Amanda Shaw
Encyclopedia
Amanda Amaya Shaw is an American cajun
fiddle
r, singer, and actress from Covington, Louisiana
.
's Community Music School. She studied classical violin starting at age 4, and at 8 began playing and performing Cajun music. Shaw would have graduated from Mount Carmel Academy in New Orleans in 2008 but she opted instead to continue traveling around the country to perform. She called her decision to leave Mount Carmel a difficult one. Shaw earned her G.E.D. in 2008 and planned to attend Tulane University
but did not enroll.
area, including annual shows at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
. They have also performed at Southeastern's historic Columbia Theatre in Hammond.
's Should I Stay or Should I Go
and The Ramones' "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" (changed to "Girlfriend"). In 2006 Shaw signed with Rounder Records
. Two years later she released her third album Pretty Runs Out
on Rounder.
Shaw has appeared in two Disney Channel
original movies filmed in New Orleans: Stuck in the Suburbs
(2004) and Now You See It...
(2005). One of her best-known screen roles is as a principal narrator in Hurricane on the Bayou
(2006), a documentary about Hurricane Katrina
and the erosion of Louisiana's wetlands. Her music is featured in "Hurricane" along with that of co-narrator Tab Benoit
and New Orleans native Allen Toussaint
.
Cajun music
Cajun music, an emblematic music of Louisiana, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem with the Creole-based, Cajun-influenced zydeco form, both of Acadiana origin...
fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
r, singer, and actress from Covington, Louisiana
Covington, Louisiana
Covington is a city in and the parish seat of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,483 at the 2000 census. It is located at a fork of the Bogue Falaya and the Tchefuncte River....
.
Musical training
Shaw received some of her early musical training in Southeastern Louisiana UniversitySoutheastern Louisiana University
Southeastern Louisiana University is a state-funded public university in Hammond, Louisiana, United States. It was founded in 1925 by Linus A. Sims, the principal of Hammond High School, as Hammond Junior College, located in a wing of the high school building. Sims succeeded in getting the campus...
's Community Music School. She studied classical violin starting at age 4, and at 8 began playing and performing Cajun music. Shaw would have graduated from Mount Carmel Academy in New Orleans in 2008 but she opted instead to continue traveling around the country to perform. She called her decision to leave Mount Carmel a difficult one. Shaw earned her G.E.D. in 2008 and planned to attend Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
but did not enroll.
Performances
Shaw and her band, The Cute Guys, appear regularly throughout the New OrleansNew Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
area, including annual shows at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, often known as Jazz Fest, is an annual celebration of the music and culture of New Orleans and Louisiana...
. They have also performed at Southeastern's historic Columbia Theatre in Hammond.
Recordings and videos
Shaw has recorded two independently released albums, Little Black Dog (2001) and I'm Not a Bubble Gum Pop Princess (2004) -- the latter including traditional Cajun melodies as well as eclectic choices like The ClashThe Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
's Should I Stay or Should I Go
Should I Stay or Should I Go
"Should I Stay or Should I Go" is a song by the English punk rock band The Clash, from their album Combat Rock. It was written in 1981 and featured Mick Jones on lead vocals. It became the band's only number-one single on the UK Singles Chart, a decade after it was originally released. In November...
and The Ramones' "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" (changed to "Girlfriend"). In 2006 Shaw signed with Rounder Records
Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
. Two years later she released her third album Pretty Runs Out
Pretty Runs Out
Pretty Runs Out is the third album from New Orleans singer and fiddler Amanda Shaw. It is the first album Shaw has recorded after being signed to the major label Rounder Records.- Track listing :#"Pretty Runs Out" #"Chirmolito"...
on Rounder.
Shaw has appeared in two Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
original movies filmed in New Orleans: Stuck in the Suburbs
Stuck in the Suburbs
Stuck in the Suburbs is a Disney Channel Original Movie based on unused material created by Walt Disney for his live-action films. It was released on July 16, 2004, and stars Danielle Panabaker as Brittany Aarons and Brenda Song as Natasha Kwon-Schwartz. Brittany, a regular middle school student in...
(2004) and Now You See It...
Now You See It...
Now You See It... is a 2005 Disney Channel Original Movie. The film is told in Allyson's point of view, similar to a documentary.-Plot:...
(2005). One of her best-known screen roles is as a principal narrator in Hurricane on the Bayou
Hurricane on the Bayou
Hurricane on the Bayou is a 2008 documentary film that focuses on the wetlands of Louisiana before and after Hurricane Katrina.Hurricane on the Bayou is both a documentary of Hurricane Katrina's effects and a call to restore Louisiana's wetlands, rebuild New Orleans, and honor the culture of the city...
(2006), a documentary about Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
and the erosion of Louisiana's wetlands. Her music is featured in "Hurricane" along with that of co-narrator Tab Benoit
Tab Benoit
Tab Benoit is an American blues guitarist, musician and singer. He plays a style that is a combination of blues styles, primarily Delta blues. He plays a Fender Telecaster electric guitar and writes his own musical compositions. Benoit graduated from Vandebilt Catholic High School in Houma,...
and New Orleans native Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint
Allen Toussaint is an American musician, composer, record producer, and influential figure in New Orleans R&B.Many of Toussaint's songs have become familiar through numerous cover versions, including "Working in the Coalmine", "Ride Your Pony", "Fortune Teller", "Play Something Sweet ", "Southern...
.
Discography
- Little Black Dog (2001)
- I'm Not a Bubble Gum Pop Princess (2004)
- Pretty Runs OutPretty Runs OutPretty Runs Out is the third album from New Orleans singer and fiddler Amanda Shaw. It is the first album Shaw has recorded after being signed to the major label Rounder Records.- Track listing :#"Pretty Runs Out" #"Chirmolito"...
(2008) - Good Southern Girl (2010)