Shenandoah is a multiple award winning Native American composer, vocalist and performer. She is a Wolf Clan member of the Iroquois Confederacy - Oneida Nation.
Joanne Shenandoah, one of the country's most prolific Native musicians doesn't need any tricks to coax the muse. "Whenever I need a song, I sit down and write one," Shenandoah says, although she hastily adds a modest disclaimer. "I don't take personal credit for my songs; they're all ancestrally inspired. When I listen to Once in a Red Moon (Shenandoah's 1994 release for Canyon Records), for example, the songs still amaze me. I can hear the voices of the past and future coming through."
Shenandoah, a member of the Oneida Nation, was born in Iroquois territory, and was given the name Takalihwa kwha - She Sings. Ted Silverhand, an elder in the Tuscarora clan, one of the six nations that make up the Iroquois, had a vision of Shenandoah's successful musical career when she was a baby and she's more than lived up to his prediction.
Shenandoah has performed at both Clinton inaugurals, contributed music to the soundtrack of "Northern Exposure," "How the West Was Lost" and "Indian in the Cupboard," been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in music for her composition "Ganondagan," written books, performed at Pow Wows, clubs and music festivals in France, Canada and The United Stares, and recorded six albums including her latest, All Spirits Sing, a coming of age story for children.