Amanda Shaw Bio
New Orleans-based singer, songwriter, fiddler and actress Amanda Shaw is part of a new
breed of young, roots-based musicians who have embraced both traditional and pop
sounds, creating music that is both authentic and bold. At the age of 16, Shaw is a
seasoned entertainer with a substantial audience across the southern U.S., and, through
her starring role in the IMAX film Hurricane on the Bayou (released in 2006), is gaining
an increasing national presence. For the past three years, her self-released CD was among
the top ten best sellers at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, where she also
drew record crowds. She's also received numerous local awards, including a Big Easy
Award for Best Female Entertainer when she was only 14. With the release of her
Rounder Records debut, Pretty Runs Out, Shaw is poised to take her dazzling
showmanship to the national stage.
Attracted to the violin at the age of three after hearing an orchestra on television, Shaw
first studied classical music, and became the youngest performer ever to solo with the
Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, at the age of seven. Although she is not of Cajun
descent, she became captivated by local Cajun and country fiddle styles, and was soon
leading her own band, playing Cajun fiddle tunes, originals and, eventually, covers of
pop songs by the likes of The Ramones and The Clash. Word of her talent and exciting
performances spread quickly. She performed twice on The Rosie O'Donnell Show (1999
and 2001), opened locally for Charlie Daniels and played onstage with Cyndi Lauper.
With her charismatic on-camera presence, she was recruited to star in two Disney
television movies, Now You See It (2005) and Stuck in the Suburbs (2004). On the brink
of teen stardom, Shaw chose instead to pursue a different path, applying herself ever
more seriously to her music.
Shaw and Grammy® award-winning Rounder producer/VP of A&R Scott Billington
began working together in 2004, cutting a demo session at the legendary and now
destroyed Ultrasonic Studio in New Orleans. For two years, they diligently worked on
developing the repertoire recorded on Pretty Runs Out. The songs came together as Shaw
collaborated with such respected songwriters as Anders Osborne, Shannon McNally and
Jim McCormick, and in sessions with her own band, the Cute Guys.
Pretty Runs Out was recorded at New Orleans' Piety Street Studio in the Upper Ninth
Ward over a two-month period at the end of 2006. The songs are anchored by Shaw's
Cajun-rooted fiddle, and by her surprisingly mature vocals. Country-influenced songs
include the title track, composed by Shaw and Jim McCormick, and Diane Warren's "I
Don't Want to Be Your Friend," originally recorded by Cyndi Lauper. The bluesy
"Chirmolito," inspired by two Mexican workers who helped rebuild Shaw's Katrinadamaged home, was co-written with Shannon McNally. The funky original "Brick Wall"
is based on a New Orleans schoolyard taunt, serving also as a showcase for trombonist
Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, who might be said to be Shaw's kindred spirit among
New Orleans' new breed of roots musicians. Of course, the album features three of the
blazing fiddle instrumentals for which Shaw has become known.
"What's most important to me as I go forward is to be respected for what I do as a
musician, songwriter and artist - to earn that respect," says Shaw. With the release of
Pretty Runs Out, she's well on her way.