Amanda Marshall

Amanda Meta Marshall. Singer, songwriter, b Toronto 29 Aug 1972. Marshall began performing at age 16 and was discovered two years later by Toronto guitarist Jeff Healey, whose drummer, Tom Stephen, eventually became her manager. Marshall toured with both Healey and Tom Cochrane (see Tom Cochrane and Red Rider), and her powerful voice landed her a deal with Columbia Records in New York. However, she was let out of the contract before releasing a record.

Marshall's self-titled debut album was released by Sony Music Canada in 1995. It unveiled seven Canadian top 10 singles - "Let It Rain," "Birmingham," "Fall from Grace," "Beautiful Goodbye," "Dark Horse," "Sitting on Top of the World" and "Believe in You" - and sold more than one million copies domestically. More than 2 million units were purchased worldwide and it was certified gold in Germany, Norway, the Netherlands and Australia. Elton John was a fan of the album, and his televised endorsement on Rosie O'Donnell's show won Marshall valuable exposure in the US. Her songs were also included on a number of top soundtracks, including those for the television program Touched by an Angel, and the movies My Best Friend's Wedding and Tin Cup.

Marshall further showcased her burgeoning songwriting skills when Tuesday's Child was released in 1999. The album spawned three top 20 singles while being certified triple-platinum for sales of 300,000 copies. Marshall returned in late 2001 with Everybody's Got a Story, which was produced by the legendary Peter Asher. Her lyrics were much more personal in nature on this album, which struck a chord with fans via the title track, "Sunday Morning After" and "Double Agent." Marshall toured heavily in support of the disc and pushed Canadian sales past 200,000.

Intermission: The Singles Collection was released in 2003. The album included every single that Marshall released to Canadian radio stations, with the exception of "Why Don't You Love Me" and "The Voice Inside." Two new tracks, "Cross My Heart" and "Until We Fall In," were also included.

Two more compilations, 2006's Collections and 2008's The Steel Box Collection, were released while ongoing legal disputes over royalty payments with Marshall's record company essentially put her recording career on hold for years after she fired her management in 2002. She performed sporadically during this time and, in 2012, announced that her legal issues were resolved and that she'd been recording new material which she hoped would be included on her fourth studio album in early 2013.

See The Canadian Encyclopedia