Jennifer Licko

Classically trained from a very early age, Shelton made her first stage performance when she was just five years old. At the age of 11 she began competitive Scottish Highland Dancing, which was the beginning of her passion for Celtic music. She has the superb control and vocal quality that one would expect after years of continuous vocal coaching as well as classical training at East Carolina University, where she earned her degree in Music Education.

Everything changed for Shelton when she began studying at the School of Scottish Studies in Edinburgh, Scotland. She used her classical training and her love of traditional Celtic music, added her own contemporary twist, and developed the unique Celtic style heard on her CDs and in her live performances.

Two years of gigging in the pubs of Ireland helped to develop her infectious vocal style and delightfully fresh stage personality. Now performing internationally, she has been reaching out to a rapidly growing fan base with a live performance that comes straight from the heart.

Shelton puts her hard-earned keyboard and guitar skills to use in a wide range of music that includes traditional Gaelic songs from the western highlands of Scotland as well as contemporary Celtic songs written by Dougie MacLean, Jimmy MacCarthy and John Spillane. She blends a stunning vocal range with a sensitivity and warmth that turns her audience into Celtic music fans.

Her talent was recently rewarded with a CAMMY nomination as Best New Artist, and she gained the slot in a performance with Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas in the 2004 show of Rhythms of Scotland; the same talent is now being captured on disc - Shelton's fifth CD, A Thousand Curses upon Love, is now available on Sabas Records (www.sheltonmusic.com).