Relaxing Piano Music - Peaceful Music - Soothing Music - Calm Music - Piano Solos - Instrumental Music
Pianist • Keyboardist • Composer
Shirley is a Grammy® Member
New Age & Contemporary Instrumental Categories
STUDIO KEYBOARDS:
NORD STAGE 3 - KURZWEIL 2500 - KORG KRONOS - ROLAND FANTOM - YAMAHA MOTIF
I write songs about personal events in my life that either moved me to tears or laughter. Robert Frost once said, "If a story does not make the writer laugh or cry, it will not make anyone else laugh or cry either !" I truly agree with that as a song writer!
Life can't always be happy, but Life is not always sad either! I like having a little bit of both on each album. Even though I do not sing on my albums, at least not yet :), I do write lyrics for some of my songs. Enjoy the music!
Love & peace,
Shirley ~:~
~ Shirley's music influences ~
Favorite Album : Joni Mitchell - Court and Sparks album.
Favorite songs :
* Trouble Child - Joni Mitchell
* From Me to You - Janis Ian
* With a Christmas Heart - Luther Vandross : 1st song I play every year at Christmas.
Favorite Songwriters : Phobe Snow -Janis Ian - James Taylor - John Mayer - Billy Joel
Favorite Producer : David Foster
Favorite Pianist : Janis Ian - Billy Joel - Jim Brickman - George Winston - Vangelis
Favorite Singer : Phobe Snow - Barbra Streisand - Adam Lambert
Favorite Painting Artists : Georgia O'keeffe and Lucelle Raad
BIOGRAPHY : HOW THE MUSIC STARTED
Shirley's talent was discovered by accident when her brother injured his hand. Her parents bought him a theater organ to help rebuild the dexterity in his hand. It was during that time Shirley took an interest in music from listening to her brother.
Shirley soon was performing many charity events at VFWs and American Legions plus local hospitals. One of the early highlights of Shirley's career was an appearance with Sony Fox on Wonderama, performing with famous mime Marcel Marceau on a New York television station.
Shirley began her professional performing career in music as the youngest member of the American Federation of Musicians in New Jersey, at age eleven. During those years she built a fine reputation as one of the area's leading keyboard-vocalist being hired by her senior fellow union musicians to do weddings gigs and events in the New Jersey area.
THE EARLY YEARS
Loss of Shirley's Mom
During Shirley's high school years her Mom bought Shirley her first synthesizer, the ARP Soloist. Three more keyboards soon followed : ARP String Ensemble, ARP Odessey and Electric Piano & Organ, which enabling her to expand her sounds. Shirley then had all the sounds she ever wanted to play & perform her music. It was during high school, life dealt Shirley her first tragic blow, at age 16, her Mom became ill and passed away.
For her remaining H.S years Shirley performed wedding gigs and performed for many charity events and restaurants in the local area.
After H.S., Shirley then joined a Rock band, called QUEST that constantly tour the East coast U.S. and the Virgin Islands.
The Loss of Shirley's Dad
After coming home from the Virgin Islands with QUEST, life once again would be unkind. Shirley lost her major source of inspiration. Her Dad passed away when she was just turning the age 21. Her Father designed all Shirley's keyboard's frames so she could stack her keyboards up on stage for her QUEST tour, Solo gigs Trio groups performing in hotels, clubs & restaurants.
Shirley then join the group "7th HOUSE", a horn dance band, with the lead sax player Frank Carabetta, formerly the saxophonist from the group "Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs" with the hit song Wooly Bully. The group performed in night clubs all through out the New Jersey & New York Metro area, 5 nights a week with little time off for vacations.
After "7th HOUSE", Shirley continue on with her music career performing & talking with NYC record companies & publishers, mean while feeling the life of music dying in her. The music journey was very sad for her without her Mom & Dad, no less just trying to manage life at age 21 without parents.
Shirley finally decided to do her last performance & retired from the music industry and pursued a college degree in accounting finance.
While working full time in accounting & attending college at night, a good friend mentioned that the university had a Grand piano in the Mansion's ballroom at FDU. From that point on, a secret marriage developed between Shirley and that baby grand piano! At night, after class, she would go to the ballroom when no one was there and fill that grand ballroom with one spirited soulful song after another. During this time is when she was able to heal her wounded spirit to be able to return to her world of music.
After college, Shirley continue her accounting/finance career with the leading Wireless Telecommunication company. She also went on to build her recording studio at the lake and started her own Record company, PEACEFUL WORLD MUSIC.
THE MIDDLE YEARS - Loss of Shirley's Sister & the albums
Life again would be unkind... her oldest sister Carol passed away. After recording her first two albums, FOREVER IN BLOOM and SIMPLY CHRISTMAS, Shirley had to choose between recording another, "calming peaceful album" or "record the truth about what was going on in her life". What a commercial risk to her new company. But being truthful to herself as an artist, Shirley believes that art should reflect the "heart" of the writer.
The next album was dedicated to her sister, A SUMMER DREAM. Shirley recorded this album from all the tears that her soul could bear. Much to Shirley's surprised, A SUMMER DREAM went on to get high reviews from Bill Binkelman & Kathy Parson for being so brave to "wear her heart out on her sleeve". From that point on Shirley promised herself to only record music that she felt with all her heart and emotions when she records her music.
Shirley then went on to record, WINTER MORNINGS, that received such wonderful CD reviews and letters from fans from all over the world. Shirley knew that recording what moves her emotionally is definitely what people love and enjoyed about her music! The inspiration for every Winter song came during the early winter mornings hours while looking out her recording studio windows.
THE GAP IN TIME again for a new album
Loss of Shirley's Life friend
Shirley shared, "After I recorded my WINTER MORNINGS album, I lost my best friend of 25 years to cancer. It was a real blow to my heart. During that time, I kept trying to record another album, but I just couldn't focus. Everything that was I was recording was like a Blue Picasso's painting. I just didn't have the strength to record what I was feeling inside my heart. This pain of losing my best friend was too much for me. I found it impossible to record in the studio. I just couldn't stop crying. I knew I had to take a break & step away from my music to have space & time to heal my heart"
NEW MUSIC a few years later ...
Finally the musical gates from Shirley's recording studio were open again... The music was flowing.... and a brighter sounding album, INNER PEACE, was born with uplifting music with a story behind it. Enjoy reading the heart's felt story behind Shirley's emotional break through album. Shirley states, "I want to thank everyone for waiting for the new album and for all the wonderful letters!
I learned again that... All hearts do heal with time! ~:~
🌟 Shirley receives a Grammy® certificates for Best New Age albums for INNER PEACE
Following her INNER PEACE, Shirley decided it would be the right time to release SPA MUSIC COLLECTION, a compilation CD & THE CROSSING - BEST OF CASON of the most requested songs from her fans through out the years that are peaceful & relaxing.
Shirley then recorded RELAXING PIANO MUSIC for a fan that wrote: "Shirley... My deceased father was a fabulous pianist... I miss him terribly. He died when I was sixteen of a massive heart attack. Things have never been the same since in my life. My question is do you have a CD of strictly piano recorded ?" Since Shirley could relate so well from losing both her parents and sister & best friend, this e-mail really inspired her to record an "acoustic piano" version of songs from her previous albums.
This album has become one of Shirley's best selling album on Amazon.
(see News page)
THE 2 EXPERIMENTAL ALBUMS
Shirley explored all the sounds in her keyboards:
PEACEFUL SUNRISE - Shirley shares, "I moved my studio to the front of the house & then each day I got up, at Sunrise, just looked out over the lake and then recorded with the sounds on how I thought each Sunrise looked. Since I was just having my first cup of coffee I feel these recordings came from a higher source! ". "I still love getting up now & taking pictures of Sunrises."
STORIES FROM THE BEACH - "This album has a personal romance story in it. STORIES FROM THE BEACH is a more upbeat than my other albums. All of the music on this album was recorded "Live in the studio" without any edits, cuts or re-takes. I played all the keyboardist for each sound from start to finish on each song. On the track, "Catching Your Wave", I imagine Chris Botti playing the horn parts with me in the studio. This song really has a cool groove to it! "~:~ Enjoy"
2020 : RELAX - piano solo music
Shirley states, "I'm so happy to have a New Album Release titled RELAX! I am so grateful to everyone that hanged on with me throughout the years that has been following my music. I am forever blessed with wonderful people that enjoy my recordings.
"In 2020, I just retired from my accounting career with hopes of traveling & possibly start performing again then Covid hit! Thank God for my music & my recording studio!
The RELAX album was born during the 1st year of Covid."
🌟 Shirley receives a Grammy® certificates for Best New Age albums for RELAX
2021 - A THOUSAND YEARS :
JANIS IAN : Multiple GRAMMY® WINNER - Vocal & Guitars
SHIRLEY CASON : Music Arrangement & all other Instruments
Janis’ old friend Shirley Cason has created a beautiful YouTube video along with the music arrangement of “A Thousand Years”, a beautiful heartfelt song Janis wrote with Russ Taff.
Enjoy listening to the sincerity in Janis Ian's vocals with her peaceful acoustic guitar playing that blends seamlessly with Shirley Cason's music arrangement.
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