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Later, she spent
summers working with her father as a foreman of a dozen-man reforestation
crew in the Canadian bush, where she learned to wield an axe and handle a
chainsaw as well as any manjack. In the winter season, she would sing in
clubs and do as many television and radio performances as often as her
schooling would allow.
At age 21, Shania lost her parents to an automobile accident. She then took
on the task of raising her three younger siblings. She managed to keep the
household going with a job at Ontario’s Deerhurst Resort, which not only
provided for her new family responsibilities but also gave her an education
in every aspect of theatrical performance, from musical comedy to Andrew
Lloyd Webber to Gershwin, an experience quite different from the bar gigs
she grew up doing. After a couple years the kids came into their own,
lightening the load of her responsibilities.
It was 1990, and she was on her own. Shedding her real name, Eilleen, she
adopted the Ojibway name of Shania, meaning “On my way”. Shania’s way
resulted in a demo tape of original music and a road map to Nashville.
Although Shania was signed on the basis of her original material, her
self-titled debut album of 1993 featured only one of her songs, the feisty
“God Ain’t Gonna Getcha For That”. |
