high energy music : Hi-NRG (High Energy) is high-tempo disco music (often with electronic instrumentation), as well as a more specific, derivative genre of electronic dance music that achieved mainstream popularity in the mid to late 1980s.

Born Shannon Brenda Greene May 2 1958 in Washington, D.C.) is an American singer.

She is best known for her 1983 dance/freestyle record, "Let the Music Play". The record redefined the electro funk sound that Arthur Baker and John Rocca (who produced "I.O.U" by Freeez and "One More Shot/Get Wet" by C-Bank) developed in 1982.

Let the Music Play: The Best of Shannon

Before music career

In the spring of 1983 a young black (Latin and native descendant) woman named Shannon Greene was enrolled in York College and toured with the New York Jazz Ensemble. Quintin Hicks an associated of Mark Liggett and Chris Barbosa. Hicks saw Shannon singing with a live band in her cousin's studio. He thought she was perfect for what the duo was looking for. Shannon auditioned for Liggett and Barbosa for the song "She Can't Love You Like I Do" (Little Tony 14yrs.) a project prior to Shannon "Let The Music Play". They liked her and her vocals so much, she was introduced to the track "Fire and Ice", which was renamed to "Let the Music Play". Under the direction of Chris Barbosa, Shannon added artist contribution (the Shannon stamp to the vocals) thus creating the World Hit "Let the Music Play" Album also entitled with the same name.

Music career

In July 1983, the single was released without her knowledge. Shannon was invited back to lay out more songs for Liggett and Barbosa. The Shannon's Sound and Barbosa, a Puerto Rican/Italian from New York was considered the founder of Freestyle music. "Let the Music Play" is well known as the first freestyle music track. Its heavy syncopated drum sound with Latin American rhythms was not so electro as the sound has progressed today. The single's success led to the number eight Pop position on the Billboard Top 100 and took over the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart making Shannon the international Dance Queen of the World. Today the song is well-regarded as one of the most influential dance records of all times ever recorded # 22 in the World. Her follow up single 1985 was "Give Me Tonight", a record that was noted the best song of the year [[Billboard], it received the same wild enthusiasm as its predecessor and also hit the top spot on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. It also gained Urban radio airplay. Her debut album Let the Music Play was released February 1984. The album sold over 8 Million World Wide. It was considered the first Freestyle Album in History. Shannon was nominated for a Grammy and received numerous Awards, Dianah Washington (Jack the Rapper Award), Hall Of Fame Award, Gold Ampex Reel Award, Certified Gold Single, Best Billboard Top 10 female R&B vocalist; She recorded the Title song "criminal" for the Movie "Fatal Beauty, Budweiser Jingles and more... she has been forever captured on film live with her Band (Westwood One). The Cult Jam's 1985 release was an inspiration of Shannon's club hit "My Heart's Divided." Shannon appeared on many television shows all over the world. She is known as the Dance Diva Of the World (Latin America, Europe, Carribeans, The Orient, Africa, India, Arab Nations, Israel.... Her music and videos transcended all boundaries and airways.
In 1985 Shannon released her second album Do You Wanna Get Away, with a sound similar to her previous album. The title track charted the Billboard Hot 100. The single was embraced by the club/dance music community and chart-topper. She scored three more Dance music hits but by 1986 her third album, Love Goes All The Way, did not bring the same success as previous albums. Politics within the Atlantic/Warner Bros Record Company, Shannon sought a release from her recording contract in 1987. While touring the World Shannon attended and graduated from The American Academy Of Dramatic Arts (NYC) for acting, now adding several off broadway plays to her career (well rounded, singer, dancer and actress) She is the most Freestyle emulated performer of all times.

The 1990s

In the late 1990s interest of Shannon rekindled VH1's spotlight her on their One Hit Wonders series, Entertainment Tonight taped there one hour special about her life. There were enormous amount of remixes of "Let the Music Play", and "Give Me Tonight".

Featured recordings with Sash! and Todd Terry. In 1998, she co-wrote and sang on the track Take a Little Time by Les Rythmes Digitales.

2000 to present

In the year 2000, Shannon released her fourth studio album, The Best Is Yet To Come Shannon co- writer of the album. Chris Barbosa was invited back as a producer to recapture the sound of her 1980s hits "Let The Music Play and Give Me Tonight. Many notable producers, including Andy Panda and Tony Moran were featured on the new album. An Hex Hector remix 2000 AD (After The Decade) "Give Me Tonight" from the set made the song a colossal club hit again while its follow-up, an update of "Let the Music Play", though still a hit, interestingly proved to be less popular - a role reversal of when she debuted with the songs in the 80's).
The Greatest Hits album released in November 2004.
On April 20, 2006 Shannon participated in the Freestyle Extranvaganza concert along with fellow Freestyle acts like Judy Torres , George Lamond, Cynthia, Lisette Melendez, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, the Cover Girls, Hanson and Davis, Coro, Stevie B. and more. The event was sponsored by WKTU, WSKQ, and WCAA in New York.

Copyright (C) 2009 Thierry Dambermont. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".