The Life and Career of Shania Twain

Birth

Eilleen Regina Edwards was born on August 28th, 1965 in Windsor, Ontario. After her parents divorced, her mother moved the family to Timmins and she married Jerry Twain. Twain adopted Edwards, which resulted in the changing of her last name.

Family Poverty and Early Musical Beginnings

Twain and her family grew up in poverty so she helped out by singing at bars when she was only eight years old. She wrote her first songs at the age of ten, and joined a few bands while in school. Twain was soon taken under the wing of a regional country singer, who took her to Nashville to record demos.

Family Tragedy and Demo Tape

Tragedy struck in 1987 when Twain’s parents were killed in a car crash. Twain went back to take care of her family until her siblings could move out on their own. She recorded a demo tape in the early 1990’s that got her signed with Mercury Nashville Records.

Debut

Her self-titled debut was released under the name Shania Twain in 1993. The country record was not a commercial success at the time, though its sales rose to over a million copies when Twain hit it big later on.

Breakthrough

Her sophomore effort was 1995’s The Woman in Me. It became her breakthrough record and was produced by Robert John “Mutt” Lange, whom she met and married prior to its release. The country disc won Twain her first Grammy and yielded several number one singles.

Crossover Success with "Come On Over"

Twain found crossover success in the pop world with her 1997 CD Come On Over. The record peaked at the second position of the Billboard 200 and remained in the chart’s top twenty for a record-setting ninety-nine weeks. It stayed at number one on the country charts for fifty weeks. Thanks to the release of twelve singles, the multiple Grammy-winning disc became the best-selling country album in the world as well as the best-selling album of all time by a female artist.

"Up"

Twain supported the effort with television appearances and the well-received “Come on Over Tour”. Following the birth of her son in 2001 was the 2002 record Up!. Three versions were released: country/acoustic, pop/rock and world/dance. The well-received CD premiered at the top spot of the Billboard and country charts and yielded several successful singles.

Touring and Dolly Parton

She embarked on the “Up! Tour” the next year and played many European dates because of her recent overseas success. Twain also contributed to the Dolly Parton tribute compilation Just Because I’m a Woman: Songs of Dolly Parton with a cover of “Coat of Many Colors” in 2003.

Duets, Soundtracks and Separation

The next year, she released a successful Greatest Hits compilation, which two versions of the duet “Party for Two”. This was followed by the single “Shoes,” from the soundtrack to the television series “Desperate Housewives” and a duet with Anne Murray on the 2007 album, Anne Murray Duets: Friends and Legends. Twain separated from her producer and husband in 2008.

TV, Second Marriage and Las Vegas

In 2009 and 2010, Twain appeared as a guest judge on the reality television series “American Idol”. In 2011, she married business executive Frederic Thiebaud and released her biography “From This Moment On”. She also debuted her television show “Why Not? With Shania Twain” and came out with her first single in six years: “Today is Your Day”. The same year, it was announced that Twain would begin a two-year residency at Las Vegas’ Caesar’s Palace entitled “Still the One” in 2012.

Continued Success

By effectively melding country and pop music, Shania Twain has become one of the most popular and successful country artists today.