Birth name: Amanda Meta Marshall Born: August 29, 1972 Toronto, Ontario, Canada Genres: Adult contemporary, R&B Years active: 1995 – present Labels: Sony Music Canada, Epic Associated acts: Mila Mason, David Tyson *Marshall was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her father is caucasian and her mother is a black Trinidadian. In several of her songs, Marshall has reflected on her racial identity "as a woman who looks white but is actually black". 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.