Topic: Shelby Lynne

Shelby Lynne (born Shelby Lynn Moorer, October 22, 1968, Quantico, Virginia) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. The success of the 1999 album I Am Shelby Lynne led to her winning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, even though she had been active in the music industry for some time. Her recent work includes a Dusty Springfield tribute album called Just a Little Lovin' and her latest release off of her own record label Everso Records, Tears, Lies, and Alibis.

Shelby Lynne grew up in the small town of Frankville, Alabama, near Chatom, Alabama, where she attended Washington County High School. Music was an important part of the Moorer family. Her father, who worked as an English teacher and a juvenile corrections officer, played the guitar, while her mother was a singer. Her father also drank a lot and eventually became abusive. In August 1986, when Lynne was 17, her father shot and killed her mother and then himself. She and her younger sister Allison Moorer subsequently moved in with relatives.

Lynne appeared on TNN's country music show Nashville Now in 1987. She soon landed a recording contract with Epic Records. Her first recording for Epic was a duet with George Jones, "If I Could Bottle This Up", which became a top-50 hit in 1988. Epic teamed Lynne with producer Billy Sherrill for her 1989 debut album Sunrise. The follow-up, 1990's Tough All Over, took more of a mainstream country direction, and 1991's Soft Talk found Lynne moving into slick country-pop.