Famous Tina Turner lookalike Luisa Marshall is coming to Cochrane on April 6!
Making her rise to fame as a Tina Turner tribute artist, Marshall has earned a number of accolades over the years including: being named the World Rock N Roll Tribute Artist Champion in 2003, appearing on the Oprah Winfrey Show twice, being voted as one of RBC’S Top 25 Immigrants of the year 2014, attending the Golden Globes, and recently appearing on the Ellen DeGeneres Show.
According to her website, it all began when Marshall “partnered with her two female siblings to form Hall Of Fame, a top 40 cover band, that toured all over the world, including Japan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, the Middle East, Canada and the U.S.” While performing in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, she gave in to a request to wear a Tina Turner wig while singing Proud Mary and the rest was history.
The now Vancouver-based tribute artist launched her “Hope Beyond the Thunderdome” tour on March 3 and plans to take it across the country in the coming months.
“I want to go all over Canada and make an awareness about Canadian veterans’ post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) issues,” Marshall said.
According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, PTSD is a mental illness that “involves exposure to trauma involving death or the threat of death, serious injury, or sexual violence” and “causes intrusive symptoms such as re-experiencing the traumatic event.” Common PTSD symptoms include: nervousness, being easily startled, experiencing vivid nightmares or flashbacks, and feeling overall disconnected from reality.
Years ago, Marshall toured with the United Nations’ Peacekeeping Force, performing in war-torn Bosnia and Sarajevo. Later she also toured with the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in Israel and Egypt.
“It’s just crazy, I met a lot of peacekeepers and I actually stayed with them in the barracks and I experienced their kind of lifestyle – it’s really, really hard, the sacrifices they made and the other things like their issues and sufferings,” Marshall explained.
She said it was hearing of recent events that inspired to take on this cause.
“Thinking back of all the military people that I’ve met years ago, and now I’m hearing about some of the people who have PTSD issues so I just said ‘Why don’t we try to raise awareness of this?’ ”
Marshall explained she doesn’t think there is enough discussion about this serious mental illness and hopes her tour will help raise awareness and funding for the Veterans Transition Network (VTN).
According to its website, the VTN’s mission is to make sure no Canadian veteran is left suffering in isolation.
Marshall’s cross-country tour stops April 6 at the Cochrane Royal Canadian Legion. Tickets for the concert are $25 each, with $5 from each ticket sale going to the VTN.
“It’s going to be a fantastic show – it’s really uplifting and very entertaining. I try so much to engage my audience, where I go people have been really thrilled and they just have a blast,” Marshall said.
She plans to sing all the classic Tina Turner songs, with a few surprises in store for the audience as well.
Marshall has already performed the concert a few times and, as of March 18, has raised around $3,600 for the VTN.
For more information about Luisa Marshall, or to purchase tickets for her upcoming event, visit www.luisamarshall.com
