Mother – Georgia Feurstein (1946 - ) born in
Hungary; family escaped 1956 Soviet uprising. Teacher, door to door salesman
Father – Alan Morissette high school principal
Georgia & Alan attended Queen’s University in Kingston,
Ontario
Georgia & Alan married in 1967 in Ottawa
Chad born in 1971
Wade & Alanis born June 1st, 1974. Alanis born 12
minutes after Wade. Born at Riverside Hospital, Ottawa
1977 – 1980 Alan & Georgia taught children of Canadian
servicemen in Lahr, Germany. Morissettes visited Holland, Austria, Yugoslavia, Greece,
Switzerland and France.
1977 Alanis first saw Grease with her father in Avignon,
France
1980 Alanis saw family friends Lindsay & Jacqui Morgan (folk
duo) perform in Muskoka, Canada
between 1983 & 1987 Alanis participated in group jazz and dance
schools in Ottawa
1985 played an orphan in a local production of Little Orphan
Annie
1983 visited Malibu, CA and tracked down Olivia Newton
John’s house and announced to Olivia’s security that she was going to be a
famous singer
"Fate Stay With Me" performed with synthesizers and drum
machine and was recorded on eight track
"Fate Stay With Me" era produced other songs
"I Gotta Go" (by Alanis)
"Another Sleepless Night" (with Lindsay Morgan)
"Over Now"
"Get With It"
"Toughen Up"
"This Feeling"
"Be There As My Friend"
"Your Dreams Come In Time"
October 1985 – photo shoot for "FSWM" record sleeve.
Shot at Morgan’s farm in Toronto. As result, won a $3,000 cheque to kickstart career
from Foundation To Assist Canadian Talent On Record (FACTOR)
1985 met Dominic D’Arcy "The Singing Policeman" at
her school the Holy Family Catholic School where he sought her out while singing "My
Canada". Brought her to another school that afternoon and her her perform
"FSWM"
1985-1987 Alanis & Wade sing w/ D’Arcy for community groups
throughout Ottawa. Songs included were "My Canada", Alanis’ songs and
kiddie songs such as "Bingo The Dog".
1985 auditioned for You Can’t Do That On Television. Began as
program on local TV station CJOH but was sold to Nickolodeon. YCDTOTV paid $1,000 per
show. Alanis did eight shows.
July 1986 Rich Dodson of the Stampeders produced
"FSWM"/"Find The Right Man"
1985/6 auditioned and rejected for Star Search in Toronto
1986 performed at telethon to benefit Children’s Hospital Of
Eastern Ontario
May 1986 performed for Ontario’s Lieutenant Governor at the
Girl Guides annual meeting at the Skyline Hotel in Ottawa.
1986 performed at St. Patrick’s High School’s year end
assembly with D’Arcy. Did "FSWM"
LAMOR records =
Lindsey &
Alanis
MORissette / MORgan
1987 Broke with the Morgans. Alanis then approached Louise Reny of
Ottawa based synth group One To One at St. Mary’s Church. Louise’s partner
Leslie Howe.
1987 spring. Met Stephan Klovan who based Ottawa’s Festival Of
Spring kids’ performance around Alanis & "FSWM"
Charity event song list:
"Fate Stay With Me"
"Find The Right Man"
"I Gotta Go"
"Another Sleepless Night"
"Your Dream Has Come In Time"
"Over Now (?)"
"Get With It"
"Toughen Up"
"This Feeling"
"Be There As My Friend"
Cover Songs
"The Rose"
"Summertime"
"I Can’t Help Falling In Love"
"Hotel California"
"Flashdance"
"Strut"
"Summertime Blues"
1987/88 Alanis & Wade modeled as Dalmy’s Kids (clothing)
and were in shopping mall posters and ads.
Alanis wrote the Dalmy Kids jingle: "It wasn’t very fair/
Seemed mothers did not care/ There was a store for them, not me/ But now the time has
come/ Us kids are number one"
1987 summer. Won grand prize for Youth Talent Search singing
"FSWM
Leslie Howe’s studio, Distortion: 48 track studio; vast
collection of MIDI instruments, samplers, sequencers and sounds. Rental fees $60/ hour
plus $20 for an engineer.
October 8, 1988 Alanis signed to Howe’s Ghettovale Records for
5 albums with Howe as producer. Because she was a minor, her dad signed as well.
October 1988 World Cup of Figure Skating in Ottawa sang upbeat
version of "O Canada" with instrumentation bu Frank Levin.
March 9, 1989 Margo Roston wrote in Ottawa Citizen society column
about Alanis’ performance of "O Canada" at special screening of CBC TV
Special "Dear Elizabeth" about skater Elizabeth Manley. Organised by Klovan at
the Westin Hotel.
March 1989 + a few months, performed at Ronald McDonald House
charity benefit show
Cover Songs Being Performed:
Madonna’s "Cherish" + "Crazy For You"
Donna Summer’s "She Works Hard For The Money"
Ben E. King’s "Stand By Me"
Janet Jackson’s "What Have You Done For Me Lately?"
The Eagles "Take It To The Limit" + "Hotel
California"
The Bangles "Walk Like An Egyptian"
Tina Turner "What You Get Is What You See"
Olivia Newton John "Hopelessly Devoted To You"
1989 summerd for pianist Andre Gagnon in Quebec City
1989 summer sang national anthem on military ship with sailors
Star Search audition: sang Osmand Family ballad and "One Bad
Apple"
April 4, 1989 + "(I’ll) Walk Away" video shot at
Ecole Militaire fountain, etc. in France for a budget of $15,110 including $2,610 to fly
Klovan, Howe, Alanis and director to Paris. $1,740 for accomadtions; $1,250 for food; $550
for Paris stylist; $1,075 for wardrobe + $325 for dance lessons.
Hilton International in Paris gave them free rooms in exchange for
being show in the video.
The money was raised from $1,000 won in a contest sponsered by
Ottawa radio station Energy 1200, small donations from local people and form Leslie Howe.
Director: Denis Beauchamp
"Walk Away" actually written by Reny w/ Howe and Levin
video & biography sent out with demo tape of "I’ll
Walk Away"/ "One Bad Apple"/ "Be Your Girl"
first 6 months used moniker Alanis Nadinia
Lawyer Heather Perkins-McVey re-negotiated the Ghettovale contract.
The forty page contract gave Howe/Ghettovale:
Right to first refusal as producer
Right to choose a studio (if it was Distortion, with a rental fee of
$50,000)
Right to final decision on recording with other artists
Feb 14, 1990 new contract deal closed
Alanis & Klovan went to the infamous Madonna show in Toronto
(the one in Madonna’s Truth Or Dare video) to meet with MCA officials
1990/1 Vocal Warz contest held at Barrymore’s – a
converted Vaudeville hall on Ottawa’s Bank Street. Alanis won 3rd place
1990/1 joined New York Fries (a cover band of top forty music
including Pat Benatar, Blondie, Wild Cherry, Richard Marx & the B-52s.) They performed
on about a dozen weekends and were together for 18 months. Some places they played were: a
suburban mall (their first gig); Williamsburg, Ontario; and Talisman hotel. The New York
Fries were: Kevin Little on bass, Rick Kumar on Guitar, Richie Wright on drums, and Alanis
on vocals.
Attended the Program For Advanced Learning at Glebe Collegiate High
School in Ottawa.
April 1991 ‘Alanis’ was issued. Released in May. Went gold
in August.
First single was "Too Hot"
"I’ll Walk Away" was re-recorded as "Walk
Away" and new video segments were shot with Matt LeBlanc. Released as 3rd
single.
second single – "Feel Your Love". Video shot in
Toronto for $45,000.
August 8, 1991 performs national anthem at Ottawa Rough Riders
football game at Frank Clair Stadium.
August 24, 1991d for Vanilla Ice at Ottawa’s Frank Clair
Stadium. Performed "FYL"/ "TH" + 1
1991d for C+C Music Factory in Toronto area. Played 6 songs.
1991 autograph signing session at Carlingwood suburban shopping mall
in Ottawa.
1991 appearances at Ottawa radio station Energy 1200.
1991 worked a morning shift at McDonald’s for a fund raiser.
August 1991 performed "Too Hot" at Rough Riders game
during half time and received gold award.
March 1992 – Juno’s in Toronto at O’Keefe Centre.
Reported on Juno’s for Ottawa Sun.
Did celebrity bowling tournament
A music industry seminar
Guest spot on Much Music’s Electric Circus
Nominated for Single Of The Year; Most Promising Female (won); Best
Dance Record
June 1992 hosted docudrama Borderline High, a YTV special aimed at
High School drop outs
June 1992 shot scenes for rarely scene Corey Haim film in Vancouver.
Known as "Boys Will Be Girls", "Just On Of The Girls" and
"Anything For Love"
Alanis’ music is featured in two scenes as well as a cameo and
a ‘live’ performance by Alanis. The end credits feature a remix of
One song of Alanis’ can be heard in the background of
‘Problem Child’ in the scene were John Ritter enters a diner.
1992 hired to entertain Ottawa Senators hockey fans on the train to
Montreal for the amateur draft
1992 NHL All Star Game in Montreal sang "O Canada"
1992 began dating Full House’s Dave Coulier.
‘Now Is The Time’ issued in fall of 1992. Sold between
150,000 and 200,000
"An Emotion Away" video shot in Rome
March 1993 Alanis accepted at the University of Toronto, Carleton
University and the University of Ottawa for psychology and communications.
Summer 1993 decided not to go to college and moved to Toronto.
Got a management deal with Scott Welch at Atlas/Third Rail – a
Los Angeles based company run by Scott & Bob Cavallo
Steve Haflidson & Alanis cowrote "Gone". First
performed at songwriting showcase at Queen Street for Ultra Sound. "Gone"
appears on Haflidson’s album, as well as a Swedish group – Cube’s –
album. Also with Steve, "If I Should Be With You" and "Take Back The
Night" were written.
Alanis provides background vocals on Canadian singer Tom
Jackson’s album.
Collaborations:
"Anyway" w/ David Charles Pickell
"Come Into Her Own" w/ Dean McTaggart
"Fading" & "My Cathedral" w/ Gordon Paul
Howard
"Last Time" w/ Danny LeBlanc
"My Last Tear" & "That’d Be Nice" w/
David Baxter
"One Thing I Forgot" w/ Eddie Schwartz
"Souveniers" w/ Amy Sky
"Angel Of Mercy", "Believe Again", &
"Spectrum Of Color" w/ Anthony Vanderburgh
"Comfort" w/ Terry Sawchuk
"Used To Run" w/ Tin Thorney
"Superstar Wonderful Weirdos" written with Terry Sawchuk
and later Glen Ballard
Spring/ early summer 1994 hosted CBC’s ‘Music Works’
in Ottawa
summer 1994 moves to Beachwood Canyon, Los Angeles
fall 1994 met Glen Ballard
Collaborations with Glen Ballard:
"The Bottom Line"
"Closer Then You Might Believe"
"Keep The Radio On"
"No Avalon"
"Why Can’t I"
"Perfect" written in 20 minutes
"Hand In My Pocket" written in 40 minutes
"Mary Jane" written about family friend Jacqui Morgan
used 1954 AKG c-12 microphones for vocals on JLP
used vintage tube limiters & pre-amps on voice
In place of the standard label deal of receiving an advance payment
instead of future royalties, Scott Welch set up a deal where Alanis forgoes the advance
payment and instead gets a higher royalty percentage per record.
Maverick and/or Scott Welch bought out Alanis’ old deal with
Ghettovale so she could sign with Maverick, however it’s not clear whom or for who
much because no one is talking.
May 13, 1995 issue of Billboard – first JLP review. Called
"Morissette’s Jagged Self Healing" by Timothy White.
May 16, 1995 KROQ played "YOK" first.
"YOK" video taped in Death Valley, CA and Nevada.
June 23, 1995 played an industry only 35 minute set at Zaphod
Beeblebrox in Banff, Alberta, Canada to 125 people from Warner Music.
The Rentalsd for the first leg of the tour, up through the
Nov. 1995 show in Montreal.
March 8, 1996 mayor Jackie Holzmann gave Alanis key to city and
proclaimed it Alanis Morissette Day. Also
March 8, 1996 played Congress Centre, Ottawa and Alanis brought out
Christian Lane (fromng act Loud Lucy) to duet on "HOF". Loud Lucyd
for entire second leg (winter) of the North American tour.
March 10, 1996 Juno Awards at Haimlton Copps Coliseum in Toronto.
1996 Grammys – won album of the year, best rock album, female
vocalist of the year, single of the year and songwriter of the year.
Between Aug. 6 1995 and Sept. 22, 1996 JLP sold 100,000+ copies a
week
JLP was #1 for 13 weeks and was in the top 5 for 52 out of 59 weeks.
1997 Grammys "Ironic" nominated for reocrd and video of
the year
Alanis bought a house in L.A.
"King Of Intimidation" includes a clip from the 1950
documentary A Date With Your Family.
