Shawna Russell
Shawna Russell is an American Country music singer/songwriter who was born in Holdenville, Oklahoma and currently resides in Okemah, OK. Her musical influences include Stevie Nicks, Linda Ronstadt, Juice Newton, and Tom Petty, among others.
Shawna first sang in public at age 7. At 13, she and her dad, Keith, formed a country band that played for clubs and Elks Lodges on weekends. At 17, she joined her Uncle Tim’s band, which was already a successful regional band on the “A” club circuit across the Southwest. She honed her remarkable vocal chops and added acoustic rhythm, electric slide, and lead guitar to her arsenal while touring across much of the U.S., performing 2-6 nights a week at many of America’s top live music clubs, including The Grizzly Rose; Billy Bob’s; and the Wildhorse Saloon. Before striking out on a solo career in 2007, she spent three years fronting and playing guitar in fellow Oklahoman Ty England’s band, which included a USO Tour of Korea in 2005.
Shawna released her self-titled sophomore album on June 7, 2011, on Way Out West Records. Recorded in Nashville and Oklahoma City, and co-produced by Julian King (Grammy-winning engineer for Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and Toby Keith), along with Clif Doyal & Tim Russell, the album reflects Shawna’s growth as an artist and a maturity of her song crafting skills. Shawna wrote - or co-wrote - the 10 songs on the project and they provide the listener with a deeper personal connection to her varied influences and artistic expression. From the guitar-driven Country Rock sounds that are her trademark, to Southern-influenced Country R&B, and mandolin-tinged Americana, SHAWNA RUSSELL presents the Oklahoma songbird at a new creative pinnacle.
The album features legendary and stellar musicians, including drummers Russ Kunkel (Carly Simon, James Taylor), Shannon Forrest (2010 ACM “Top Percussionist/Drummer”) and Billy Thomas (Vince Gill); bassists David Santos (Elton John, John Fogerty) and Mike Brignardello (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sugarland); mandolin, banjo and acoustic guitarist, Bryan Sutton (2000-2006 IBMA “Guitar Player of the Year”); electric, slide and acoustic guitarist, Jon Conley (LeAnn Rimes, Wynonna); along with keyboardists Charles Judge (Bon Jovi, Rascal Flatts) and Jim “Moose” Brown (Jamey Johnson, Darius Rucker).
Shawna first came on to the national and international music scene with the release of her debut album, GODDESS (Way Out West Records), in 2008, for which she co-wrote 12 of the 13 songs. Critical acclaim followed: the CMA named her “Who New to Watch,” and top music critics weighed in with praise for her debut. Chris Neal of COUNTRY WEEKLY gave GODDESS a 3 ½ star review, MUSIC ROW’s Robert K.Oermann bestowed a “DISCovery Award,” his highest compliment to a new artist, and rave reviews followed from CMA CLOSE UP, MAVERICK (UK), NASHVILLE MUSIC GUIDE, DREAMWEST (France), THE OKLAHOMAN, MUSIC NEWS NASHVILLE, COUNTRY STARS ONLINE and others.
Three radio singles, "Goddess," "Should've Been Born With Wheels" and "Fire In The Desert" cemented her status as a contender, with action on the Billboard "New and Active,' Music Row and Texas Music Charts. Shawna toured radio stations across the country where her talent won coveted performance and interviews for her on KBEQ-Kansas City’s highly-rated morning show with Mike Kennedy; Atlanta’s powerhouse WUBL; and on Washington DC’s “Voice of America” – which broadcasts to an international audience. Shawna's debut video "Should've Been Born With Wheels" reached the #1 position on the “Ya’llturnative” chart at Ya’ll Wire.com and stayed there for over a month and also attracted fans at CMT.com, AFN, GAC.com (debuted at #3 as a “Top Pick”) and on Pulse Network Television (“Top 20 Country Chart” for 3 months).
Shawna has recently released her latest U.S . single and video, “Get Right Or Get Left,” and also released "Sounds Like A Party" as her debut single in Europe. She currently performs a busy schedule of casino, club and concert dates, working over 100 shows each year.
-by Clif Doyal
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