Christopher Shaw

Singer, Songwriter, Storyteller

As a descendant of steamboat pilots, "pathfinders," and other rustic archetypes of the Adirondack region of New York State, Christopher Shaw is steeped in the lore of the American Northeast. Chris has done some steamboat piloting of his own, but it is in his professional role as a recording artist/performer that he carries forward the tradition of the great troubadour/storytellers who have enlivened parlors, taverns, and roadsides since America's colonial times.

Chris has seven recordings to his credit including his 1988 debut, Adirondack, which has been entered into the Library of Congress Folk Archives. Performers who have contributed to Chris' recordings include such acoustic innovators as Artie Traum, John Sebastian, Garth Hudson (The Band), Vassar Clements, Cindy Cashdollar (Asleep at the Wheel), Tony TrischKa, Jay Ungar, Steve Riley, and more.

Chris' latest solo effort, Been to Town and Back Again, celebrates the rich musical heritage of the Adirondacks, but also features the stories and regional musical variants Chris continues to accumulate while traveling 40,000 miles a year to perform for a faithful and ever-growing following.

Recently,: Chris teamed up with Taylor Guitars, whose exquisite handmade guitars have earned the respect of the worldwide musical community. Recognized by Taylor for his Neo-traditional guitar style expertise, Chris now offers instructional workshops as part of his extensive tour schedule.

Married since 1984 to singer/songwriter Bridget Ball, Chris currently lives just south of the Adirondack Park in rural Rensselaer County. Chris and Bridget have two children, Christopher Donald "Tinker" Shaw, born March 3, 1995 and Silas Henry Shaw, born March 6, 1998.

Discography:
Songs from the Big Front Porch (with Bridget Ball) Twining Tree 9611-2/4 (1996)
Mountain Snow & MistleTWO (with Bridget Ball) Hudson River Co./Twining Tree 9410-2/4 (1994)
Been to Town and Back Again Hudson River Co./Twining Tree 9409-2/4 (1994)
Fireside: Adirondack Stories, Humor, and Downright Lies (spoken word) Hudson River Co. /Twining Tree 9308-4 (1993)
Mountain Snow & Mistletoe (with Bridget Ball) Hudson River Co./Twining Tree 9106-2/4 (1991)
Born and Raised Hudson River Co./Twining Tree 9005-2/4 (1990)
Adirondack Hudson River Co./Twining Tree 8802-2/4 (1988)

"Here is an artist who finds goodness in human nature and traditional values colored by the humor of off-centered contemporary life ... Chris is a homespun visionary who somehow has managed to find humor the contemporary chaos without turning it into cynicism." - The Record, Troy, NY

"Christopher Shaw has a novelist's sense of time and place; you can practically smell the Adirondacks in his songs and stories." - Old Songs Festival of Traditional Music and Dance, Altamont, NY

"Mr. Shaw's melodies are full-bodied and rhythmical and his Iyrics are pure poetry with pizzazz. " - The Smithsonian Associate, Washington DC

"Chnstopher Shaw is a balladeer with a gift for penning nature-rich portraits of his native Adirondacks. " - The Boston Globe

"Shaw has succeeded in uniting contemporary and traditional folk music followers with his uncanny ability to create contemporary songs which have the feel of traditional folk music." - The Chautauquan Daily, Chautauqua, NY

"If the Adirondacks have a voice, it sounds like Chris Shaw." - The Sunday Gazette, Schenectady, NY

"Shaw has the natural storyteller's gifts of a spellbinding voice and an imagination rooted in the land." - Post Star, Glens Falls, NY

"Christopher Shaw ... is making some of the most beautifi~1 and relevant music around." — Press Republican, Plattsburgh, NY

About Chris’ latest album, "Been to Town and Back Again ":

"...a thoughtful quiet masterpiece." - Metroland Magazine, Albany, NY

"His rugged baritone evokes striking images of majestic forests and free-flowing streams ... universally appealing." - Hudson Valley Magazine

"The songs on Been to Town are as comfortable as an old couch on the porch of a farmhouse on a summer night.'' - KANU, Lawrence, KS

Been To Town And Back Again