About Séan
Séan McCann bought his first guitar in 1989 which he affectionately calls “Old Brown”. Old Brown has been around. He was there for the first song Séan ever wrote. He was there as Séan founded Great Big Sea, the acclaimed and multi-million album selling band that would change his life. He was there to hold Séan up many a night as he struggled with alcoholism, and he has been there to help guide Séan out of the darkness with music as his medicine.
The Whole Story
After exiting the internationally renowned Newfoundland folk group and publicly admitting a secret past where he used alcohol to mask the pain of sexual abuse by a priest; Séan stopped lying to himself. With his boys and his wife Andrea as his motivation, Séan found the courage to face his truth and overcome his demons. Today he continues his journey as a singer, songwriter, husband, father, and now a sought after keynote speaker and mental health advocate, always with Old Brown by his side.
John Lennon once sang “You can live a lie until you die. One thing you can't hide is when you're crippled inside.”
Séan's 2014 album “Help Your Self” was a battle cry
.. a line in the sand which announced that he was ready to start over again. It resonated with people in a way he never could have expected. The experience helped Séan understand that he wasn’t alone and that telling his story could help others as much as it helped him. His album, “You Know I Love You” (2015) was inspired by the love Séan found in sharing that story and his attempts to find connection in a world seduced by the false social media promise of real connectivity. The latest album, “There’s a Place”, is a collection of songs from a man who is determined to remain "face to face" when we are tempted to keep our eyes buried in our screens and the artificial light of this digital age.
A recent recipient of the Order of Canada for his advocacy for those living with mental health and addiction issues, Séan released his first book “One Good Reason”, co-written with his wife Andrea, in April 2020….just in time for the pandemic. “One Good Reason” is the story of how love saved their marriage, and music saved his life. It is the story of a man freed from the weight of a lie; a man who is changing his narrative and never forgetting that he is not alone. Music is strong medicine and Séan did not sit idly by to suffer the effects of social isolation caused by COVID-19. Instead, he researched and recorded a rocking new album of traditional sea shanties that were meant to be sung LOUD and with others! SHANTYMAN is the sound of how working together can help us overcome our most difficult of challenges.
Speaking from the Heart
“Anger is our real enemy. The only weapon that works against anger is ...LOVE”
— Séan McCann