Maria Daines sings and writes for animal rights

Maria Daines is a brilliant rock and blues singer and she is also a top quality songwriter with a difference - a high percentage of her songs are about animals and focus on specific animal abuse and welfare issues.

Maria is getting known for this and she has supported the popular singer Pink, who is also famous for her outspoken views on animal rights. Maria shared the same stage as Pink in August 2007 at the Cardiff Arena in South Wales for the Party For Animals World Wide, which raised over £90,000 for six animal welfare charities.

Maria Daines comes from Cambridgeshire and is backed by guitarist Paul Killington, who is also her songwriting partner. The two of them front a no nonsense rock band, which also plays their own songs on other subject matter besides animals. They got together in 1996 and besides playing plenty of live gigs Maria Daines has made several TV appearances, and has fans in over 20 countries.

Maria's voice and talent has won her several awards including best artist in the International Online Music Awards 2006 & 2007. Maria's music has been played on many FM radio stations across the world, and in the UK she and Paul have both been guests on Sue Marchant's BBC radio show.

Maria's emotional songs touch on many issues to do with the suffering of animals and often make reference or are tributes to specific animals who suffered and died as a result of human cruelty. Animals like the poor dog Mercy, a 10 month old pit bull mix puppy who was tortured and died from her injuries in April 2006, and the three-legged moon bear Andrew who was rescued from a bile farm but who sadly died because he had contracted liver cancer from the cruel treatment he suffered while a prisoner.

Maria Daines' hard-hitting I Am The Owner Of This Coat is a protest against the trade in animal fur and the barbaric way millions of animals have their fur literally ripped off their backs while they are still fully conscious.

They Wanna Kill (have mercy on the ice) is about the merciless seal culling that goes on every year and came in response to the true story of a wealthy business woman who offered the seal industry in Canada millions to stop the killing but her money was turned down.

Maria's songs touch on the subject of animal cruelty all over the world - from the stray dogs of Abandoned in Romania to I Wanna Run Free about the horse slaughter in America. The latter song was heard by Willie Nelson who was so impressed he sent a message to Maria and Paul to commend them for it.

Maria and Paul are close friends of and work with Mary Alice and Chris Pollard who run the Cornwall's Voice For Animals sanctuary. Music United For Animals is a CD of 13 of Maria's animal songs to raise funds for animal shelters and is "dedicated to the memory of Mercy" (the dog mentioned above.)

The animals cannot speak up for themselves but with her powerful voice Maria Daines is doing all she can to be talking on their behalf!

The best place to start finding out more about Maria is at her site here: http://www.maria-daines.com/

And please say hello and add her at Myspace here: http://www.myspace.com/mariadaines

.Maria Daines is also making her own excellent videos and showing the ones she thinks are worth watching at her YouTube site here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/rockinfortheplanet