Marshall back where it all began

When Amanda Marshall hits the National Arts Centre Friday before a sold-out crowd, she will be revisiting the

In the middle of an Ottawa blizzard six years ago, the then-unknown, 18-year-old Toronto singer opened for Jeff

Healey at the peak of his Angel Eyes fame. The prestigious national stage was her first show outside the Toronto club circuit.

"I remember sitting on a road case backstage and being totally shocked and secretly thrilled," Marshall says in a phone interview from Chicago. "I couldn't believe I had the good fortune to watch the show and didn't have to pay to get in."

This spring, Marshall saw plenty of free shows, especially John Mellencamp performances. She was in Chicago recently to open a string of shows for the American rocker, the final stop on a tour that has taken Marshall across the U.S. She's also had the chance to join Mellencamp each night and sing Pink Houses with him.

"The cool thing about him is he has the benefit of years of experience and I think that he also understands when

you are in a position like I am, when you're just starting out and the world is your oyster and you have all these

It's hard to imagine that Marshall could have done anything differently to get further ahead. Despite a false start

early in in her career (when she signed with U.S. major label Columbia, then backed away from the deal) she has managed to become the fastest-rising pop singer Canada has produced since Alanis Morissette, Cline Dion and Shania Twain came to international attention.

Hot on the heels of the big three, Marshall has sold more than a million copies of her self-titled, major-label debut (600,000 copies in Canada), squeezed six singles from it so far, and toured the world with her band. Her fans include TV talk show host Rosie O'Donnell, rocker Jon Bon Jovi and pop superstar Elton John.

"I think I've learned that I'm a lot more resilient than I thought I was, much more directed and much more focused

than I ever thought that I was," Marshall says. "Because I've always enjoyed this so much, and I know that not

everyone gets to do what they want, I thought I was just kind of lucky. But this is great - I don't want to do anything else."

The single-minded daughter of a Canadian father and Trinidadian mother, Marshall grew up in Toronto in a house filled with music. She took music lessons from the time she was a toddler and always knew that, somehow, she would end up singing.

She was still in high school when she joined Healey on stage at an open-stage jam session in a club. From the

beginning, her voice was compared to Janis Joplin; her flailing limbs to Joe Cocker. Healey was so impressed he offered her the opening spot on his tour.

Her raw talent and affinity for the spotlight has been polished, but is no less potent than her teen years. When she stepped back from the Columbia deal, Marshall hit the road, playing clubs like the Rainbow and the defunct

One day she came home after a weekend on the road and decided that was enough ("I knew I didn't want to be in a bar band forever"). She sat down and wrote Sitting on top of the World, her latest single. "That was the catalyst," she recalls. "It got the whole thing rolling."

A new deal with Sony was struck and Marshall flew to L.A. to work on her first disc with producer and songwriter David Tyson, best known for his work with rocker Alannah Myles. Marshall considers herself a better interpreter of songs than a writer, so they selected the best songs from a variety of writers.

"It was really important to me that the songs worked as a package," she says. "As a vocalist, I think the songs

have to affect me in some way. I don't think twice about who writes a song."

Marshall's method of interpretation is to indulge in free-form vocal improvisation, jerking a wrist up and down,

tossing her blond mane to and fro. Her vocal gymnastics and spastic gestures may seem like overkill, but when

people hear her, they remember the voice; when they see her, they remember the moves.

And when they remember, they buy. Nearly two years after its release, Amanda Marshall is still on theCanadian

Top 10 list. The first five singles have been top-10 hits. And her cross-country tour (with Winnipeg's Chantal

Kreviazuk as opening act) is completely sold out, including Friday's stop at the NAC, which comes just five months after three sold-out gigs at Barrymore's Music Hall. Seems there's no danger of over-exposure, despite numerous television appearances, oft-played songs and videos and constant touring.

Marshall is handling it all like a pro. A few weeks ago, she was juggling studio time (recording a song for the

soundtrack to a forthcoming Julia Roberts film), Canadian press interviews for her tour, U.S. press interviews for the Mellencamp tour (she's been invited along for his summer stadium trek) and, oh yeah, putting on a show with her band every night. At this rate, work on a second album won't happen before September at the earliest.

"I tend to be an expressive, passionate performer and I think people respond to that," Marshall says of her public appeal. "Part of the reason I wanted to do this tour is it's so nice to allow people of all ages to come and see you in a setting where you can put on a fairly elaborate production, and still let people feel they're getting an


	Marshall back where it all began By Lynn Saxberg, The Ottawa Citizen, May 13th 1997 When Amanda Marshall hits the National Arts Centre Friday before a sold-out crowd, she will be revisiting the stage on which she made her first big impression on an audience. In the middle of an Ottawa blizzard six years ago, the then-unknown, 18-year-old Toronto singer opened for Jeff Healey at the peak of his Angel Eyes fame. The prestigious national stage was her first show outside the Toronto club circuit. "I remember sitting on a road case backstage and being totally shocked and secretly thrilled," Marshall says in a phone interview from Chicago. "I couldn't believe I had the good fortune to watch the show and didn't have to pay to get in." This spring, Marshall saw plenty of free shows, especially John Mellencamp performances. She was in Chicago recently to open a string of shows for the American rocker, the final stop on a tour that has taken Marshall across the U.S. She's also had the chance to join Mellencamp each night and sing Pink Houses with him. "The cool thing about him is he has the benefit of years of experience and I think that he also understands when you are in a position like I am, when you're just starting out and the world is your oyster and you have all these different opportunities." It's hard to imagine that Marshall could have done anything differently to get further ahead. Despite a false start early in in her career (when she signed with U.S. major label Columbia, then backed away from the deal) she has managed to become the fastest-rising pop singer Canada has produced since Alanis Morissette, Cline Dion and Shania Twain came to international attention. Hot on the heels of the big three, Marshall has sold more than a million copies of her self-titled, major-label debut (600,000 copies in Canada), squeezed six singles from it so far, and toured the world with her band. Her fans include TV talk show host Rosie O'Donnell, rocker Jon Bon Jovi and pop superstar Elton John. "I think I've learned that I'm a lot more resilient than I thought I was, much more directed and much more focused than I ever thought that I was," Marshall says. "Because I've always enjoyed this so much, and I know that not everyone gets to do what they want, I thought I was just kind of lucky. But this is great - I don't want to do anything else." The single-minded daughter of a Canadian father and Trinidadian mother, Marshall grew up in Toronto in a house filled with music. She took music lessons from the time she was a toddler and always knew that, somehow, she would end up singing. She was still in high school when she joined Healey on stage at an open-stage jam session in a club. From the beginning, her voice was compared to Janis Joplin; her flailing limbs to Joe Cocker. Healey was so impressed he offered her the opening spot on his tour. Her raw talent and affinity for the spotlight has been polished, but is no less potent than her teen years. When she stepped back from the Columbia deal, Marshall hit the road, playing clubs like the Rainbow and the defunct Penguin in Ottawa to gain experience. One day she came home after a weekend on the road and decided that was enough ("I knew I didn't want to be in a bar band forever"). She sat down and wrote Sitting on top of the World, her latest single. "That was the catalyst," she recalls. "It got the whole thing rolling." A new deal with Sony was struck and Marshall flew to L.A. to work on her first disc with producer and songwriter David Tyson, best known for his work with rocker Alannah Myles. Marshall considers herself a better interpreter of songs than a writer, so they selected the best songs from a variety of writers. "It was really important to me that the songs worked as a package," she says. "As a vocalist, I think the songs have to affect me in some way. I don't think twice about who writes a song." Marshall's method of interpretation is to indulge in free-form vocal improvisation, jerking a wrist up and down, tossing her blond mane to and fro. Her vocal gymnastics and spastic gestures may seem like overkill, but when people hear her, they remember the voice; when they see her, they remember the moves. And when they remember, they buy. Nearly two years after its release, Amanda Marshall is still on theCanadian Top 10 list. The first five singles have been top-10 hits. And her cross-country tour (with Winnipeg's Chantal Kreviazuk as opening act) is completely sold out, including Friday's stop at the NAC, which comes just five months after three sold-out gigs at Barrymore's Music Hall. Seems there's no danger of over-exposure, despite numerous television appearances, oft-played songs and videos and constant touring. Marshall is handling it all like a pro. A few weeks ago, she was juggling studio time (recording a song for the soundtrack to a forthcoming Julia Roberts film), Canadian press interviews for her tour, U.S. press interviews for the Mellencamp tour (she's been invited along for his summer stadium trek) and, oh yeah, putting on a show with her band every night. At this rate, work on a second album won't happen before September at the earliest. "I tend to be an expressive, passionate performer and I think people respond to that," Marshall says of her public appeal. "Part of the reason I wanted to do this tour is it's so nice to allow people of all ages to come and see you in a setting where you can put on a fairly elaborate production, and still let people feel they're getting an up-close-and-personal view."