Shelby Lynne

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Shelby Lynne
Shelby Lynne (2008)
Shelby Lynne (2008)
Background information
Birth name Shelby Lynne Moorer
Born October 22, 1968 (1968-10-22) (age 39)
Origin Quantico, Virginia, United States
Genre(s) Country, pop, rock
Occupation(s) singer-songwriter
Instrument(s) voice, guitar
Years active 1988-present
Label(s) Epic (1988–1992)
Morgan Creek / Mercury (1993–1994)
Magnatone / Curb (1995–1996)
Island (1998–2002)
Capitol (2003–2006)
Lost Highway (2007–present)
Website www.shelbylynne.com

Shelby Lynne (born Shelby Lynne Moorer, October 22, 1968, Quantico, Virginia) is an American country music singer, songwriter and actress. She won a Grammy Award in 2001 for Best New Artist.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Shelby Lynne grew up in Frankville, Alabama. Her father was a local bandleader and her mother a harmony-singing teacher, and as children, she and her younger sister Allison Moorer — later a country recording artist in her own right — sometimes joined their parents on-stage to sing along. While the family was living in the small town of St. Stephens, Alabama, Lynne's father, an abusive alcoholic, shot and killed her mother and then himself when Lynne was 17[1].

The sisters briefly lived with an aunt until Lynne turned 18, whereupon she married a friend from home. The marriage lasted only a year. Lynne began supporting herself and her sister by playing music in local clubs and eventually the two moved to Nashville. Lynne appeared on TNN's Nashville Now in 1987, and soon landed a recording contract with Epic Records.

[edit] Early career

Lynne's first recording for Epic was a duet with George Jones, "If I Could Bottle This Up", which became a top-50 hit in 1988. Epic teamed Lynne with producer Billy Sherrill for her 1989 debut album Sunrise. The follow-up, 1990's Tough All Over, took more of a mainstream country direction, and 1991's Soft Talk found Lynne moving into slick country-pop.

Lynne placed several songs on the country charts during this period, but none managed to break into the top 20. Critics generally regarded her as a promising talent, and she won the ACM's Top New Female Vocalist in 1990.

However, she was tiring of the lack of control she was afforded over her image and musical direction. She split from Epic and signed with the smaller Morgan Creek label, debuting with 1993's Temptation, an exercise in Bob Wills-style Western swing and big band jazz. The label folded not long after, and she moved on to Magnatone for 1995's Restless, which marked a return to contemporary-style country. Afterward, Lynne disappeared from recording for several years.

[edit] Career Breakthrough

Lynne moved to Palm Springs in 1998 and released the confessional and eclectic Rhythm and Blues album I Am Shelby Lynne in 1999 (released in US in 2000) to wide critical acclaim; on the strength of the album Lynne won a Grammy award for "Best New Artist", despite the fact that she had been recording and releasing records for more than ten years (which she referred to in her acceptance speech).

Her 2001 follow up album, Love, Shelby featured a slicker, more pop-influenced sound. This album was a moderate commercial success but received mixed reviews. In 2003, Lynne released the critically-acclaimed Identity Crisis. Though not a commercial success, many magazines rated the album among the best of 2003. 2005's Suit Yourself has also been well received by critics. Lynne's most recent album — Just a Little Lovin', released on January 29, 2008 — is a tribute to singer Dusty Springfield, which has garnered favorable press as well.

[edit] Additional Projects

Not long after the September 11 attacks, Lynne was a part of the high-profile gathering of artists at Radio City Music Hall in New York City who paid tribute to John Lennon, an event broadcast in October 2001 on The WB as Come Together - A Night for John Lennon's Words and Music. In the concert, Lynne performed Lennon's song "Mother".

Shelby guests on three songs on Allison Moorer's live album 'Show', released in 2003.

In 2004, Lynne was featured in a duet version of alternative rock band Live's song "Run Away." This rendition can be found on the band's greatest hits compilation Awake: The Best of Live.

Lynne portrayed Carrie Cash in the 2005 Johnny Cash biographical film, Walk the Line. Two years later in 2007, Lynne appeared in an episode of the Showtime original series Head Case with Alexandra Wentworth. Also in 2007, she performed background vocals on Marc Cohn's fourth album, Join the Parade, and contributed to "Forever Cool," a 2007 album from Capitol/EMI featuring contemporary artists in duets with the late Dean Martin. Alongside Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Lynne performed a duet of one of Martin's best known tunes, "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You".

In addition to work on her own most recent album, Lynne wrote "She Knows Where She Goes", one of the songs featured on her sister Allison Moorer's 2008 album, Mockingbird. The album overall focuses on the works of various female singer-songwriters, including Lynne, June Carter Cash, Gillian Welch and others.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

Shelby Lynne (2008)
Shelby Lynne (2008)
Year Album Chart Positions Label
US Country US 200
1989 Sunrise 61 Epic
1990 Tough All Over 31
1991 Soft Talk 55
1993 Temptation 55 Morgan Creek
1995 Restless 72 Magnatone
1999 I Am Shelby Lynne 165 Mercury/Island
2000 This Is Shelby Lynne: The Best of the Epic Years Sony
2001 Love, Shelby 109 Island
2003 Identity Crisis 160 Capitol
2005 Suit Yourself
2006 The Definitive Collection Mercury
2008 Just a Little Lovin' 41 Lost Highway

[edit] Singles

Year Song Chart Positions Album
US Country US AC US Top 40
1988 "If I Could Bottle This Up" (w/ George Jones) 48 Friends in High Places (George Jones album)
1989 "Under Your Spell Again"
"Hurtin' Side" 38 Sunrise
"Little Bits and Pieces" 62
1990 "I'll Lie Myself to Sleep" 26 Tough All Over
"Things Are Tough All Over" 23
1991 "What About the Love We Made" 45
"Very First Lasting Love" (with Les Taylor) 50 Soft Talk
"Don't Cross Your Heart" 54
1993 "Feelin' Kind of Lonely Tonight" 69 Temptation
"Tell Me I'm Crazy"
1995 "Slow Me Down" 59 Restless
"I'm Not the One"
2000 "Leavin'" I Am Shelby Lynne
"Gotta Get Back" 26
2001 "Killin' Kind" 30 Love Shelby
2002 "Wall in Your Heart" 22
2003 "Telephone" Identity Crisis
"Lonesome"
2005 "I Won't Die Alone" Suit Yourself
"Go With It"
2007 "Anyone Who Had a Heart" Just a Little Lovin'
Preceded by
Christina Aguilera
Grammy Award for Best New Artist
2001
Succeeded by
Alicia Keys

[edit] References

  1. ^ Shelby Lynne broadens style, spreads 'Love' by Matt Wolf, Cavalier Daily Staff Writer from The Cavelier Daily Friday, November 16, 2001. Accessed Sept. 13 2007

[edit] External links

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