Maura Sullivan (singer) facts for kids

Maura Ann Sullivan was born in 1955. She is an American real estate agent. Maura is also a children's writer. She used to be a singer-songwriter. Maura is best known for her song "Christmas Eve in Washington". This song came out in 1982. It helped raise $180,000 for charities. These charities included the Children's National Hospital and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. In 1984, she released her album Out of the Blue. It was a country blues album.

Early Life and School

Maura Sullivan was born in Brooklyn, New York. She grew up in different places. This was because her father worked for the United States Navy. She lived in Iceland and the Philippines. Later, her family moved to Maryland. Maura went to St. Mary's Academy in Leonardtown. She also studied at St. Mary's College of Maryland.

Music Career and Success

Radio Show and Hit Song

In the early 1980s, Maura Sullivan was a regular guest on WMZQ-FM. This was a radio station. She would create funny songs. She used ideas from listeners who called in. This led her to write "Christmas Eve in Washington". She wrote it with radio host Jim London in 1982.

Maura first sang the song on the radio. She sold one thousand cassette copies in just a few hours. The song raised $180,000 for charities. These charities were the Children's National Hospital and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. A new version of the song was recorded in 1987. In the 1990s, WBIG-FM put the song on their holiday album.

Debut Album and Performances

Maura Sullivan's first album was Out of the Blue. It came out in 1984. Success Records released it. The album has country blues songs. A musician named Lloyd Green played the steel guitar on it. The album included new songs written by Maura. It also had covers of "Wrong End of the Rainbow" and "Too Good to Stop Now." Jim Williamson and Tony Migliore produced the album. The magazine People said Maura's voice was "intense." They compared it to the singer Édith Piaf.

Maura Sullivan performed as an opening act for many famous artists. These included Joan Rivers, George Strait, Janie Fricke, Arlo Guthrie, Richie Havens, Odetta, Looking Glass, George Jones, Lee Greenwood, Loretta Lynn, and John Denver.

Leaving Music and New Paths

Maura Sullivan later said she felt "burned out." She decided to leave the music business. She then started working as a real estate agent. She worked in Woodbridge, Virginia. Maura also wrote a children's book. It is called Marty the Dolphin's Great Day Adventure. Jay Schwartz was the illustrator and cartoonist for the book.