Sean McConnell inherited his singer-songwriter interests from his parents, both folk singers who performed in Boston. After moving to Georgia, McConnell began teaching himself guitar by watching video of one of his father’s favorites, folk musician David Wilcox. McConnell turned to songwriting to combat the isolation he felt from leaving his friends in Massachusetts. By 15, he released his first album.
Moving to Tennessee for college, McConnell studied the music business at Middle Tennessee State University while playing in clubs around Nashville. McConnell has had a successful songwriting career, penning hits for Little Big Town, Brad Paisley and Rascal Flatts.
Growing up in Massachusetts and Georgia, Sean McConnell seems an unlikely performer to find success on the Texas red dirt music scene, but he did through his earliest albums. McConnell performed with stars from that scene including Wade Bowen and the Randy Rogers Band.
McConnell just released his last album last year. When the pandemic turned off his performance schedule, McConnell focused on his recording studio, expanding it to allow more artists to make records. He converted his house on his Tennessee farm entirely to a studio and it allowed for artists to come and stay and record, usually over a two-week time period.
A lot of the guests who came to record turned into friends who appear on the new record A Horrible Beautiful Dream. The Woods Brothers and Dan Tyminski are both on the single “13th Apostle.” Tyminski plays mandolin and was a spur of the moment add to the song, made possible by the expanded studio and the opportunity for artists to just be around.
