Séan McCann

Séan McCann is the co-founder and band member for the Great Big Sea, an acclaimed and multi-million album selling band that would change his life. He was there to hold McCann up many a night as he struggled with alcoholism, and he has been there to help guide McCann out of the darkness with music as his medicine.

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; McCann stopped lying to himself. With his boys and his wife Andrea as his motivation, McCann 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.

McCann'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 McCann 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 McCann 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, McCann 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 McCann 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.