From the Archives: July 1996 issue of Downhomer Magazine
Superstar Shania Twain Regular Guest at Newfoundland Club
by Ray Reid
For those of you who get weak-kneed at the mere sight or sound of Superstar Shania Twain, you may be surprised that Shania was a regular guest at the Conception Bay Club with the late Harry Hibbs.
Harry’s brother, Marty Hibbs, was the owner of several Newfoundland clubs in Toronto in the seventies and eighties. The Conception Bay Club, which was located at the corner of Queen and Dovercourt in Toronto (from 1978 until 1982) was one of them. During this period Eileen Twain (Shania), along with her mother Sharon, worked for Marty on the weekends. Sharon worked in the kitchen at the Conception Bay Club while her 15-year-old daughter sang with the band. She was Eileen’s chaperone as they toured the many clubs she played during her teenage years. Eileen lost both parents a few years later in an automobile accident.
Marty was first introduced to Eileen by Lou Gradanti, a member of Harry’s band and husband to Harry and Marty’s niece Donna Delaney. “I saw a very focused young lady with a big dream. She has a very powerful voice,” recalls Marty. “I was very impressed with her vocal quality and offered her a steady job Friday and Saturday nights. That was the first time she sang professionally. When Harry moved to Newfoundland in 1980 he commuted to Toronto twice a month to perform. Eileen then became the club’s special guest in Harry’s absence. At that time our house-band was backing her and her voice was a ringer for Tanya Tucker,” commented Hibbs. “Her song-writing skills had not yet developed but I always felt she would do well if she was given the exposure. I am very proud of her accomplishments and often wonder if Sharon was still alive how happy she might be to see how Eileen has finally accomplished her dream. I now Sharon’s sacrifices and dedication to her daughter was a big influence in Eileen’s success,” said Hibbs.
I wonder if anybody at the Conception Bay Club, including Marty, ever imagined that young Eileen (Shania) would become the biggest selling recording Artist in the world today?
