Amanda Marshall

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Amanda Marshall
Amanda Marshall wearing a red, sleeveless dress, singing into a microphone onstage
Marshall in 2009
Background information
Birth nameAmanda Meta Marshall
Born (1972-08-29) August 29, 1972 (age 51)
Toronto, Canada
Genres
Years active1988–present
Labels
Websiteamandamarshall.com

Amanda Meta Marshall (born August 29, 1972) is a Canadian Juno award winning pop-rock singer. She has released four studio albums; the first was certified diamond in Canada, with the second and third certified 3× platinum and platinum respectively.[1] She is best known for her 1996 single, "Birmingham", which reached number 3 in Canada and was her only song to reach the US charts.

Early life[edit]

Marshall was born in Toronto, Ontario.[2][3] She grew up an only child, in her own words, "the product of an interracial marriage": her mother is from Trinidad, her father is white. In several of her songs, Marshall has reflected on her racial identity "as a woman who looks white but is actually black".[4][5]

Marshall studied music extensively during her childhood, including at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. While performing on the Queen Street West bar scene in her teens, she met guitarist Jeff Healey, who was struck by her powerful voice and took her on tour for a long time.[2]

Career[edit]

Debut album and critical success[edit]

Marshall signed a recording contract with Metalblade Records in 1991, but both parties agreed that they were not a good fit and went their separate ways.[2] In 1994, Marshall signed to Epic Records, and contributed to the Neil Young tribute album Borrowed Tunes: A Tribute to Neil Young the same year. Her debut album Amanda Marshall was released the following year in 1995. The album was a major success in Canada,[6] generating a great deal of airplay and spawning six Top 40 hits—"Let It Rain", "Beautiful Goodbye", "Dark Horse", "Fall From Grace", "Sitting on Top of the World", and "Birmingham", her most successful hit in Canada and the only song to reach the US charts.

In 1996, Marshall's song "This Could Take All Night" was included in the original soundtrack of Tin Cup. In 1997, Marshall's song "I'll Be Okay" was included in the original soundtrack of My Best Friend's Wedding.

Amanda's career got a huge boost when Elton John named her as an artist he was then-currently listening to when he appeared on The Rosie Show.

1999–2000: Tuesday's Child and further success[edit]

In 1999, she released a successful follow-up album, Tuesday's Child. It followed in the same vein as her debut, with a mix of soulful pop songs and ballads, characterizing her powerful voice.[7] Her song "Ride" from that album was featured in The Replacements and on its soundtrack. In autumn 1999, she supported Whitney Houston on the European leg of her My Love Is Your Love World Tour. Another single from that album, "Believe In You", a differently composed variant compared to the second Atlantis level music from the video game Glover, was featured on one episode of Touched by an Angel and on its soundtrack as well as the 2002 direct-to-video film Kermit's Swamp Years, while Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi was the guest guitarist on the track "Why Don't You Love Me". She also co wrote a song "Right Here All Along" with Carole King, who also performed background vocals on the track. She was nominated as best songwriter at the 2000 Juno Awards.[8]

2001–2023: Everybody's Got a Story and further releases[edit]

In 2001, Marshall released her third album, Everybody's Got a Story. It marked a change in style and sound for Marshall, with a noticeable R&B influence. Her singles "Everybody's Got a Story" and "Sunday Morning After" received some Canadian airplay, and for the album, Marshall worked with the likes of Peter Asher and Billy Mann.

Marshall's absence from the music scene was due to legal battles with her record label after she fired her management in 2002.[2] Those fights were not resolved for about 12 years.[9]

In 2003, she released a greatest hits album entitled Intermission: The Singles Collection, which was followed by another greatest hits album, Collections, in 2006. In 2008, yet another greatest hits album, The Steel Box Collection, was released.

In a 2012 radio interview, Marshall announced that she was working on a new album. In the interview, she explained to the radio host that "a new CD is in the works", and that she was "hopeful" of its release in 2013, however this did not eventuate. In an article, she said that the record was "70% done".

2023–present: Heavy Lifting[edit]

On March 27, 2023, Marshall announced her new album, Heavy Lifting, which was released on June 9, 2023,[10] with "Rainbows in Gasoline" as the focus track, along with a Canada-wide tour.[11] She released the first single from that album, "I Hope She Cheats", a cover of Marsha Ambrosius's "Hope She Cheats on You (With a Basketball Player)", on March 31, 2023.[12] She then released her second single from that album, "Dawgcatcher", on May 18, 2023. On June 16, 2023, during her tour, Marshall performed at Massey Hall in Toronto.[13]

The album won the Juno Award for Adult Contemporary Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2024.[14]

Discography[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

Year Album Chart positions Certifications
CAN AUS
[15]
GER
[16]
NZ
[17]
UK
[18][19]
US
[20]
US
Heat
1995 Amanda Marshall 4 15 36 17 47 156 6 CAN: Diamond[1]
AUS: Gold[21]
1999 Tuesday's Child 4 84 18 30 CAN: 3× Platinum[1]
2001 Everybody's Got a Story 15 79 CAN: Platinum[22]
2023 Heavy Lifting

Compilations[edit]

Year Album CAN
2003 Intermission: The Singles Collection 95
2006 Collections
2008 The Steel Box Collection

Singles[edit]

Year Title Chart positions Album
CAN
[23]
CAN
AC

[24]
AUS
[15]
GER
[25]
NED
[26]
NZ
[17]
UK
[18]
US
[27]
1995 "Let It Rain" 7 5 30 73 108 23 85 Amanda Marshall
"Birmingham" 3 6 68 43
1996 "Fall from Grace" 17 2 95 78
"Beautiful Goodbye" 5 4 193 20 79
1997 "Dark Horse" 5 1 70 93
"Sitting on Top of the World" 5 2
"Trust Me (This Is Love)" 24 5
1998 "Believe in You" 10 3 75 Tuesday's Child
1999 "Love Lift Me" 10 5
"If I Didn't Have You" 31 11 150
2000 "Shades of Gray" 25 27
"Why Don't You Love Me?" 42 26
2001 "Everybody's Got a Story" 6 92 Everybody's Got a Story
2002 "Sunday Morning After" 20
"Marry Me" 19
"Double Agent" 19
2003 "The Voice Inside"
"Until We Fall In" Intermission: The Singles Collection
2023 "I Hope She Cheats" Heavy Lifting
"Dawgcatcher"

Soundtracks and appearances[edit]

Year Single Album
1994 "Don't Let It Bring You Down" Borrowed Tunes: A Tribute to Neil Young
1996 "Dark Horse" Two If By Sea (soundtrack)
1997 "This Could Take All Night" Tin Cup (soundtrack)
"I'll Be Okay" My Best Friend's Wedding (soundtrack)
1998 "Believe in You" Touched by an Angel: The Album

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c CRIA searchable database Archived August 5, 2010, at the Wayback Machine search Amanda Marshall in the artist field for certifications
  2. ^ a b c d Richard Ouzounian (October 31, 2010). "Amanda Marshall makes her much-anticipated return". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on November 2, 2010. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
  3. ^ Richard Ouzounian (October 31, 2010). "Amanda Marshall makes her much-anticipated return | Toronto Star". Thestar.com. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  4. ^ "Marshall's Sexier". Calgary Herald. December 17, 2001. Archived from the original on February 27, 2005.
  5. ^ "Shadow Boxing with Amanda Marshall". Wal-Mart Profile Magazine. Archived from the original on January 12, 2012.
  6. ^ Larry LeBlanc (June 22, 1996). "Sony Music Takes on the World". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 62–. ISSN 0006-2510.
  7. ^ "Deadly Snakes give a rattlin' good time Pop Reviews ; Deck goes here". Toronto Star - Toronto, Ont. May 29, 1999 Page: 1
  8. ^ Larry LeBlanc (February 12, 2000). "Morissette leads Canada's Juno nomination list". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 45–. ISSN 0006-2510.
  9. ^ Friend, David (April 1, 2023). "Amanda Marshall leaves behind two decades of ordinary for a return to making music". The Canadian Press. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  10. ^ "Amanda Marshall unveils new album, Heavy Lifting (Interview)". June 9, 2023.
  11. ^ Anita Tai (March 31, 2023). "Amanda Marshall Returns With 'Heavy Lifting' And National Tour". Entertainment Tonight Canada. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  12. ^ Megan LaPierre, "Amanda Marshall Returns with New Album 'Heavy Lifting,' Canadian Tour". Exclaim!, March 27, 2023.
  13. ^ Nick Krewen (June 17, 2023). "Amanda Marshall makes a triumphant homecoming at Massey Hall". Toronto Star.
  14. ^ "Junos 2024: full list of winners". CBC Music, March 23, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Australian (ARIA) chart peaks:
  16. ^ German albums chart peaks:
  17. ^ a b "charts.nz – Amanda Marshall in New Zealand Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  18. ^ a b UK chart peaks:
  19. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 351. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  20. ^ "Billboard > Artists / Amanda Marshall > Chart History > Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  21. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  22. ^ "Gold & Platinum Certification – January 2002". Canadian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on December 1, 2005. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
  23. ^ "Search for Canadian Top Singles peaks". Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  24. ^ "Search for Canadian Adult Contemporary peaks". Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  25. ^ German singles chart peaks:
  26. ^ "dutchcharts.nl > Amanda Marshall in Dutch Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  27. ^ "Billboard > Artists / Amanda Marshall > Chart History > The Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved May 1, 2017.

External links[edit]