Earthquakes |publisher=Allmusic|accessdate=March 9, 2010}} and Y Kant Tori Read.

Shanks also performed the song "Trials of the Heart" on the soundtrack for the film About Last Night...,{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r84896|pure_url=yes}}|title=Overview: About Last Night Soundtrack|publisher=Allmusic|accessdate=March 9, 2010}} and duetted with Danny Peck on the song "I Burn for You" on the soundtrack for the film The Secret of My Success.{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r84566|pure_url=yes}}|title=Overview Secret of My Success Soundtrack|publisher=Allmusic|accessdate=March 9, 2010}}

Shanks died in May 2019 of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the age of 63.