2012 Atlantic Journalism Awards Finalists
Attachments
| Slug/Label | |
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| Date Aired or Published | June 3, 2012. |
| Media outlet where first aired or published: | CBC Radio One |
| Name of Program: | Sunday Edition |
| If co-produced, list partner: | |
| Location: | Documentary produced in Halifax |
| List awards, grants: | |
| Running time (TV/Radio): | 35:55 |
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Short explanation of the story and how it developed: (Mary Lynk writing) Early in 2012, I was given an advance copy of Raylene Rankin's new solo album: All The Diamonds. It was produced by the musician, Susan Crowe, a mutual friend. I was also told that after several bouts over several years, Raylene's breast cancer had returned. And this time it was terminal. A miracle would be two more years of life for the 52 year-old iconic singer, wife and mother of a 13 year-old boy. Raylene received the tragic news the day after she finished recording the album. So with that in mind, I sat down to listen to the album, which was comprised of cover songs. What struck me was how prescient they were in light of her terminal diagnosis. How they seemed to reflect what might now be going through her mind and heart with the inevitable farewell to life and great loves. I knew that Raylene was a very private person, who rarely and reluctantly gave interviews. But I began to wonder if she might want to create a legacy piece of sorts - using the songs in the album as touchstones. I first asked Susan, who thought she just might. And then Raylene called me. We waited until she finished a brutal round of chemotherapy. Then we sat down on a Tuesday in May to talk for a few hours. The next day, Raylene called me in a panic and said she just couldn't do the documentary. I reassured her that was okay. We talked for about an hour, and by the end, she decided that she still wanted to do it. I never pushed her in that direction. But somehow we connected and a deep trust was formed. So on Thursday, we sat down again and talked for another few hours. And Raylene just let her thoughts flow out of her. On Friday of that same week, I recorded Raylene singing at a gala that I had organized as a volunteer. She sang "Rise Again" with two choirs backing her. It was for the 25th anniversary of Phoenix Youth Organization. No one knew she was sick. That she was dying. I recorded that event. I wanted the documentary to be very personal. I cut out all my questions and just kept paring down our conversation in order to reach its most truthful core. It isn't often as a journalist; one gets such an opportunity as I had with Raylene. I felt a heavy burden to do it right. Still, no one, including Raylene, realized how little time was left. The documentary aired on CBC Radio in June. Raylene died in September. The documentary, All The Diamonds, was one of the top 10 streamed items across the country in 2012 on cbc.ca. - a link was on the CBC NS website as well as The Sunday Edition website. |
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Resources of the newsroom (money and time) available to complete the story: (Mary Lynk writing) I recorded the two interviews at Raylene's home on my Marantz machine. And I also recorded her singing at the Gala. The documentary aired a few weeks after my original tape gathering. I edited the piece on Pro-Tools. |
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