Sharon Shannon

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Annika Johansson's promotional photo of Sharon Shannon captures the spirit of her lively accordion performances.

Sharon Shannon is an Irish musician from the village of Ruan in County Clare. She is best known for her work with the accordion and her violin fiddle technique, but has also played the tin whistle and melodeon. Her 1991 album Sharon Shannon is the best selling album of traditional Irish music ever released there^[1]. Beginning with British Isles folk music, her work demonstrates a wide-ranging number of musical influences, including reggae, cajun music, Portuguese music, and French Canadian music. Her single What You Make It (da, da, da, da) featured hip hop music artists Marvel and Lady K. Her work has also been remixed as dance music.

At eight years old, Shannon began performing with Disirt Tola, a band from County Clare. Shannon also worked as a competitive showjumper, but gave it up at age sixteen to focus on her performing music^[2]. Shannon similarly abandoned studying at University College Cork. In the mid-1980s, Shannon studied the accordion with Karen Tweed^[3] and the fiddle with Frank Custy, and performed with the band Arcady, of which she was a founding member^[2].

Shannon began her own recording career in 1989, working with producer John Dunford and musicians such as Adam Clayton, Mike Scott and Steve Wickham. The work with Scott and Wickham led to Shannon's joining their band, The Waterboys. Shannon was with the band for eighteen months, and contributed both accordion and fiddle to their Room to Roam album. Like Wickham, she left the group when Scott and group member Anthony Thistlethwaite wanted to move the band back to a more rock and roll sound. 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 "Dominic Street", released on Earle's 2002 album Sidetracks. Shannon has also worked with Jackson Browne, the band Coolfin, Dónal Lunny, Kirsty MacColl, Christy Moore, Sinéad O'Connor, Liam O'Maonlai, and John Prine, amongst others.

Shanon'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. 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.

With Disirt Tola, Shannon toured the United States at age fourteen^[2], whereas her first world tour was with The Waterboys. As a solo musician, she has toured Australia, Europe, Hong Kong, and Japan. She has also performed for politicians such as Bill Clinton, Mary Robinson and Lech Wałęsa. Shannon has played benefit concerts for causes that she supports, such as animal welfare^[4]. She continues to record her music and perform with her tour band, The Woodchoppers.