Shelby Lynne Biography

Shelby Lynne Biography

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. 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. 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. 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. 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 produced, engineered, and mixed by Bruce Robb (producer) in association with Bruce Robb Productions. 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.