The following article is being reproduced with permission from the Waupaca Picture Post.
Susan Manion, who spent her summers as a youth at Camp Cleghorn, made it on the Power Source nationwide radio chart at number 20 for the month of July 2009 with her song “There Is Peace.” Manion entered the list at number 79, rose to number 36 and now sits at number 20 with Josh Turner right above her. If “There Is Peace” makes it into the top ten then Manion will be nominated for the Inspirational Country Music Award. “They’re predicting it, but you never know,” Manion said.
Along with being in the top 100, Manion is featured on Turner’s compellation CD, as well as The Roys, which can be found in boutique stores, gift stores and on-line at susanmanion.com.
Manion’s career has really taken off in the last year. She performes in Nashville. Just recently she has sang at the famous B.B. King Blues Club & Grill. “It’s absolutely huge. You can’t see in front of you because the lights blind you and you can’t hear yourself sing because the sound echoes,” she commented. She also sang at Higgins Music Group, which is a ballroom in Nashville. Along with her performances and appearances, she was asked to sing on “World Idol.” She was chosen out of 10,000 people. “It’s just like American Idol,” Manion said.
Manion travels back and forth to Nashville quite a bit and has big plans for her future. “I plan on making another CD that I’ve been negotiating on. I’m going to have the Grand Ole Opry band members in back of me, and also the producer of Trace Adkins and Terri Clark,” she said.
Manion has also made an appearance in Hollywood for a showcase. “It’s very, very difficult to get into the music industry. You not only need talent, you need the whole package. You need to dance and be a spokeswoman,” Manion commented.
SUSAN MANION MAKES THE TOP 20 ON THE SOUTHERN GOSPEL RADIO CHART NATIONWIDE
NOTE: Previously placed 36th – currently placed 20th.
In June, Manion made an appearance at Fan Fair in Nashville where she met stars such as Jason Michael Carroll. “When I was at my booth, I signed over 300 autographs and had pictures taken with me,” Manion said.
Manion has had many memories, but her favorite has been working with band members of Hootie and the Blowfish and the Blues Travelers. “They were phenomenal,” she said. The CD took about six months to record.
Since Manion was a young girl, she knew she wanted to be a singer and performer. “The first time I really knew I was a performer was when I went to the musical “Annie” in Chicago. The next day I came home and performed the whole show,” Manion said. When her mother and grandmother were sitting down to tea, Manion began singing. She could mimic the stars. “My grandma was like, ‘Turn down the radio’ I was like, ‘Grandma, mom, it’s me,”’ she recalls. Manion’s mother and father, Aggie and Mike, have been very supportive of Susan and her sister Amy. “This was her dream. We just kept doing what she wanted to do,” Aggie said.
“Before I was a teenager at Camp Cleghorn, they use to have old dormitories where I would go to arts and crafts, and we would have sing-alongs with the minister. That’s what started me singing,” Manion said.
After singing at Camp Cleghorn, Manion moved into plays and musicals, singing at weddings and memorial services.
Susan owns Susan Marie’s Enterprises, where she is an investor and runs a janitorial cleaning company. Manion’s success has come with hard work and dedication. “I’ve been very fortunate. My businesses are my core. If I didn’t have them, I wouldn’t be in the music industry,” she said.
Go back to Susan Manion home page.