Accomplished musician, singer intills love of music in future generations
Alumna to give scholarships through estate plans that honor her family’s commitment to Christian education.
Keely Hagan | 615-966-6491 |
Janet McMahan (BS ’75) is an accomplished musician, writer, composer, producer of children’s music and actor who has worked as a professional pianist since she was 16 years old.
But to many in the Lipscomb community, she is more familiar as a piano teacher, the daughter of Sue McMahan, who taught third grade at Lipscomb for more than 25 years, and a compassionate volunteer whose musical talents bring happiness to retirement centers, homeless shelters and similar venues.
“Music has always been a joy for me, and at Lipscomb I loved going to chapel where we’d sing hymns together,” McMahan says. “It was so comforting to be in that Christian environment, worshiping together.
“In college I was able to play in groups and perform a lot. It prepared me to make a living doing what I love in the real world.”
She has certainly fulfilled that goal, having worked for famous artists such as Carrie Underwood, Steve Winwood, Shirley Jones, Sandi Patti, Kathie Lee Gifford and Michael Crawford. She has also sung jingles for McDonald’s, Target and General Tire.
To pay that gift forward, McMahan set up a fund through estate planning, called the Charles and Sue McMahan Endowed Scholarship, to honor her parents who sacrificed to send her to Lipscomb.
“When I was looking at my end plan, I thought about the things that are important to me. My children absolutely came first. After I had taken care of them, I wanted to take part of what I have worked for and honor what’s most important to me, which is God’s work.”
In that context, she decided she wanted to make it possible for somebody who shares her passion for music and theater to attend Lipscomb and join the Christ-centered community where she was encouraged to develop her life’s work.
A skilled musician and singer, McMahan has performed on the Grand Ole Opry, toured internationally with Roy Orbison and worked in the studio as a keyboard player, vocalist and vocal contractor.
She was an American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) Award winner for 21 consecutive years and has worked on both Grammy and Dove award-winning projects. She has more than 1,200 compositions published, recorded and in print. Her song credits have been featured on network television programs and recorded by artists Big Bird, Sandi Patti, Sonny James and Lynn Anderson.
McMahan lives in Nashville and is currently workshopping and rewriting a musical based on the ancient tale of Scheherazade.