Shea Welsh, the Baltimore-born, east coast-raised Los Angeles transplant, is a guitarist, songwriter, producer and educator.  His ability to move freely through any genre keeps him at the top of many music makers' lists. Shea has logged countless hours as a session player with the industry's top producers such as Tricky Stewart on Raven Symoné’s recordings, and Daniel Lanois with The Jane Carrey Band.

As a sideman, he has shared the stage with many of the world’s finest musicians including The Edge, guitarist from U2; Flea, bassist of The Red Hot Chili Peppers; Stewart Copeland, drummer for The Police; the bands Heatwave and Peaches & Herb; and John Taylor, bassist of Duran Duran. Shea can be heard on many film and television shows including, most recently, The Disney Movie Cloud 9 and the PBS Show Coastal California.  

Shea is prolific in the jazz world. He is a Blujazz Recording Artist and released his debut recording Arrival in 2017.  His jazz quartet has a first Tuesday of the month residency at Trip in Santa Monica, CA.  Other appearances of note include record release shows at Windmill Craftworks in Bangalore, India, An Die Musik in Baltimore, MD, and The South Bend Indiana Jazz Festival with Michelle Coltrane.  He performed at the 2016 Long Island Jazz & Blues Festival, 2014, 2015 and 2018 Panama Jazz Festivals, The 2013 Miami Beach Jazz Festival with Michelle Coltrane, and Yoshi's Jazz Club in Oakland, CA in March 2014. Shea co-wrote four songs and produced and played on seven tracks from Michelle Coltrane’s new Blujazz recording Awakening, and he is the musical director for her touring band. He is sought after as a jazz sideman, with recent performances alongside saxophonist Ronnie Laws and in The Paul McDonald Big Band.  

His songwriting skills have landed him placements on projects as diverse as the TV show Lincoln Heights and records by the R&B group Christion.   

As a producer, Shea has worked with Michelle Coltrane on her Blujazz recording “Awakening”.  He produced Renaissance Heart’s debut album as well as their new single “One World”.  He has also worked with The Jane Carrey Band and emerging artists, The Hipnotics, My Serenity and Chris Monaghan. 

Shea has distinguished himself as an educator as the founding director of The Shea Welsh Institute of Jazz, an award-winning collective of ensembles that have performed at the Panama Jazz Festival, John Coltrane Festival in North Carolina, and extensively throughout Los Angeles, CA.  He ran the USC Thornton School of Music Summer Guitar Seminar for 18 years, and has written two instructional books for The Alfred Publishing Company: Blues Guitar Lessons Volume I and II.  

Shea is a concerned environmentalist and philanthropist, realized through his work as the Director of Education for Geoveristy, which is a creative community that combines the performing and visual arts with conservation, research and community outreach, set in the rainforest of Panama in the 13,000 acre Mamoní Valley Preserve.  

Shea holds a Bachelor's Degree in Jazz and Commercial Music from Towson University in Baltimore Maryland, and a Master of Music Degree in Studio/Jazz Guitar from The University of Southern California Thornton School of Music.