Sharon Shannon (born 8 June 1968) is an Irish musician, best known for her work with the

button accordion A button accordion is a type of accordion on which the melody-side keyboard consists of a series of buttons. This differs from the piano accordion, which has piano-style keys. Erich von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs categorize it as a free reed ae ...

and for her fiddle technique. She also plays the

tin whistle The tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is a type of fipple flute, putting it in the same class as the recorder, Native American flute, and other woodwind instruments that meet such criteria ...

and

melodeon Melodeon may refer to: * Melodeon (accordion), a type of button accordion *Melodeon (organ), a type of 19th-century reed organ *Melodeon (Boston, Massachusetts), a concert hall in 19th-century Boston * Melodeon Records, a U.S. record label in the ...

. Her 1991 debut album, '' Sharon Shannon,'' was the best-selling album of traditional

Irish music Irish music is music that has been created in various genres on the island of Ireland. The indigenous music of the island is termed Irish traditional music. It has remained vibrant through the 20th and into the 21st century, despite globalis ...

ever released in Ireland. Beginning with Irish folk music, her work demonstrates a wide-ranging number of musical influences. She won the lifetime achievement award at the 2009 Meteor Awards.

Early life

Shannon was born in

Ruan, County Clare Ruan () is a village in County Clare in Ireland. It is in the Catholic parish of Dysart and Ruan. Location Ruan is near the Burren and between Corofin, Crusheen and Ennis. The name "Ruan" (''An Ruadhán'') is an old Irish term for the al ...

. At eight years old, she began performing with Disirt Tola, a local band, with which she toured the United States at the age of fourteen. Shannon also worked as a competitive

show jumper Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ...

, but gave it up at the age of sixteen to focus on her music. She similarly abandoned studying at

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one ...

. In the mid-1980s, Shannon studied the accordion with Karen Tweed and the fiddle with Frank Custy, and performed with the band Arcady, of which she was a founding member.

The Waterboys

Shannon began her own recording career in 1989, working with producer John Dunford and musicians such as

Adam Clayton Adam Charles Clayton (born 13 March 1960) is an English-born Irish musician who is the bass guitarist of the rock band U2. He has resided in County Dublin, Ireland since his family moved to Malahide in 1965, when he was five years old. C ...

, Mike Scott and Steve Wickham. This led to Shannon joining their band,

The Waterboys The Waterboys are a folk rock band formed in Edinburgh in 1983 by Scottish musician Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England. Mike Scott has remained ...

. She was with the band for eighteen months, and contributed both accordion and fiddle to their ''

Room to Roam ''Room to Roam'' is the fifth studio album by The Waterboys; it continued the folk rock sound of 1988's '' Fisherman's Blues'', but was less of a commercial success, reaching #180 on the '' Billboard'' Top 200 after its release in September 1990 ...

'' album. Her first world tour was with The Waterboys. She left the group shortly after Wickham's departure, as the band was forced back to a more

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...

sound.

First solo recordings

Her 1991 debut album, ''Sharon Shannon,'' is the best-selling album of traditional

ever released there. Shannon's solo work has achieved remarkable airplay and commercial success, especially in Ireland. After her inclusion on '' A Woman's Heart'', a compilation album and a tribute to her work on '' The Late Late Show'', Shannon's music received a great deal of exposure, contributing to the record-breaking sales of her debut album. Sharon's second album, ''Out The Gap'' (1994), was produced by Dennis "Blackbeard" Bovell and had a distinctly

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

feel. Sharon's track, "Cavan Potholes", written by

Dónal Lunny Dónal Lunny (born 10 March 1947) is an Irish folk musician and producer. He plays left-handed guitar and bouzouki, as well as keyboards and bodhrán. As a founding member of popular bands Planxty, The Bothy Band, Moving Hearts, Coolfin, Mozai ...

is featured on the 1996 compilation ''Common Ground: Voices of Modern Irish Music.'' Other stars on the album include Sinéad O'Connor, Elvis Costello,

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single " Wuthering Heights", becoming the first female ...

and Bono. Sharon's fourth album titled ''Spellbound'' was released in September 1998. This compilation featured new material, live tracks and also tracks from previous albums. Also in 1998, she was asked by violinist

Nigel Kennedy Nigel Kennedy (born 28 December 1956) is an English violinist and violist. His early career was primarily spent performing classical music, and he has since expanded into jazz, klezmer, and other music genres. Early life and background Kenn ...

to join a him in performing on his "Jimi Hendrix Suite", later performing this work in some major European cities. Her 2000 album, ''The Diamond Mountain Sessions'', which included vocals from a wide variety of artists, was also a commercial success, being certified triple platinum. Shannon recorded with Steve Earle on the song " The Galway Girl", which was released on both Earle's album '' Transcendental Blues'', and Shannon & Friends' ''The Diamond Mountain Sessions''. Both albums were released in 2000. Another collaboration with Earle was the

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to inst ...

"Dominic Street", released on Earle's 2002 album ''Sidetracks''. Shannon has also worked with Jackson Browne, the band Coolfin,

Moya Brennan Moya Brennan (born Máire Philomena Ní Bhraonáin on 4 August 1952), also known as Máire Brennan, is an Irish folk singer, songwriter, harpist, and philanthropist. She is the sister of the musical artist known as Enya. She began performing pr ...

Kirsty MacColl Kirsty Anna MacColl (10 October 1959 – 18 December 2000) was a British singer and songwriter, daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl. She recorded several pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including " There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears ...

Christy Moore Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore (born 7 May 1945) is an Irish folk singer, songwriter and guitarist. In addition to his significant success as an individual, he is one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts. His first album, ...

, Sinéad O'Connor,

Paul Brady Paul Joseph Brady (born 19 May 1947) is an Irish singer-songwriter and musician from Strabane, Northern Ireland. His work straddles folk and pop. He was interested in a wide variety of music from an early age. Initially popular for playing ...

, Liam O'Maonlai, Mundy and

John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death. He ...

, amongst others.

Later work

In 2004, Shannon released the album ''Libertango'' with guest spots from Róisín Elsafty, Sinéad O'Connor and

. In 2005, she appeared on ''Tunes'', a collaboration with Frankie Gavin, Michael McGoldrick, and Jim Murray. In 2006, a celebration of 15 years of recording came out with ''The Sharon Shannon Collection 1990–2005''. In 2007, Shannon worked with

Belinda Carlisle Belinda Jo Carlisle ( ; born August 17, 1958) is an American singer. She gained fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, the most successful all-female rock band of all time, and went on to have a prolific career as a solo artist. Raised in ...

on her album ''Voila''. As a solo musician, Sharon Shannon has toured Australia, Europe, Hong Kong, and Japan. She has also performed for politicians such as

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

Mary Robinson Mary Therese Winifred Robinson ( ga, Máire Mhic Róibín; ; born 21 May 1944) is an Irish politician who was the 7th president of Ireland, serving from December 1990 to September 1997, the first woman to hold this office. Prior to her electi ...

and

Lech Wałęsa Lech Wałęsa (; ; born 29 September 1943) is a Polish statesman, dissident, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who served as the President of Poland between 1990 and 1995. After winning the 1990 election, Wałęsa became the first democrati ...

. Shannon has played benefit concerts for causes that she supports, such as animal welfare. Sharon-shannon-424-0154-hinnerk-ruemenapf

She continues to record her music and perform with her tour band, The Woodchoppers. A live version of Galway Girl recorded with Mundy was the most downloaded track in Ireland in 2007, winning a Meteor Award. In 2008, Shannon featured in the

Transatlantic Sessions Transatlantic Sessions is the collective title for a series of musical productions by Glasgow-based Pelicula Films Ltd, funded by- and produced for BBC Scotland, BBC Four and RTÉ of Ireland. The productions comprise collaborative live performan ...

. In 2009, she played " Galway Girl" live at the Meteor Music Awards 2009, where she also picked up a Lifetime Achievement Award and won Most Downloaded Track again for Galway Girl with Mundy. Shannon features playing accordion on The Lee Thompson Ska Orchestra single "Bangarang", which also features

Dawn Penn Dawn Penn (born 11 January 1952) is a Jamaican reggae singer. She first had a short career during the rocksteady era, between 1967 and 1969, but is most known for her single "You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)" which became a worldwide hit in 1994. ...

as vocalist. It was released on 26 May 2014. Beginning with Irish folk music, her work demonstrates a wide-ranging number of musical influences, including

cajun music Cajun music (french: Musique cadienne), an emblematic music of Louisiana played by the Cajuns, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Although they are two separate genres, Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem ...

Portuguese music Portuguese music includes many different styles and genres, as a result of its history. These can be broadly divided into classical music, traditional/folk music and popular music and all of them have produced internationally successful acts, wit ...

, and French Canadian music. Her single "What You Make It (da, da, da, da)" featured hip hop music artists.

Honours

In October 2018,

NUI Galway The University of Galway ( ga, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe) is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland. A tertiary education and research institution, the university was awarded the full five QS stars for excellence in 201 ...

awarded Shannon an honorary doctorate.

Discography

Albums

*''Sharon Shannon'' (1991) *''Out the Gap'' (1994) *''Each Little Thing'' (1997) *''Spellbound: The Best Of Sharon Shannon'' (1999) *''The Diamond Mountain Sessions'' (2000) *''Live in Galway'' (2002) with the Woodchoppers *''Libertango'' (2003) *''tunes'' (2005) with Frankie Gavin, Michael McGoldrick, and Jim Murray *''The Sharon Shannon Collection 1990–2005'' (2006) *''Live at Dolans CD & DVD'' (2007) *''Renegade'' (2007) with Mike McGoldrick, Dezi Donnelly, and Jim Murray *''Saints & Scoundrels'' (2009) *''upside down'' (2009) with Mike McGoldrick, Dezi Donnelly, and Jim Murray *''Flying Circus'' (2012) with Jim Murray and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra *''The Set List US/Canada 2014'' (2014) *''In Galway CD & DVD'' (2015) with Alan Connor *''Live in the US and Canada 2016'' (2016) with Jim Murray and Alan Connor *''Sacred Earth'' (2017) Recorded and released on Irish record label, Celtic Collections *''Live in Minneapolis'' (2019) *''The Winkles Tapes 1989'' (2019) *''The Reckoning'' (2020)

Videography

*''Live at Dolans'' (2007) *''In Galway'' (2015) with Alan Connor

Notes

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References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shannon, Sharon 1968 births 20th-century Irish women musicians 20th-century Irish musicians 21st-century Irish women musicians 21st-century Irish musicians Living people Irish accordionists Women accordionists Irish fiddlers Musicians from County Clare Musicians from County Galway The Waterboys members 21st-century accordionists 21st-century violinists