Shawn Lane was an incredibly gifted guitarist who never broke out beyond guitar aficionados and critics, but will still remain prominent to players for many years to come. Initially acclaimed as a child genius, Lane joined Black Oak Arkansas as a teenager, and could have been part of the guitar shredder movement of the late 1980s and 1990s, but his impatient musical penchants led him through a different course.

Early Days

Shawn Lane was born on March 21, 1963 in Memphis, TN. And at the tender age of four, he began taking lessons in vocal music from his mother and elder sisters. Simultaneously, Shawn Lane also played the cello in school and took piano lessons. It was only when Shawn Lane was eight years old that he took up the guitar and soon realized that he could do much better playing the instrument.

Shawn Lane - Black Oak Arkansas, Willy, Solo

By the time he was ten, Shawn Lane was already conducting band rehearsals at the house he shared with his grandmother. Interestingly, since the other members of his band left their instruments at his house, Lane tried them out and soon added bass and drums to his keyboard and guitar aptitudes. At 15, Lane was gradually becoming well known as a guitarist in Memphis circles. This recognition led Shawn Lane to audition for the Black Oak Arkansas in 1978 and he toured several places with the band for the next four years. Although, the band began to wane after their lead singer Jim "Dandy" Mangrum quit the group, it was still popular and was invited to play at Bill Clinton’s inaugural as the Governor of Arkansas.

Soon the members of the Black Oak Arkansas split, but only to be re-formed with the joining of a few friends from Shawn Lane’s high school days. This transformed the band which now played heavy fusion. At the same time, the band made extensive tours virtually exhausting its members. It was at this stage in 1982 that Shawn Lawn disappeared from the rock music for a while to focus on practicing piano, studying music theory and composition as well as watching movies.

Recordings

Shawn Lane returned to playing guitar in the mid-1980s. He first played with some local bands in the south and soon appeared in an album ‘Stratosphere II’ produced by Mike Varney on the U.S. metal assemblage. Shortly, Shawn Lane formed his own group called ‘Willys’ and became the house band of Peabody Hotel in Memphis. While playing at the hotel, Shawn Lane’s talent was spotted by several touring artists and he soon began participating in session work. And ultimately Shawn Lane played with Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson on their album ‘Highwayman 2’. His work in this album coupled with his demo cassettes were appreciated by Jim Ed Norman of Warner Brothers, who signed him up for the company in 1990.

Two years after this, Shawn Lane spent most of his time at home working on the album ‘Powers of Ten’, in which he played all the instruments. Following the release of the album in 1992, Shawn Lane was honored with titles such as the ‘Best New Talent’ and ‘Best Keyboard Player’ by different magazines and he spent considerable time touring to promote ‘Powers of Ten’ till 2001. Next, he formed a band called ‘DDT’, material from which was supposed to comprise his next album with Warner Bros, but the project did not materialize.

Association With Hellborg

The year 1994 was a significant one for Shawn Lane, as it marked his first alliance with Swedish bassist Jonas Hellborg. This relationship continued for nearly a decade and produced many releases. In fact, Shawn Lane and Hellborg were ideal teammates, sharing many of the same musical influences and many other interests. For over seven years, they toured with drummer Jeff Sipe developing such a affinity that they were able to play completely improvised sets any time. This is talent recognized on albums such as ‘Temporal Analogues of Paradise’ and ‘Time Is the Enemy’. In the meantime, Hellborg and Lane played with Chinese pop singer Wei-Wei in 1995.

Last Days

By 2001, Shawn Lane began developing health problems and took a temporary break from work. Following his recovery, Lane began playing with a Memphis bar band ‘The Time Bandits’ and was back with Hellborg and Sipe for a short tour in 2002. They were also supposed to tour India for a brief period in February 2003, but Shawn Lane's health problems were back to trouble him. And Shawn Lane passed away following lung surgery on September 26, 2003.

• 1992 - West Side Boogie (Promo Single)
• 1992 - Powers of Ten (Warner Bros.)
• 1995 - Abstract Logic
• 1996 - Two Doors
• 1996 - Temporal Analogues of Paradise
• 1997 - Time is the Enemy
• 1999 - The Tri-Tone Fascination
• 1999 - Zenhouse
• 2000 - Good People in Times of Evil
• 2001 - Powers of Ten: Live!
• 2002 - Personae
• 2003 - Icon