Oceanbird Music · ASCAP
Grammy-nominated songwriter of “The Woman In Me,” recorded by Crystal Gayle
The star of our catalog
Written by Susan Marie Gallion, recorded by Crystal Gayle and nominated for a Grammy Award!
Susan’s original song The Woman In Me was recorded by Crystal Gayle and became a number one hit! It was the first single release from Crystal’s “Hollywood, Tennessee” album, produced by Allen Reynolds and released on CBS Records. The song remained on Billboard’s Country & AC charts for more than a year. Her recording continues to receive worldwide airplay, and the song is featured on many of Crystal’s Greatest Hits albums.
Susan recorded her own contemporary version of the song in Nashville, with some of the nation’s top studio musicians.
Susan released an EP of her original songs, including her own version of “The Woman In Me,” to help raise awareness for Micah’s Place, Nassau County, Florida’s Domestic Violence Shelter & Counseling Center.
Download Susan’s single:
A special song release
A jazzy ballad in the style of romantic French café music, featuring accordion, upright bass and piano.
By Grammy-nominated songwriter Susan Marie Gallion. Listen free on SoundCloud, or buy the single.
Special limited edition CD
Susan recorded three original songs in Nashville for her EP Saltwater, Light and Magnetism, produced and recorded by Blue Miller, with superb playing by Nashville’s top session musicians. Your purchase of this CD benefits Micah’s Place.
To order a CD by mail, email Susan for details.
Original songs
Susan has been writing songs since early childhood. She’s a prolific, award-winning songwriter with hundreds of original songs, ranging from Americana, pop/rock, country and jazz to children’s music.
Oceanbird Music is an ASCAP publishing company, a division of Oceanbird, Inc., owned by Susan & Flip Gallion. Oceanbird Music is licensed to Sony Music Entertainment, Harry Fox Agency & Hal Leonard Corporation. We offer a catalog of pop music and contemporary country songs written or co-written by Susan Marie Gallion.
Studio work
In Atlanta, Georgia, where she lived for 24 years, Susan was among the top 10 session singers during the 1980s–90s.
She also managed a successful recording studio there. As a writer, jingles producer and voiceover talent, she was highly respected among her peers. Susan now lives near Jacksonville, Florida, on Amelia Island, and is available as a vocal producer, studio coach, and lead or backup singer.
Susan’s studio experience started when she was a young teenager in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she recorded frequently at one of the nation’s first multi-track facilities. Since then, she has sung on thousands of sessions, covering all styles of music.
Please email for more vocal samples, or information about Susan’s fees for:
Musical career background & highlights
Here’s the short story:
Susan Marie Gallion has been singing, writing songs and working in recording studios since her childhood days in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Throughout the 1970s, Susan and her partner opened for major recording artists, performing at renowned clubs and concert venues. Upon moving to Atlanta, Georgia, in the late seventies, Susan became one of the city’s top session singers. She has recorded at more than forty studios nationwide. A highlight of her singing career was a two-year worldwide tour as backup singer for country music superstar Tammy Wynette. In 1980, Susan’s original song, The Woman In Me, was recorded by Crystal Gayle and nominated for a Grammy Award! It was the first single off Crystal’s “Hollywood, Tennessee” album and became a #1 radio hit. Susan later recorded her own contemporary version of The Woman In Me in Nashville with some of the industry’s top session players. Today Susan lives in Fernandina Beach, Florida, and continues to write, record and market her original music.
Susan was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in a home where classical and big band music was often heard on the radio. Her father’s musical tastes sparked a lifelong appreciation for jazz. Her mother was an accomplished pianist and her younger sister was a talented flute player. Susan began writing music when she was eight years old, composing her first song on a toy xylophone. At the age of ten, Susan won first place in a talent contest, singing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” to her mother’s accompaniment. Susan and her sister honed their talents as harmony singers by learning Everly Brothers songs. During high school and college Susan studied classical voice, while performing in folk groups and rock bands. Her first vocal group was featured weekly on a popular Milwaukee TV show. Susan and her best friend spent hours creating music and recording on a simple tape-recorder set up in her basement. Soon afterwards, she was fortunate to have many opportunities to sing in recording studios.
Susan is a prolific, award-winning songwriter with hundreds of original songs, ranging from pop, country and jazz to children’s music. She also has a teaching degree, a Certificate in Web Design, and extensive experience as a writer of nonfiction and commercial copy. Susan lived in Atlanta, Georgia, for 24 years, where she was a studio vocalist and performer. Today, she and her husband live in NE Florida on Amelia Island. Susan freelances as a vocalist and studio producer. She’s also an avid nature photographer.
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