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Written by Aaron Lewicki and JP Larocque
Born in Toronto, Canada, Amanda Marshall began to show an interest and
talent in music that far exceeded many of her peers. Showcasing quite the
vocal range at the tender age of only three, her parents were so taken aback
with their daughter's talent that they immediately enrolled her in the
Toronto Royal Conservatory of Music. It was here that Amanda was first
introduced to varying styles of music, and where she began to harness her
vocal power through classical training. Yet even as her talent and
dedication towards her art impressed both her family and her instructors,
Amanda found her interest in classical music was depleting. In search for a
new musical genre to satisfy her inner "hunger", a friend of Amanda
introduced her to old-school jazz, and she immediately took a liking to it.
In fact, of all the artists that Amanda would later site as having given her
inspiration in her youth, she would highlight the likes of jazz "queen" Ella
Fitzgerald with having had the most influence.
Even with all of her classical training, Amanda did not actively pursue a
music career until a chance meeting with a jazz guitarist after a show one
fateful evening. Learning of her interest in the genre of jazz, he
encouraged her to perform at an "open mike" gig at a local club the next
week. Ecstatic but nervous, Amanda agreed. Accompanied by her father, Amanda
went to the gig and wowed the audience with her performance. Inspired by the
reception she had received at the club, Amanda decided to pursue her
interest in music, and quickly began to write songs and form a band.
Continuing to perform on the club scene, Amanda eventually attracted some
big league attention, and was offered a spot as the opening act for Jeff
Healey on his National tour across Canada. This offer was a surprise to many
in the industry at the time due to the fact that Amanda had neither a
contract nor a record. But the break gave her the exposure she needed, and
she subsequently was offered to join Tom Cochrane on his "Life Is A
Highway" tour.
The hype generated by her performances on the tours resulted in Amanda
receiving many offers for recording contracts. Always the perfectionist, she
decided she would wait until she felt her record was complete. This process
took near to year, but keeping to her word, she went to Los Angeles to meet
with a pr...
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oducer upon its completion. With the help of the producer, she
fine-tuned all the kinks within her album, and released it in 1996. Met with
critical raves, her self-titled debut received much radio-play, spawning
hits including "Let it Rain" and "Birmingham." With
multi-platinum sales and much exposure, Amanda had made a huge splash in the
industry.
After a much needed break, Amanda released her second album "Tuesday's
Child" in 1999. The album was greeted with similar success. Never
ceasing to work, Amanda followed the release with an extensive tour.
A combination of both hard work and talent, Amanda Marshall is an artist
that exceeds expectation. With so much promise, her unique sound can be best
described - as one critic so pointedly put it - as the "love child of Janis
Joplin and Joe Cocker."
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