Jump to content

Séan McCann (musician)

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Séan McCann (talk | contribs) at 20:39, 28 December 2017 (update grammar). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Sean McCann
McCann in 2012.
McCann in 2012.
Background information
Born (1967-05-22) May 22, 1967 (age 57)
OriginGull Island, Newfoundland, Canada
GenresFolk-Rock
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Singing, acoustic guitar, bodhran, tin whistle
Websitehttp://www.seanmccannsings.com [1]

Séan McCann "The Shantyman" and Great Big Sea founder (born May 22, 1967,[1] Carbonear, Newfoundland, Canada) is a singer and musician (playing bodhran, shakers, tin whistle and guitar) in his former band Great Big Sea. He announced plans to stop touring with the band at the end of December 2013.

Séan McCann bought his first guitar in 1989 which he affectionately calls “Old Brown”. Old Brown has been around. He was there for the first song Séan ever wrote. He was there as Séan founded the acclaimed and multi-million selling band that would change his life. He was there to hold Séan up many a night as he struggled with alcoholism, and he has been there to help guide Séan out of the darkness with music as his medicine.

John Lennon once sang “You can live a lie until you die. One thing you can't hide is when you're crippled inside.” After exiting the internationally renowned folk group Great Big Sea and publicly admitting a secret past in which he used alcohol to mask the pain of sexual abuse by a priest ; Séan stopped lying to himself and found his truth and his own voice. With the release of his 5th solo album, “There’s a Place”, he continues his journey as a singer, songwriter, and now a sought after speaker and mental health advocate with Old Brown by his side and a simple message: “You are not alone.”

His 2014 album “Help Your Self” was a battle cry; a line in the sand which announced that he was ready to change and it resonated with people in a way Séan never could have expected. It helped him understand that he wasn’t alone and that telling his story could help others as much as it helped him. 2015’s “You Know I Love You” was inspired by the love he found in sharing that story and an attempt to find a new and real connection in a world that had turned inward to its smart phones. Now comes “There’s a Place” which was produced by Jeremy Fisher, features the beautiful voice of Nova Scotia singer/songwriter Meaghan Smith, and is a collection of songs from a man who is trying to keep his head up when we are tempted to keep them buried in our screens; it’s the story of a man no longer crippled by a lie and who has changed his narrative by not letting his history define him and never forgetting……that he is not alone.

Early life

He was born to Anita and Edward McCann. His mother was born in Northern Bay and his father in Gull Island. When he was a child, his family moved to St. John's. He was raised Roman Catholic.[2] He is married and has 2 sons. He now lives in Manotick, a suburb of Ottawa, Ontario.[3]

Career

Séan has released 5 solo works (Lullabies for Bloodshot Eyes, Son of a Sailor, Help Your Self, You Know I Love You, and There's a Place) and they can all be found on his website www.seanmccannsings.com

Sober since 2011, Séan continues to Tour extensively in Canada and the US http://www.seanmccannsings.com/upcoming-events/ and has grown to become a popular public speaker http://www.seanmccannsings.com/speaking/

In June 2016 McCann released the folk song "Proud (To Be a Canadian)" for free online in partnership with the Canadian Red Cross to benefit victims of the Fort McMurray wildfires.[4] McCann told The Canadian Press that his feelings of despair over the disaster led him to write the lyrics. Once he was finished he contacted fellow musician Jeremy Fisher to help him in the studio.[5]

In November of 2017 McCann organized a benefit songwriter's circle at the Algonquin Theatre in Ottawa with his friends Joel Plaskett, Sarah Harmer, and Jeremy Fisher to raise money to purchase guitars for Veterans suffering with PTSD and other mental health issues http://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/local-arts/sean-mccann-hosts-fundraising-concert-to-supply-guitars-for-vets

Departure From Great Big Sea

In 2012 Séan decided it was best for he and his family to leave the "great big party" behind and move forward in a healthier environment. In 2015 Séan revealed that he had been sexually abused by a Catholic Priest as a teenager which led to an addiction to alcohol. Séan has been sober since November 9th 2011

Albums

Lullabies for the Bloodshot Eyes (2010) Son of a Sailor (2011) Help Your Self (2014) You Know I Love You (2015) There's a Place (2017) All of Séan's songs are Available at http://www.seanmccannsings.com/sing/

References

  1. ^ band bio http://www.greatbigsea.com/about/sean_bio.aspx
  2. ^ The E-Carillon: Arts
  3. ^ Saxberg, Lynn. "Sean McCann: Sober, solo and living in Manotick". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  4. ^ "Fort McMurray Benefit Song". Red Cross Canada. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  5. ^ Friend, David (June 29, 2016). "Great Big Sea's Sean McCann pens Fort McMurray tribute song". Retrieved July 14, 2016.

{{Official Website [2]}}

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Séan_McCann_(musician)&oldid=817502789"