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biography
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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.  She performed 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.

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Shirley began her 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. 

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THE EARLY YEARS

Loss of Shirley's Mom

During Shirley's early high school years her Mom decided to purchase Shirley her first synthesizer, the ARP Soloist. Soon after, three more keyboards, the ARP String Ensemble, ARP Odessey and Electric Piano & Organ, which enabling her to expand her sounds. From then on Shirley had all the sounds she ever needed to play her music.  However,  soon 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.  Shortly after H.S., Shirley joined a Rock band, called QUEST, and toured the U.S. and the Virgin Islands. 

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Loss of Shirley's Dad

Shortly after coming home from the Quest tour, life once again would be unkind.

Shirley lost her major source of inspiration, just turning the age 21, her Dad passed away. He was very supportive of her music. He designed all her keyboard's frames to stack her keyboards up on stage for her Quest tour, performing solo gigs in the hotels and working with trio bands.

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Shirley then join the group 7th House, a horn dance disco 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.

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Shirley went on with her career perfoming & talking with record companies in NYC,  mean while feeling the life of music dying in her.  The fun of the music journey was very sad without her Dad, no less just trying to manage life at age 21 without parents. She finally decided to do her last performance & retired from the music industry and pursued a college degree in accounting finance.

While attending college at night, Shirley landed her 1st full time job as a payroll accounting clerk. During that time, 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 Cason 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 career with the leading Wireless Telecommunication company.  She also went on to build her recording studio, at the lake, and started her own music company, PEACEFUL WORLD MUSIC to record music that was calming to her soul.

THE MIDDLE YEARS
Loss of Shirley's Sister

& the albums

After recording her first two albums, FOREVER IN BLOOM and SIMPLY CHRISTMAS, life again would be unkind... her oldest sister Carol passed away. 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, dedicated to her sister emerged... A SUMMER DREAM recorded from all the tears that her soul could bear... Much to Shirley's surprised, A Summer Dream went on to get high reviews 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.

After that album, Shirley recorded, 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 for new albums

Loss of Shirley's Life friend


Shirley shared, "After I recorded my Winter Mornings CD... 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 "Blue Picasso's paintings". . I just didn't have the strength to record anymore of what I was feeling inside my heart. The pain was too much to bear, too much crying while trying to record the songs..."

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 all the wonderful letters & most of all... waiting for a new album. 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 album, it was decided it would be the right time to release Spa Music Collection, a compilation CD, of the most requested songs from her fans, that are peaceful & relaxing

After the Spa album, Shirley 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.

 

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 that you can see on my Instagram & Facebook. "

STORIES FROM THE BEACH - This album has a 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" or "Herb Albert" playing the horn parts with me in the studio. This song really has a groove to it! "~:~

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2020 :  Newest Album : RELAX

Shirley states, "I am so grateful to everyone that has been following my music and hanged on with me throughout the years.  I'm so happy to have a New Release! 

Just retired from my accounting career with hopes of traveling.  Then covid hit. Well,

not going any where soon.  Thank God for my music & my recording studio! RELAX is the album that was born during the 1st covid year."  🌟 Shirley receives a Grammy® certificates for Best New Age albums for RELAX 🎶

 

2022 : Bought a new NORD keyboard!   :)   aka: little red

music influences

~ Shirley's music influences ~

 

Favorite Album :  Joni Mitchell's COURT and SPARKS album. 

Favorite song on this album is Trouble Child

This is the album I listen to when my world needs a sanity check.  I crank up the volume in the studio and let Joni's music do it's magic to my soul. 

Favorite Songwriters :  

Janis Ian for her heart felt song writing that tells a story with her piano & guitar

James Taylor for his wonderful story telling in his songs.

John Mayer for his way of blending his guitar with cool lyrics with a story in his songs, full of soul.!

Favorite Producer : David Foster for being a genius producer, especially on Barbra Streisand,  Andrea Bocelli & Michael Bublé and Josh Groban albums.

Favorite Keyboardists / Pianist : Vangelis - Janis Ian - Jim Brickman - George Winston

Favorite Singer : Barbra Streisand : Josh Groban : Adam Lambert for their fabulous voices.

Favorite Artists :  Georgia O'keeffe and Lucelle Raad

FROM THE ARTIST ~:~

from the artist

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I try to 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 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.

Feel free to write to me or join my on any of my social media.  

Love & peace,   Shirley ~:~

STUDIO EQUIPMENT

* NORD STAGE 3

* KORG KRONOS

* ROLAND FANTOM

* YAMAHA MOTIF

* KURZWEIL 2500

* MAC PRO / LOGIC RECORDING SOFTWARE

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