Before Taylor Swift, There Was Shania Twain | Once Around The Country Artwork

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Before Taylor Swift, There Was Shania Twain | Once Around The Country

August 17, 2026 • Gary Scott Thomas • Season 1 • Episode 302

0:00 | 20:12

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Before Taylor Swift, there was Shania Twain.

This week on Once Around the Country, Gary breaks down the real story behind one of the most successful and most underrated careers in music history. Shania Twain grew up as Eileen Edwards in Windsor and Timmins, Ontario, raising money for her family by singing in bars from age 8. She lost both of her parents in a car accident at 21 and stepped in to raise her younger siblings while working six nights a week at a resort. From there, she became Shania Twain and built a career that redefined what a country artist could be, from the record-breaking sales of The Woman in Me and Come On Over to a Super Bowl halftime show and a heartbreak so public it played out like a soap opera.

This episode covers her childhood, her early years playing bars for tips, the loss of her parents, her marriage to producer Mutt Lange, the explosion of Come On Over, her Lyme disease diagnosis and vocal struggles, and how she rebuilt her voice and her career on her own terms.

In This Episode:

Shania Twain's childhood in Windsor and Timmins, Ontario
Growing up with food scarcity and family hardship
Singing in bars at age eight to help support her family
The loss of her parents and raising her siblings
How Eileen Edwards became Shania Twain
Meeting producer Robert "Mutt" Lange
The Woman in Me and Come On Over album success
Shania Twain's record-breaking album sales
Her Super Bowl halftime performance
Her divorce from Mutt Lange and the story behind it
Her Lyme disease diagnosis and vocal cord dysfunction
Why Shania Twain deserves more credit as a music industry pioneer

This episode is sponsored by:

Sterling Oak Cabinetry

Dignity Memorial

Bio:

Shania Twain is one of the most successful and influential country music crossover artists of all time. Born Eileen Edwards in Ontario, Canada, she began performing as a child and overcame a difficult upbringing before building a career that would take her from small-town bars to the biggest stages in the world. With hits like “Any Man of Mine,” “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” and “From This Moment On,” along with the massive success of The Woman in Me and Come On Over, Shania helped redefine what a country music superstar could be. Her story also includes personal heartbreak, the loss of her singing voice and an extraordinary determination to keep performing and creating.

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