Shawn Lee (musician)

Last updated
Shawn Lee
Birth nameShawn Lee Mahan
Born (1963-12-28) December 28, 1963 (age 60)
Wichita, Kansas, United States
OriginLondon, England
Genres
Occupation(s) Musician, composer, producer
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, bass, drums, percussion, keyboards, sitar, ektar, balaphone, synthesizer, tanpura, kalimba, steel drum, guitarron, castanets, cithare, vocoder, marimba, omnichord, clavinet, piano, vibraphone, xylophone, marxophone, bulbul tarang, banjo, clavioline, charango, bouzouki, autoharp, zither, tambourine, talking drum, udu, guzheng, balafone, harmonium, mellotron, tablas, congas, bongos, hurdy-gurdy, dulcetone, harpsichord, churango, waterphone, harp, turntables, programming, sampler [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Years active1993–present
Labels Ubiquity, Wall of Sound, ESL, BBE, Ultra, RUSH!, Talkin' Loud, Park the Van, Extreme Music, Pedigree Cuts, Silver Fox Records
Website www.shawnlee.net

Shawn Lee (born 1963) is an American musician, producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist. He is the co-founder of London-based yacht rock duo Young Gun Silver Fox, along with Andy Platts. He is known for creating the entire score for the acclaimed video game Bully. His song, Kiss the Sky, was featured in the Telltale video game Tales from the Borderlands. He is currently working on an upcoming album Janktone Productions, composed primarily of cheap and fun home-made instruments. There is no set release date. He currently lives in London, England.

Contents

Career

Shawn Lee was born to a mother of Lebanese and American Indian ancestry and a father of Irish American ancestry. [6] Lee has relocated twice in pursuit of his career. He moved to Los Angeles in 1988 where he worked with The Dust Brothers and Jeff Buckley. After being in various bands, performing on The Tonight Show , a publishing deal with EMI and touring on Lollapolooza, Lee moved to London, England. There he signed a solo record deal with Talkin' Loud.

This resulted in an album Discomfort which was only promo released in France 1996. In 2000, Lee released Monkey Boy on Wall of Sound Records. The album included Lee's song "Happiness", which was later recorded by million selling British artist Will Young.

2004 saw the release of album Soul Visa, in Japan only, on Rush Production!. Soul Visa was later released in 2006 worldwide under the BBE label. The album Harmonium was released in 2005 in Japan, again under Rush Production!.

As Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra, Lee has released 11 albums on US label Ubiquity Records and 1 under his own label Silver Fox Records: Music And Rhythm, Moods And Grooves, Voices and Choices, Strings And Things, A Very Ping Pong Christmas: Funky Treats From Santa's bag, Hits The Hits, Miles Of Styles, Under the Sun, Hooked Up Classics, World Of Funk, Reel To Reel, and Techstar.

Lee's music has appeared in many films such as Ocean's Thirteen, The Break-Up, and Confessions of a Shopaholic, as well as on television series, such as CSI: Miami , Lost , Desperate Housewives , Nip/Tuck , Ugly Betty , and Eastbound and Down, and the Mack Dawg Productions snowboard movie Picture This . Shawn Lee also scored the Rockstar Games video game Bully in 2006. Bully was twice nominated for best score from GameSpot (winner) and Spike VGA (Video Game Awards). [7] He composed some pieces for The Getaway (video game) before working on Bully's score.

Lee also scored UK/Swiss feature film Save Angel Hope , which is yet to be released. The 2008 surf documentary film Under The Sun also features an original Shawn Lee soundtrack released on Ubiquity Records. In 2009, his song "Kiss the Sky" with Nino Moschella was featured on the second-season finale of Life , as well as in the first-season finale of the HBO comedy Eastbound & Down and the penultimate episode of the fifth season of Nip/Tuck .

Lee continues to live in London working on an array of new albums in his studio "Trans-Yank." These include collaborations with Clutchy Hopkins, Tony Joe White, Darondo, Money Mark and Tommy Guerrero. He also frequently performs with London-based electronica band Psapp, both on record and at live performances.

In 2011 Shawn Lee collaborated on an art exhibition with French visual artist Gerald Petit in Lyon, titled "A Conversation Piece." [8]

Since 2011, Lee has collaborated with indie artist AM, whom he showcased with at the 2011 South By Southwest Music Festival (SXSW) in Austin, Texas. After AM heard Lee's Music and Rhythm album on the radio in Los Angeles, he decided to reach out to Lee on a now defunct social networking site.[ citation needed ]The two became quick friends, sharing a common love for 1960s psychedelia and 1970s Italian soundtracks. AM & Shawn Lee released their debut album Celestial Electric to critical acclaim in September 2011 on ESL Music. The first single from the album, "Dark Into Light," was released on limited edition 12" vinyl on the Ubiquity label April 16, 2011 in honor of Record Store Day. When Rob Garza from Thievery Corporation heard the collaboration, he signed the debut album Celestial Electric to his record label ESL (Eighteenth Street Lounge). Due to ESL restructuring to be a digital only record label, AM & Shawn Lee brought their second album La Musique Numérique to Park The Van Records.[ citation needed ]

Shawn Lee has also worked with many artists such as Lana Del Rey, Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keys, Psapp, Coldcut, Leeann Rhimes, Martina Mcbride, UNKLE, Tony Joe White, Chateau Flight, The Dust Brothers, St. Etienne, Jeff Buckley, Bomb the Bass, The Spice Girls, Natasha Atlas, Princess Superstar, Money Mark, Bei Bei, Misha Panfilov, Paul Elliot, Virgil Howe, Tim 'Love' Lee, Clutchy Hopkins, Nino Moschella and Georgia Anne Muldrow. Most recently, he helped spawn Wild Belle.[ citation needed ]

Shawn Lee is also one half of Young Gun Silver Fox along with Andy Platts. They have released four albums: West End Coast in 2015, AM Waves in 2018 , Canyons in 2020 and Ticket to Shangri-La in 2022. [9]

Discography

Shawn Lee

- Singles & EPs -

- Demos -

- Appearances -

Kelly Huff

- Appearances -

Ping Pong

- Appearances -

The Pacific Jazz Alliance

Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra

- Singles & EPs -

- Appearances -

Shawn Lee's Incredible Tabla Band

- Singles & EPs -

Shawn Lee & Clutchy Hopkins

Bei Bei & Shawn Lee

- Singles & EPs -

Lord Newborn and The Magic Skulls

AM & Shawn Lee

- Singles & EPs -

- Mixtapes -

Tim Love Lee / Shawn Lee

Electric Peanut Butter Company

Young Gun Silver Fox (w/ Andy Platts)

- Singles & EPs -

Shawn Lee and The Soul Surfers

Shawn Lee & Paul Elliott

- Singles & EPs -

Misha Panfilov & Shawn Lee

- Singles & EPs -

The Shawn Lee Rides Again Band

- Singles & EPs -

Shawn Lee's Incredible Leg Warmer Band

Oregano

- Singles & EPs -

The Superhighway Band

- Singles & EPs -

Shawn Lee & The Angels Of Libra

- Singles & EPs -

David Fostex

- Singles & EPs -

- Upcoming -

Video game soundtracks

Film soundtracks

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References

  1. "Miles of Styles". shawnleeubiq.bandcamp.com. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  2. "World of Funk". shawnleeubiq.bandcamp.com. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  3. "Hooked up Classics". shawnleeubiq.bandcamp.com. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  4. "Shawn Lee". www.ubiquityrecords.com. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  5. "Shawn Lee Credits". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  6. "Biography". shawnlee.net. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  7. "Press The Van". Parkthevan.com. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  8. Exposition du 26 février au 2 avril 2011 – Maison du livre, de l'image et du son
  9. "Young Gun Silver Fox". Young Gun Silver Fox. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  10. Martin, Andrew (2008-11-19). "Shawn Lee & Clutchy Hopkins: Clutch of the Tiger". PopMatters . Retrieved 2013-04-03.
  11. Ranta, Alan (2013-04-03). "AM & Shawn Lee Gear Up for 'La Musique Numérique,' Plot "Sounds of Summer" North American Tour". Exclaim! . Retrieved 2013-04-03.