Shannon Lawson (singer)
Encyclopedia
Shannon Lawson is an American country music
artist. He is also a member of the MuzikMafia
, a collection of country musicians known for their "music without prejudice".
Lawson was originally signed to MCA Nashville Records, which released his debut album Chase the Sun in 2002. It produced two minor chart singles on the Billboard
Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
) charts, including the #28-peaking "Goodbye on a Bad Day". Two years later, he was signed to Equity Music Group
, a label owned by singer Clint Black
. Although Lawson charted two more singles during his tenure on this label, his album for Equity (titled Big Yee-Haw) was not released.
, he would regularly perform covers of John Anderson
as well.
He later moved to Louisville, Kentucky
, where he attended college and joined a blues group called Top Hat, in which he played lead guitar and sang. Later, he moved on to playing as a solo acoustic act, eventually joining a bluegrass
band named the Galoots. The Galoots recorded two albums independently. Soon, Lawson began writing songs for the band, with his material eventually landing him a deal with a publishing house in Nashville, Tennessee
.
and Gary Allan
, among others) allowed Lawson to use experimental instrumentation on this album. For example, one of the album's tracks features mandolinist Chris Thile
of Nickel Creek
. The mandolin was recorded through an amplifier
, giving what Wright described as a "real crunchy sound, very different". Chase the Sun produced two chart singles in "Dream Your Way to Me" and "Goodbye on a Bad Day", which reached #45 and #28, respectively, on the Billboard
Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
) charts. He was dropped from MCA after the release of his album, however.
Lawson joined the MuzikMafia
in 2004. He briefly signed to Equity Music Group
, a label started by country music artist Clint Black
. A second album, Big Yee-Haw, was recorded for the label. Although two of its singles charted, the album was not released. Lawson co-wrote former Alabama
lead singer Randy Owen
's 2008 single "Like I Never Broke Her Heart" and James Otto
's 2008 single "These Are the Good Ole Days".
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist. He is also a member of the MuzikMafia
MuzikMafia
The MuzikMafia was an informal collection of American country music artists, founded in October 2001 in Nashville, Tennessee by Big Kenny and John Rich , along with Jon Nicholson and Cory Gierman....
, a collection of country musicians known for their "music without prejudice".
Lawson was originally signed to MCA Nashville Records, which released his debut album Chase the Sun in 2002. It produced two minor chart singles on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
) charts, including the #28-peaking "Goodbye on a Bad Day". Two years later, he was signed to Equity Music Group
Equity Music Group
Equity Music Group was an American country music record label founded in 2003 by singer Clint Black. The label was distributed by Koch Entertainment ....
, a label owned by singer Clint Black
Clint Black
Clint Patrick Black is an American country music singer-songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and occasional actor. Signed to RCA Records in 1989, Black made his debut with his Killin' Time album, which produced four straight Number One singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country...
. Although Lawson charted two more singles during his tenure on this label, his album for Equity (titled Big Yee-Haw) was not released.
Biography
Shannon Lawson was born into a family of amateur musicians, all of whom frequently played sessions at home. He began to play his uncle's guitar at age four, and later got a guitar of his own, on which Lawson's father taught him country songs. Lawson later formed a band in high school; although the band regularly played rock musicRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, he would regularly perform covers of John Anderson
John Anderson (musician)
John David Anderson is an American country music artist with a successful career that has lasted more than 30 years...
as well.
He later moved to Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, where he attended college and joined a blues group called Top Hat, in which he played lead guitar and sang. Later, he moved on to playing as a solo acoustic act, eventually joining a bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
band named the Galoots. The Galoots recorded two albums independently. Soon, Lawson began writing songs for the band, with his material eventually landing him a deal with a publishing house in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
.
Solo career
Lawson left the Galoots and moved to Nashville, where he was signed to MCA Nashville Records in 2001, with his solo album Chase the Sun being released a year later. The album's producer, Mark Wright (who has also produced for Lee Ann WomackLee Ann Womack
Lee Ann Womack is an American country music singer and songwriter, who is best known for her old fashioned-styled country music songs that often discuss subjects such as cheating and lost love....
and Gary Allan
Gary Allan
Gary Allan Herzberg is an American country music artist, known professionally as Gary Allan.Signed to Decca Records in 1996, Allan made his debut on the United States country music scene with the release of his single "Her Man", the lead-off to his gold-certified debut album Used Heart for Sale,...
, among others) allowed Lawson to use experimental instrumentation on this album. For example, one of the album's tracks features mandolinist Chris Thile
Chris Thile
Christopher Scott Thile is an American musician, best known as the mandolinist and a singer for the progressive acoustic trio Nickel Creek. His current band is Punch Brothers whose most recent album is Antifogmatic...
of Nickel Creek
Nickel Creek
Nickel Creek was an American progressive acoustic music trio consisting of Chris Thile , Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins . The band was founded in 1989 and released 6 albums between 1993 and 2006...
. The mandolin was recorded through an amplifier
Amplifier
Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is a device for increasing the power of a signal.In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input "signal" is usually a voltage or a current. In audio applications, amplifiers drive the loudspeakers used in PA systems to...
, giving what Wright described as a "real crunchy sound, very different". Chase the Sun produced two chart singles in "Dream Your Way to Me" and "Goodbye on a Bad Day", which reached #45 and #28, respectively, on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
) charts. He was dropped from MCA after the release of his album, however.
Lawson joined the MuzikMafia
MuzikMafia
The MuzikMafia was an informal collection of American country music artists, founded in October 2001 in Nashville, Tennessee by Big Kenny and John Rich , along with Jon Nicholson and Cory Gierman....
in 2004. He briefly signed to Equity Music Group
Equity Music Group
Equity Music Group was an American country music record label founded in 2003 by singer Clint Black. The label was distributed by Koch Entertainment ....
, a label started by country music artist Clint Black
Clint Black
Clint Patrick Black is an American country music singer-songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and occasional actor. Signed to RCA Records in 1989, Black made his debut with his Killin' Time album, which produced four straight Number One singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country...
. A second album, Big Yee-Haw, was recorded for the label. Although two of its singles charted, the album was not released. Lawson co-wrote former Alabama
Alabama (band)
Alabama is a country music and southern rock band from Fort Payne, Alabama, United States. The band was founded in 1969 by Randy Owen and his cousin Teddy Gentry , soon joined by Jeff Cook...
lead singer Randy Owen
Randy Owen
Randy Owen is an American country music artist. He is known primarily for his role as the lead singer of Alabama, a country rock band which saw considerable mainstream success throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Although Alabama only records new albums on occasion, Owen himself has maintained a career...
's 2008 single "Like I Never Broke Her Heart" and James Otto
James Otto
James Allen Otto is an American country music artist who is a member of the MuzikMafia, a group of country musicians known for their "country music without prejudice"...
's 2008 single "These Are the Good Ole Days".
Albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Heat Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
||
| Chase the Sun Chase the Sun (Shannon Lawson album) Chase the Sun is the debut album of American country music artist Shannon Lawson. It was released in 2002 on the MCA Nashville label, and it produced two singles: "Dream Your Way to Me" and "Goodbye on a Bad Day", which respectively reached #45 and #28 on the Billboard country charts, while the... |
|
35 | 24 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
|||
| 2002 | "Goodbye on a Bad Day" | 28 | Chase the Sun |
| "Dream Your Way to Me" | 45 | ||
| 2004 | "Smokin' Grass" | 53 | Big Yee-Haw (unreleased) |
| "Just Like a Redneck" | 48 | ||
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | "Goodbye on a Bad Day" | Morgan Lawley |