It was New Orleans mother and author Mavis Beckles who once said, “Raising kids ain’t easy.”
But when they’re sleeping? Why, they look downright angelic. And mom-of-two-girls Shana Lynn never failed to notice.
“For quite a few years now, I’ve had a thing — an obsession — when they’re sleeping,” says Shana Lynn. “I used to love watching them sleep.”
Years past. The Vacaville woman’s oldest is now 28 and the youngest is 15. Now there’s a 7-year-old grandson. And yes, the naps came. And grandma noticed.
“I’m thinking, ‘They’re angels when they’re sleeping’ and I thought, ‘That should be a song,’” said Shana Lynn.
Through the challenge of recording during COVID-19, the 49-year-old daughter of local country legend Marty Martin co-wrote “Angels When They Sleep,” available on iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, Instagram and other platforms.
Recorded at Laughing Tiger Studios in Marin, “Angels When They Sleep” was unveiled on Feb. 11 and Shana Lynn couldn’t be happier.
“I keep going back to the fact that any parent in their right mind thinks that when a child is napping, they always take a second look like ‘It’s true, they are angels.’ I’ve always felt that way. I was always posting pictures of them sleeping way before I wrote the song,” said Shana Lynn, chatting about the tune by phone during a visit this week to her mom’s Clear Lake timeshare.
If her husband, Ken Baumgardner, had three thumbs, he’d happily improve his two-thumbs-up review of the song.
“She’s been trying her whole life to release her own song,” he said. “It’s been well-received so far.”
That includes Shana Lynn’s two big-time fans — her sister, Sherri, and their father.
“My dad loves it,” Shana Lynn said. “He’s a total country person. He doesn’t like anything else but.”
To nobody’s surprise, “Angels When They Sleep” leans country.
“Country is my roots,” said Shana Lynn, who has done her darndest to leave Vacaville but keeps getting pulled back.
Married at 18 after Will C. Wood and Vacaville high schools, Shana Lynn lived in San Diego. She returned to the Bay Area, got divorced, and moved back to Vacaville and married Baumgardner. They relocated to Palm Springs, but — there’s a pattern here — she came back to Vacaville.
Hey, it’s been good to her dad, a recording artist with deep Vacaville roots and an extensive country music fan base.
“I’ve been singing with him since I was 4,” said Shana Lynn.
Four years later came the first paid gig — with a signed contract and everything.
“That was fun,” she said. “I still have that framed $1.”
Then came radio shows. And Jerry Lewis Telethons, where Shana Lynn recalled meeting Carlos Santana.
Though interested in songwriting for many years, it admittedly took longer than Shana Lynn expected to release an original.
“Longer than it should have, as far as being from a family of musicians,” she said.
The wait was worth it, she believes.
“I thought it would be a good song,” Shana Lynn said, co-writing “Angels” with Vic Leon.
“He helped me get it down the way I wanted it,” she said.
Shana Lynn met producer Jim Reitzel at Laughing Tiger at the studio a few months ago. From there she “went ahead, went in with mask on, took it off and did my thing.”
It took a day to record, with Shana Lynn’s daughters and grandson recording afterward.
“I wanted my girls in there somewhere,” she said, happy to add her 7-year-old grandson’s “little giggle” to the mix.
The first time Shana Lynn heard the finished product?
“It gave me goose pimples,” she said. “And I like that effect. That’s when I know it’s a done deal for me. Even if I hear a song on the radio. If I get goose pimples, I’ll find a way to learn that song.”
Shana Lynn said her sister cries “every time she hears” the new song. Sister Sherri, standing close by, didn’t disagree.
“She’s remarkable,” Sherri said.
As for future endeavors, Baumgardner said that “We are trying to save up the money for a full CD, ‘Shana, Under The Covers With One Foot Out,’” with all cover songs but one Shana Lynn original called — yes — “One Foot Out.”
Marty Martin’s got to appreciate that. And his daughter never forgets his advice.
“He always told me, ‘When you get on stage, if you mess up when singing with this band, continue to sing. You won’t stop the song or the music. Go on like a professional,” Shana Lynn said. “Now, when I goof off, I make fun of it and move on.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.timesheraldonline.com ’
