Biography
Shawn Lee is a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire. Signed to Talkin' Loud and Wall Of Sound, he's worked with a diverse pool of talent from Sugababes, Coldcut, Natasha Atlas, U.N.K.L.E., Alan Hawkshaw (Mohawks), Unsung Heroes, Nextmen, Ty and Tom Middleton to name a few.
Life began in Wichita, Kansas for Shawn Lee, growing up in a rural area on the outskirts of the city to a half Lebanese/half American Indian mother and an Irish-American father. Seeking out black music from an early age, Lee disregarded cheesy corporate rock and line-dancing for the blaxploitation funk of Sly and the Isley Brothers.
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Leaving the mid-West in 1988, his next stop was Los Angeles. Already an able multi-instrumentalist (guitar, drums, bass, etc), Shawn set about developing his songwriting. This period also saw Shawn befriend the late Jeff Buckley.
In 1995, Sean moved to London, where he recorded his solo debut, but sadly the album was never released. Resolving to write and record on his own terms, Shawn kept working and as he continued to do everything his way, air play of a self-financed EP prompted interest from several major labels. Instead of re-boarding the corporate merry-go-round, he opted to sign a deal with Mark Jones at Wall of Sound and Shawn subsequently became the flagship artist for the new Wall of Sound imprint, We Love You.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.