One thing I have learned in my 8 years at the radio station is that Froggy Fans love Shania Twain. The ultimate country-pop crossover diva hasn’t released any new music in a long, long time. So, our phone lines lit up with excited callers when we reported that Shania was going to make a special announcement to her fans, via her website, on her 44th birthday last Friday. What might she have to say? Would she tell us when her long-awaited next CD would be ready? Or was the news to be of a romantic nature? Various gossip websites were buzzing with rumors of an engagement or a secret wedding. As it turned out, her “message of thanks” to her fans had to do with neither of those matters.

Let’s back things up to review a little Shania history. This is the first half of a two-parter, as it would be difficult to tell Shania’s story, which reads like a Nora Roberts novel, in a concise fashion.

The singer was born Eileen Edwards on 8/28/65 in Windsor, Ontario. After Shania’s parents divorced when she was two, her mother relocated to the city of Timmins. The future Shania’s first name change came when her stepfather, Jerry Twain, adopted her. We’ve all heard her talk about the hardscrabble days of her childhood, when money and food were scant. Little Eileen helped supplement the family income by playing guitar and singing in bars when she was as young as eight years old. She has said in interviews: “There were times when I thought, ‘I hate this,’ but I loved the music.” The talented youngster had started writing her own songs at age 10.

When she was 21, tragedy struck. Her mother and stepfather were killed in a car wreck. Eileen took it upon herself to care for her sister, Carrie Ann and stepbrothers Darryl and Mark, moving the family to Huntsville, Ontario. She supported them by performing at a nearby resort.

After her siblings moved out on their own, Eileen, now a twenty-something “empty-nester,” focused on launching a musical career. She changed her name to Shania, a Native American (Ojibwa) word meaning “on my way.” She was signed to Mercury Records. While her self-titled debut got good reviews, it only got as high as #67 on the Country Albums Chart. There were two minor radio hits off that record: "What Made You Say That" and "Dance with the One That Brought You". Both of these singles peaked at #55.

While Shania might not have captured a huge fan following with that first album, she certainly caught the attention of one very important man; one who would change her life. Robert “Mutt” Lange, a British rock producer who’s worked with Def Leppard, Bryan Adams and AC/DC, saw one of Shania’s early videos and decided he had to meet her. The reclusive Mutt, 17 years her senior, became Shania’s co-writer, producer, and, as of December 23, 1993, her husband.

The unlikely couple wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on her 1995 album, The Woman in Me. The CD, featuring huge hits like “Any Man of Mine” and “If You're Not In It For Love) I'm Outta Here,” went on to sell more than 12 million copies. She topped that with her third album, Come on Over. Featuring smash hits like “Honey I’m Home,” “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” and “You’re Still the One,” the CD sold 20 million copies in the U.S. alone.

Her next studio album, Up!, was a relative flop. Although it debuted at #1 on the Billboard albums chart, singles such as the title track and “I’m Gonna Getcha Good” peaked lower than normal for Shania, on both the country and pop charts. She regained her footing with the ballad “Forever and For Always,” but all in all, the Up! album was a much bigger hit in Europe than in the States.

When we continue Shania’s story tomorrow, we’ll take a look at her intriguing, and at times bizarre, personal life.

Links:

www.shaniatwain.com

www.cmt.com/artists/az/twain_shania/artist.jhtml

www.shaniaforums.com

www.shaniatwaincentre.com

www.shaniatwaincity.com

Take It Easy,

Cricket

Listen to “The Morning Splash” with me & James Pond, weekday mornings on Froggy 97! (97.5 FM). We also stream live at www.froggy97.com.