Sexy country singer Shania Twain (1965-), free to dream and change the world with her talent, was born Eileen Regina Edwards on this day in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

"My dream as a child was to be Stevie Wonder's backup singer. That's all I wanted to be," she said about her early aspirations.

A rags-to-riches story, she grew up impoverished. "I often went to bed hungry. Food, for me is a luxury." Losing both parents in an auto accident, she became "sister-mom" at 21 to her three younger siblings.

"When you go through something as drastic and traumatic as that, you realize you have nothing to lose in life."

Ready for any challenge, in 1991 she changed her name to Shania ("on my way" in Ojibwa, the American Indian dialect of her adopted father), then headed for Nashville. Hot videos helped sell her music, and irresistable blend of pop-country with rock. Her records busted the charts.

Billboard writer Chet Flippo explained that before Twain came along, "there was no job description for what she is - a pop femme fatale in country... She's playing by her own rules. And she's changing the audience."

Come on Over (1998) boasted eight hit singles and sold over 26 million worldwide. Twain was named the 1999 Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association and signed a $3 million contract with Revlon to promote their cosmetics as one of the world's most beautiful women.

Celebrate your freedom to dream.