She sings like an angel, rocks out on the celtic harp like you have never heard before, and performs and writes music on guitar, and piano. She connects with her audience and leaves them wanting more. With hundreds of fans, and the mailing list still growing, the sky is the limit for Mary Shannon! With her contemporary harp playing, rhythmic guitar, recorder, and lilting vocals, Mary Shannon can entertain an audience for hours with over a 200 song repetoire of her original music and arragements of music from baroque to contemporary. Her love and enjoyment of music is carried through to her enchanting performances. Shannon's original music is a fusion of jazz, folk, rock, and pop, with celtic influences, and has toped the charts. It is hard to compare her to any other musician because she is one of a kind, but she has been compared to Tori Amos, Sarah Brightman, Enya, Allison Krauss, and Sarah McLachlan. Growing up in a family of musicians, including her regionally, well-known parents, Dennis and Mary Ellen Monroe, music became Shannon's life passion. At the young age of 14 she made her debut performing and co-writing music with her family group, "The Monroes", for the radio series "Come out into the Garden". It aired on WXXI. Shannon, now 29, has been featured in "The Democrat and Chronicle," The " Messenger Post," "Naples Record" and other newspapers many times. She has appeared on television, and radio shows, and captivates audiences performing her original music, and arrangements of many others. Shannon was only 15 when she composed her first song, and many more have followed. Her new album "It's All Okay Now", that is selling Nationwide, is a collection of Mary Shannon's original music from 1996 - 2006. She performed, wrote, arranged, and produced all the tracks except one vocal, and one bass track. The instruments she played on the album are violin, harp, guitar, tenor recorder, bass, keyboard, percussion, and the lead and backup vocals. The gift to pick up and play almost any instrument resembles her late father Dennis Monroe's abilities. Several songs were written for Monroe after he passed away on February 4, 2006. Shannon started writing the title song "It's All Okay Now" for her friend Lori Brizee that passed away in 2005. A few months before her father passed away he had a chance to listen to the first verse and chorus of "It's All Okay Now", and told her how he loved the song, and that she wrote beautiful music. In February 2006, after her fathers passing, she finished writing the song for him. The album is also dedicated to him. Shannon's music is played on the air at WXXI 91.5, Saturday Morning, on the Salmagundi show, WBER 90.5, WRUR 88.5, and 98.9 "The Buzz". She was featured on 98.9 "The Breakfast Buzz" with a live interview on Thursday February 15, 2007. Currently Shannon has been performing with some very talented musicians that add to her already pleasing sound, Vocalist Dawn-Hoff Cowdery, Violinist Lisa Toth, Percussionist Jonny Logic, and Bassist Mark Shannon. They are planning a tour of the east coast for the summer of 2007. "I'm so thankful God gave me the gift of music, it has gotten me through many hard times. It is a blessing to be able to wake up every day looking forward to my work. I hope everyone uses their talents they are given to their full ability. That is the only way we will be truly happy. It's never to late to start, today is a Brand New Day." - Mary Shannon