Artist:Sharon Shannon
Song:Cavan Potholes
Album:The Sharon Shannon Collection 1990-2005
Sharon Shannon is an Irish musician best known for playing the button accordion. She also plays fiddle, tin whistle and melodeon. But the button accordion is her main calling card. She is very popular in Ireland but unknown elsewhere. She was born June 8, 1968 in Ruan, Country Clare, Ireland. She was eight years old when she joined the local band Disirt Tola and toured the US with them as a teen. Shannon was also a competitive show jumper. But she gave that up to concentrate on her music. Sharon studied the accordion with Karen Tweed, the fiddle with Frank Custy. And she was a member of the band Arcady. In 1989, she joined the band The Waterboys led by Steve Wickham and Mike Scott. At the time, they were a folk influenced rock band. Sharon left the band when Wickham left in 1991. That's when she recorded her debut album Sharon Shannon on Solid Records. The album was produced by John Dunford who also produced The Waterboys. The album was a big seller in Ireland and she's been going strong ever since. Cavan Potholes is from the 1996 various artists album Common Ground: Voices of Modern Irish Music. Sharon has recorded it on a couple of her live albums but never on a studio album. So this 2CD comp is the best place to get it. Donnal Lunny of Planxty wrote the song and also produced this album. And he plays bouzouki and guitar on this recording. Other musicians include David Hayes on keyboards, Richie Buckley on tenor sax and Nollaig Ni Cathasaigh on fiddle. Sharon records for her own label. Compass distributes her recordings in the US. She last released an album in 2020. And she plays live shows in England. Here's Sharon Shannon performing Cavan Potholes from the 2007 CD/DVD Live at Dolan's. James Delaney plays the piano solo and Richie Buckley plays the Tenor sax solo. The entire concert can be streamed on YouTube.
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