After years of personal struggles, Grammy Award-winner Shelby Layne thought her recording career might be over.
But with the help of some friends, the singer-songwriter released her new album, “Consequences of the Crown,” earlier this year, her 17th studio album.
Lynn’s groundbreaking album “I Am Shelby Lynn” came after a difficult decision to leave Nashville 25 years ago.
Personal conflicts
Lynn, now 56, was 19 when she signed a record contract in Nashville. Her first single was a duet with George Jones.
Despite this early success, Lin’s private life was burdened by secret and family tragedy. When Lynn came out in Nashville in the late 1980s, she had to hide the fact that she was gay. She also kept her family history in the shadows. In 1986, she lost her parents when her father shot her mother dead and then himself.
Music was the only and constant way to deal with Lin.
“I think that’s why I’m turning into hell… just protecting, protecting, protecting. I didn’t know what trauma was, or PTSD. I knew I had to sing,” Lynn said.
After becoming frustrated with Nashville, Lynn moved to California and changed musical genres. You succeeded. In 2000, she released the album that still defines her. “I’m Shelby Lynne”, widely considered a pop masterpiece, helped her win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
Lynn says music “saved me a hundred times over,” but she struggled with commercial success, sobriety and her parents’ legacy.
“I mean now I’m at peace with them, because I love them and I’m allowed to miss them,” she said. “It just hit me like a bell in my head, you know, they did their best. They did.”
Back to Nashville
When Lynn left Nashville, she didn’t plan to return. However, after years of living in California, she quietly moved back south in 2018.
“To be honest, I didn’t know if Nashville was mad at me or not,” she said.
In Nashville, Lynn faced sobriety and accepted help from friends, something she never found easy to do.
“I still had the devil inside me, but people like Ashley (Munroe), Karen (Fairchild) and Jenna (Johnson) saved me. They saw me when I was here at my worst and I was really trying to start over,” she said.
Songwriters Karen Fairchild of “Little Big Town” and Ashley Monroe began writing with Lynn upon her return.
It was Fairchild and Monroe who pushed Lane to write new music.
“We kept nagging her about it,” Fairchild said.
“We want a recording of Shelby,” Monroe recalled telling Lynn. “It’s like: ‘Nobody wants that.’ We do.
This persistence paid off.
“I was so nervous because I had it at the top of all my lists,” Monroe said.
Their respect was also matched by their intimidation to work with one of their idols.
“It’s like everyone has this reverence for her,” Fairchild said of Lynn. “And also there is fear…because it is strength.”
Fairchild and Monroe met with Lane in engineer Gina Johnson’s studio to help create the album. Although she was hesitant to make new music, with a little help from her friends, Lynn eventually saw everything taking shape.
“It was in ‘Butterfly’ when she was ready to realize that this was the record that came into life,” Fairchild said.
This fall in Americana AwardsLynn was one of the Lifetime Achievement honorees.
She said she finally felt like she fit in Nashville.
“I’m where I’m supposed to be,” Lynn said. “It feels great. It also means I can unload those boxes in the garage.”
