Fiddler Amanda Shaw has grown from a child prodigy to a mature and enduring force in contemporary Cajun music. The festival favorite, born in 1991, grew up in Mandeville, Louisiana, took her first classical violin lesson at age four, and at age seven became the youngest soloist to ever appear with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra. Living in New Orleans, Shaw encountered a wide variety of music, and began developing an interest in Cajun music at an early age. She learned by sitting in with other musicians, adding her own spin - jazz, blues, and rock - to traditional Cajun fiddle stylings.
When she was 10, she launched her professional career with her band, The Cute Guys. (The line-up has included drummer Mike Barras, bassist Ronnie Falgout, and guitarist Brint Anderson - all considerably older than Shaw.)
Her first album, Little Black Dog, was a hit, and the follow-up, I’m Not a Bubble Gum Pop Princess, included originals and Cajun-flavored versions of rockers such as The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go.” Other CDs include Pretty Runs Out, Good Southern Girl, and Please, Call Me Miss Shaw, featuring the hit single “How Lucky You Are.”
Appearances on Rosie O’Donnell’s talk show, Emeril Live, and other national programs put Shaw in the spotlight, first because of her youthfulness and later due to the enduring popularity of her music and focus on the Cajun culture and musical art form.
Shaw has also starred in films, including two Disney Channel movies: Stuck in the Suburbs and Now You See It… She was one of four musicians featured in the IMAX documentary Hurricane on the Bayou, about wetlands loss and Hurricane Katrina. (The other three were Allen Toussaint, Chubby Carrier, and wetlands activist Tab Benoit.)
Today, the fiery redhead can be seen on stages across Louisiana and around the world, and she continues to collect awards and honors. In 2018 she launched the Amanda Shaw Foundation, which focuses on strengthening Louisiana families through music, food, and culture. In 2019 Shaw served as the first female Grand Marshal for the Krewe of Toth Mardi Gras parade. She was a featured performer (and played “Auld Lang Syne”) on the 2019-20 national broadcast of Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve, hosted by Billy Porter and co-starring Sheryl Crow and Usher.
