The stories in country music stick with us for a lifetime. We pass them down from generation to generation like family treasures. Raised on those same stories, Shawna Thompson proudly carries on this tradition. The Alabama raised and Nashville-based singer, songwriter, and co-founder of chart-topping multiplatinum duo Thompson Square grounds her solo debut, Lean On Neon (Sun Records), in a legacy of timeless country songcraft empowered by 21st century attitude and a graceful touch of personal poetry.

“I’ve been drawn to classic country music for as long as I can remember,” she affirms. “Daddy introduced me to Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, George Jones and countless others. At 8 years old I was tagging along everywhere he played/performed music.”

Slowly but surely, Shawna and her Dad started singing staples from the Nashville songbook together as she also discovered the likes of Reba McEntire, Alan Jackson, Pam Tillis and many others. In fact, the genesis of Leon On Neon can be traced right back to those formative years.

“My Dad was the biggest influence on this record,” she exclaims. “He played me the first music I’d ever heard. I lost him 12 years ago to colon cancer, so writing and recording this record was a way to feel closer to him. Growing up, I was his shadow. I’m super thankful he took me with him to so many shows and included me in his love of country music. If it weren’t for his influence, I never would’ve started singing or met my husband Keifer and started Thompson Square. Lean On Neon is the album I moved to Nashville to create. It just took me a while.” Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.