Natural Soul by Shawn Jones

"I grew up influenced by my favorite rock guitarists, Clapton and Hendrix", says Shawn, "though my father raised me on Hank Sr. and Waylon Jennings." Waylon instantly became a fan of Shawn's after seeing him play one night in Los Angeles. "The first time I saw him", said Waylon, "it was just Shawn and a guitar in a small room and he was drawing that music out of every fiber of himself. It was obvious to me that he is a world-class singer, writer and musician all wrapped into one." Waylon was so impressed with Shawn's talent that he invited him to play on his 1996 release "Right For The Time" and at Willie Nelson's 1996 Fourth of July Picnic. Waylon also asked Shawn to play lead guitar in his band for the record-breaking 1996 Lollapalooza Tour. Shawn shared "main stage" with headliners: Metallica, Soundgarden and the Ramones appearing in front of in excess of 30,000 fans. Shortly thereafter in 1997, Shawn was invited to Frankfurt, Germany to play guitar, arrange, and Co-produce the debut album for the artist "Emma" on MCA Records/Germany.

The unconditional acceptance of Waylon at Lollapalooza exemplified to Shawn that, however diverse; music speaks to all people. "I had always written and performed, but after that experience I was able to carve out my own niche", says Shawn.

After his stint with Waylon and his trip to Germany, Shawn spent some time in both Nashville and Los Angeles writing with some of the music industry's top writers and artists. While in Nashville, Shawn met CMA Winner and two -time Grammy Winner, Steve Wariner and they immediately became friends. Shawn & Steve wrote and recorded a song together in Steve's studio soon after. The mysterious ballad, "So Here I Am", a song in which Wariner makes a guest appearance, is the fourth track on Shawn's debut album "Natural Soul". The song went on to place 3rd (out of 3,000) in the John Lennon International Songwriting Competition in 1999.

Other songwriting partners include:

David Z ~ (producer, engineer, writer, / Prince, Johnny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd)

Jimmy Scott ~ (Grammy Winner / Bonnie Raitt)

Dennis Walker ~ (3 time Grammy Winner / Robert Cray Band)

Danny Wilde ~ (singer, songwriter, producer / The Rembrandts)

Jeff Carter ~ (singer, songwriter, guitarist / Deana Carter)

Shawn and his band mates have been working in excess of 250 dates a year, creating new fans and followers everywhere they perform. Shawn has just completed his third album project titled, "Live and Lo-Fi". Now residing in Southern California, Shawn's combination of undeniable talent and heart felt emotion make him one of the most compelling new artists on today's music scene.

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