Shawn Lee

Shawn grew up in a rural area on the outskirts of Wichita, Kansas. His mother is half Lebanese, half Native American, his father is Irish-American. While his peers were having fun with saccharine corporate rock and the trendy group dance numbers of the day, Shawn was being swept away by the blaxploitation funk of Sly and the Isleys. Later, the local Baptist church deepened his appreciation for Black music, but when he sang and played drums in the gospel choir, he discovered that some of his white friends were racist and disapproving. “Screw it,” he thought, “it's time to leave the Midwest, but not before playing in the local band Lotus with future country superstar Martina McBride.” (from the artist's official website)