Sharon Speziale

Sharon has been singing for as long as she can remember, and received her first guitar for Christmas while in the sixth grade. That set the stage (so to speak!) for Sharon's exposure to the folk music tradition and singer songwriter styles. Some of her influences include: Joni Mitchell, John McCutcheon, Arlo Guthrie, Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch, Iris Dement, Lucy Kaplanski, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Jean Ritchie, Pete Seeger, and Bill Monroe. So, not surprisingly, traditional folk, singer-songwriter, gospel, spirituals and traditional Celtic music, have all found their way into Sharon's original songs, which draw from personal experience and observations of life going on around her. A true believer in the value of sharing music and introducing it to new listeners, Sharon created and managed a folk-infused singer/songwriter concert series in the Chicago area for nearly a decade. Through that opportunity, she met and presented an array of talent from across the country, and became most appreciative of -- and deeply inspired by -- the highly talented and hardworking singers, songwriters, instrumentalists, and teachers who reside right in her own backyard.

Sharon’s a happy gal when playing, singing, songwriting, and learning about and sharing music with others. She performs regularly with the band, BIRDY alongside Bianca Bevard, Meg Thomas and Roy McNaughton, collaborates with others and performs as a soloist. And she can throw down a harmony vocal like nobody's business!

For further inspiration, as well as opportunities to be engaged in great projects with great people, Sharon paints, shoots photos, designs (anything from prints to room interiors), rides her trail bike, rock climbs, hikes in the woods, and is active in environmental initiatives...and doubts she'd be able to survive without Burt's Bees lip balm.