Mary K. Shanahan is proud to hail from an ancestry of honorable men and women, all who kept sacred truths descending from generation to generation, eventually finding their way to her. These truths were handed down not only through the Holy Bible, but also in stories whispered from soul to soul, and through the well-defined expectations passed to all generations of her family regarding our collective responsibility to keep the faith alive, and to maintain virtuous lives in honor of God and country. Child of the Chain™ is the result of her personal journey of resistance, scrutiny, and ultimate surrender to becoming more public about the positive impact these expectations have had in her own life.  Inspired by the loving faith-filled communities of St. John Neumann Church and the founders of St. Gabriel's Catholic School in Austin, Texas, this music, in all essence, chronicles the intimate peaks and valleys of her intense spiritual formation over the years. Its commercial release signifies Mary's newfound willingness to abandon a life among the silent majority in her church and country, and fight for all that is holy, truthful, and sacred in both.
 
Commenting on Child of the Chain™ Mary offers "It is with a profound respect and gratitude for the passionate love my ancestors had for God, family, and country that I now embrace the important responsibility we all have to keep the chain of truth alive for generations to come.  I humbly offer this music as my witness to the power, the hope, and the eternal peace found in the greatest story ever told; the story of the ever-living presence of Jesus Christ in the human experience."

Mary K. Shanahan
Mary is past president (1996, 1998) of the Austin Songwriters Group, having served on the ASG Board of Directors from 1995-1999. She is affiliated with SESAC and is a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and the Gospel Music Association. In addition to directing seven Austin Songwriters Conferences, she established nationally recognized educational programs in the craft and business of songwriting, including The Texas School of Songwriting, which was held each year with The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in a collaborative effort with the Executive Director of the Texas Chapter.  She also established the Austin Songwriters Group's Songwriters in the Round in 1997 with publishers Richard Perna and Chris Dubois, a monthly event, which still showcases hit songwriters from Austin and throughout the country.

An award-winning writer in Country and Pop, Mary's release of Child of the Chain™ represents her first major venture into the world of sacred and inspirational music, and her first appearance as a vocalist. Co-produced by fellow Texas singer-songwriter and Dualtone recording artist John Arthur Martinez at Bismeaux Recording Studio in Austin, Child of the Chain™ features some of the greatest musicians in the history of Texas music; Floyd Domino, Lynn Daniel, Rich Brotherton, Paul Pearcy, Gene Elders, and John Arthur Martinez. Collectively, this multi-faith ensemble has garnered a multitude of Grammy Awards for Texas musicianship and songwriting. They individually record and perform with such industry stalwarts as George Strait, Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel, Vince Gil, Robert Earl Keen, and Flaco Jimenez. Beloved Austin singer-songwriter Christine Albert also makes an appearance on the CD and lifts Mary's passionate vocals with her stellar harmonies on several of the songs and hymns, and the project includes the stunning voice of Jill Hall, a noted liturgical cantor in Austin. The rich and haunting vocals and tracks were captured in the studio by legendary Grammy nominated producer/engineer Eric Paul, and mastered at Terra Nova Digital Audio by Jerry Tubb.