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Ireland's First Lady sings her own song

 

Susan has brought joy to Irish people everywhere for over 50 years, and now, after recovering from serious illnesses, Ireland’s First Lady is singing a new song written about her own life and times.

From Armagh to America, Louth to London, to Holland’s The Hague or Russia’s St Petersburg some of the many successes of Ireland’s First Lady of Country Music, Susan McCann are encompassed in a thought-provoking new song A Life in Music.

“Initially I only agreed to record the song because it was written by family members,” says Susan with her hearty laugh.

“However, once I read the lyrics it almost brought tears to my eyes and I became passionate about recording it as a tribute, not to me, but to family, fans and friends who have made my music life a success,” she added.

The song emanated from a chat while out walking between her poetic granddaughter Laura and her dad Brian Turley (Susan’s son-in-law) when Laura suggested they write a poem about her.

“Laura is a creative person and as Brian can sing too they put the verses together. Our daughter Linda played piano on the recording and arranged the music assisted by Dermot McQuaid and studio owner/producer Gerard Dornan. My husband Dennis supervised the recording and our granddaughters Sinead and Laura did harmony vocals on it.

“With all those family members involved sure I couldn’t let them down without recording it,” she laughed.

Susan and Dennis have two children Linda and Brendan and five grandchildren, Sinead, Laura, Emma, Josh and Tom.

The release of A Life in Music comes in advance of Susan’s highly anticipated and expected to sell-out concert in Belfast’s prestigious Grand Opera House on March 23^rd.  While Susan says the big Belfast concert plus the release of the song about her life, a DVD and a CD, may be her last major music projects one suspects that this First Lady of Country still has more entertainment highs, in a showbusiness life full of highs, to still aspire to.

 

She had her first number 1 in the Irish charts in 1977 with Big Tom is still the King and has had many hit songs since then including John Prine’s composition Broken Speed of the Sound of Loneliness to When the Sun Says Goodbye to the Mountains which she translated from the French hit Quand le Soleil dit Bonjour aux Montagnes.

Internationally, winning the European Gold Star Award in Scheveningen, Holland with While I Was Making love to You, touring in Switzerland, Germany and Norway to performing at The White Nights Festival in Russia’s St Petersburg to recording and performing on Nashville’s famous Grand Ole Opry with Porter Wagoner, the man who discovered Dolly Parton, Susan has done it all and more.

 

In the US she entertained two American Presidents, George H and George W Bush at the famous Florida Strawberry Festival where she performed six times including a memorable gig with Garth Brooks. Susan has also played in New York’s Carnegie Hall and in Dollywood and was also presented with the Cherish the Ladies Heroes Award in the USA.

Back home she was inducted in RTE’s Late Show’s Country Music Hall of Fame and appeared six times at London’s famous Wembley Country Festivals. RTE also invited her to play the role of Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music and the national TV station also got her to do a live special on the music of Buck Owens at the Cork Opera House. That show is now being released as part of Susan’s new DVD over 40 years after it was first televised! Also on this two and a half hours DVD package are highlights of many other shows.

 

Susan has overcome the health challenges of bowel cancer three years ago, dealing with an illness named 3PD or Persistent Postural Perceptual Dizziness which can cause intermittent mobility issues.

Bravely battling through it all, and at 77, Susan says she is “still a teenager at heart!” While she added that her new recordings, plus her big Belfast Concert, and some more shows planned, might be her farewell ones, she hopes they won’t.

 

Her countless fans at home and abroad will be hoping too for many more concerts and recordings from Ireland’s First Lady of Country in this county and other countries also, Susan McCann