Dinner with Shania Twain - I Knew She Would Be Huge

Back in 1993, Shania Twain was only beginning her epic rise to stardom having just released her self titled album(1), and I was a soldier in the US Army stationed at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, TX. I was really into the country dance scene, and was learning to love country music all over again. Thanks to my parents, I grew up listening to Charley Pride, Hank Williams and George Jones as a child. This new country sound was unlike anything I had ever heard, and stars like Toby Keith, Travis Tritt and Alan Jackson were tearing up the airwaves.

Being in Texas helped, as many of the biggest stars would show up to the Bluebonnet Palace in San Antonio. This was very convenient as the Palace was only a short taxicab ride away from our base. When I heard that superstar Toby Keith was coming to the Bluebonnet Palace, I was very excited to say the least and immediately made plans to attend. I had no idea who Shania Twain was at the time, but noted that she was opening for him.

The Bluebonnet Palace was like no other club I had seen, as it had a huge dance floor that was right out in front of the stage. Additionally, they had a completely full service restaurant right next to the stage that you could order food from when you got hungry. They had picnic tables set out in front of the restaurant to sit and eat your food as well.

My friends and I arrived early, and listened to the house DJ for a bit. The crowd was fairly thin as the opening act was not set to come on for another hour or so. I decided to go order some food and sit down for a quick bite to eat. My buddies went to hang out in the adjacent dance club that played top 40 music and so on. Little did they know that they were missing the chance to have a brush with greatness.

I ordered a hot dog and coke, and took a seat at one of the picnic tables by the stage, laying my hat down upon the table. Within minutes, an attractive young woman walked up and asked if she could sit down across from me to eat. She had long, dark hair and a wonderful drawl to her smoky voice that made my toes curl immediately. I had no idea that Shania Twain was sitting directly across from me and she seemed to be amused at that fact.

We talked for about ten minutes about dancing and various things, and she asked about my family and where I was from. My buzz haircut must have given away that I was a soldier. After several minutes of small talk, I asked what she did for a living. She smiled at me and said that she was a singer. At that moment, everything came together for me and I realized that her album cover was hanging on the marquee when we walked in the front door.

Sheepishly, I asked her if she was Shania Twain and she laughed so hard I wondered if she might spit out her drink. She admitted that she was, and I felt like a fool. Fortunately for me, she put me at ease right away by saying that nobody else around us was noticing it was her either. At that point, I could have crawled under the table but she was very kind and understanding.

She then talked with me for a bit longer before excusing herself to go backstage and get ready. I wanted to get a picture or something, but I had nothing with me so I simply asked for her autograph instead. Feeling silly, and wishing I had been more debonair to start with, I tried to make up for it by asking if she would save me a dance. She laughed and said that she was leaving right after her set, but that she would sing a song for me. Blushing, I waved goodbye as she disappeared behind the stage that she would be rocking later that night.

When my buddies showed up minutes later, I told them about my celebrity encounter. Of course, they did not believe me regardless of how many times I swore it to be true. About a half hour later, Shania Twain took the stage and began to perform.

We quickly saw that she was going to be a huge star, as her voice was already like that of a songbird.

Shania Twain went on to win 6 Grammys and 5 American Music Awards to date, as well as countless other awards that are too numerous to mention.(1) Her songs have dominated country music charts for decades and she is beloved in all music circles around the globe.

In my view, Shania Twain is a star not for the awards and musical achievements, but for her gracious kindness to a lonely soldier that day back in 1993. She became a star to me that day long before she showed it to the world.

Thank you, Shania Twain, for a wonderful experience and a brush with greatness.

Source:

1) http://www.people.com/people/shania_twain/biography/0,,,00.html

Additional Resources:

http://www.bluebonnetpalace.com/

http://omg.yahoo.com/celebs/shania-twain/1032