Sharon Shannon

Sharon Shannon is at the head of a list of Irish musicians spearheading a broadening of traditional music horizons. Thoroughly versed in Irish music, she has not been afraid to mix different styles into her playing on accordion and fiddle -- from reggae to country. After 18 months with the Waterboys, she began a solo career. The big step was her self-titled debut, recorded in 1990, but she didn't issue another disc until 1995's Out the Gap. Each Little Thing (1997) deftly moved between styles, while The Diamond Mountain Sessions (2000) owed a great deal to American alt-country in addition to Celtic music. She celebrated 15 years of recording with The Sharon Shannon Collection 1990-2005 in 2006. ~ Chris Nickson