JOANIE MADDEN is considered one of the greatest musicians and personalities in the history of Irish music in America.
Like so many of the great players of Irish traditional music, she absorbed the music from the playing father and friends at family gatherings. She took lessons from Jack Coen, and in 1984 became the first American to win the Senior All-Ireland championship on the whistle.
Joannie and her band Cherish the Ladies have won numerous awards, and she is justly considered to be a national treasure in the USA, and won the 2021 National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship considered to be the US governments highest award for the arts.
She teaches, records, runs a yearly Irish music cruise, "Joanie Madden’s Folk ‘N Irish Cruise", all whilst continuing to perform, record and teach.
Joanie is one of the most visible Irish musicians in the world over the past three decades. Not only is she renowned as a composer but also as a highly energetic and entertaining performer. Her huge repertoire of music spans a wide range of expression, from exuberant dance tunes to slow, stately airs.