Happy Birthday, Amanda Shaw!

Cajun fiddler, singer and actress Amanda Christian Amaya-Shaw was born on August 2, 1990, in Mandeville, Louisiana, and she studied classical violin starting at age four. At the age of eight, she began playing and performing Cajun music, and also became the youngest soloist to perform in the Baton Rouge Symphony. In 2008, Shaw opted to obtain her G.E.D. rather than complete her schooling so she could travel around the country to perform.

Shaw was inspired by musicians Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Bonnie Raitt, and others, and remained devoted to her culture and musical heritage. Her music is a diverse blend of Cajun and country, with some blues and rock n roll mixed in. Shaw and her band, The Cute Guys, appear throughout the New Orleans area, including at the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and French Quarter Festival. She has recorded albums and EPs, and has appeared in two Disney Channel movies filmed in New Orleans. Shaw was one of the narrators in the 2006 documentary Hurricane on the Bayou, about Hurricane Katrina and the erosion of Louisiana's wetlands. The film features her music along with that of co-narrator Tab Benoit and New Orleans native Allen Toussaint. Her talent has been recognized by many, and she has received numerous awards including the Big Easy Award for Best Female Entertainer, Louisiana Music Hall of Fame Future Famer, and Offbeat Magazine’s Best of the Beat.

Shaw is an eminently talented musician with a magnetic personality. Be sure to catch her and her band at your next opportunity. Until then, let’s celebrate her talent by wishing her a very happy birthday!

Photo: Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau