Susana found music, as well as artistic expression at a very early age. Her mother said that she drew the moment she could hold a pencil, and then she began to duplicate tunes that were playing on the radio on the family piano by the age of four.

Piano lessons were arranged at the age of seven with a local teacher down the street, and 9 years went by of those lessons in mostly classical music.

Susana played flute in the elementary school orchestra, piano in the junior high school orchestra, and then piano again in the jazz band in high school. Susana majored in art in high school and minored in music.

Susana sang in the chorus in all the musicals in high school, then starred in her senior year as the role of Smitty in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying". She was written up the the local paper: "Although the whole cast was well chosen and played their parts with enthusiasm, a popular favorite was Smitty, played to the hilt by Sue McGuire. When she belted out 'Cinderella Darling' we thought she would get a standing ovation." Barbara Tucker, Tonawanda News. -It was a blues improv that Susana created herself, feeling the blues inside from so early on, and making the song into her own blues solo.

Susana wrote her own music and formed a band for her first recording in high school in a great class called "Humanities." Each student did what they most wanted to do, and Susana wanted to write, sing, play piano and record. She wrote a ballad about a heroin addict and a blues song about being 17 years old. She rocked!

Then came punk. Susana (at the time known as Su) recorded an EP of songs that she had written at the BCMK studio in Buffalo New York. (An EP is an extended play 45 rpm record with three songs instead of 2.)

No music happened then for a while, as Susana graduated from art school in Manhattan. (Parsons School of Design)

Years of being an artist and graphic designer went by, then, lo and behold, a duo was formed called The Strangers in 1992. Acoustic Ballads, Blues, Folk, and Latin Gypsy music were sung around the Buffalo area with Susana singing and playing guitar.

Susana was written up in View Magazine (Western New York) by music writer Jeff Johns: "I remember when Susan McGuire released her first single on the local BCMK label. She was a gritty rocker calling herself Su McGuire. Well now Susan has teamed with Ricardo Pena to form the acoustic duo The Strangers. The Strangers originals are an interesting mix of Blues, Latin, and traditional folk music. You can see this unique duo Friday night at the Calumet Arts Cafe."

Then, a rock band happened called House of Spirits with Susana's original music in collaboration with Kevin Smith; a move to California, then two self titled cassettes of more of Susana's original songs were released, and then a duo happened of original "Acoustic, Alternative Gypsy Music" with Kevin Smith called Vibe Groove Cult. They played the Rock n' Art Festival in 1997 with Susana on vocals and piano and Smith on groovy, soulful guitar.

Times were spent then jamming on piano and vocals with Bruce Guynn, front man for Big Rain on bass, at the old Chevy's in the Crossroads in Carmel, playing for margaritas. Eventually, Susana was a guest singer with Big Rain singing soulful Al Green and Marvin Gaye tunes.

Susana then appeared on the local radio station on the Rama P. Jama show in Monterey with Zee Labega's a capella troup singing Jazz and African songs.

So, music has always been a part of Susana's life. Through it all, her family encouraged her, especially her Aunt Vivienne Salonicas Scozzafava, who had a great career as a professional singer.

Now, Susana lives in Monterey, California, and has taken up serious study with the greatest chanteuses that were ever known to grace any stage. Rosemary Clooney, Dinah Washington, Julie London, Sarah Vaughan, Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald, Astrud Gilberto, Nancy Wilson, Keely Smith, Carmen McRae, Lena Horne, Peggy Lee, et al.

Here is the beginning of a new musical direction for Susana: Jazz.